May 26 Day of Action Recap and Next Steps 

On Tuesday, May 26, over a dozen LightHouse staff and clients joined the 200+ blind, low vision, and disabled advocates from all across the state in Sacramento. Messages and stories of blind and disabled empowerment were shared on the lawn in front of Capitol Building as the crowd rallied and held signs with slogans like, “Nothing About Us Without Us,” “Equal Access = Basic Human Rights,” and “Protect our H.O.P.E. – Healthcare, OIB funding, Providers of service, Employment.”

With the help of National Federation of the Blind California (NFBC) and California Council of the Blind (CCB) blind and low vision community members attended over a dozen meetings with Senate and Assembly members representing districts across all of California.

LightHouse interim CEO, Brandon Cox, and Project Manager of Advocacy & Communications, Caitlin O’Malior, were joined by Executive Director of Valley Center for the Blind (VCB), Shellena Heber, and Marianela Camarillo, CEO of San Diego Center for the Blind (SDCB), as they met with Deputy Cabinet Secretary in the Office of Governor Newsom, Richard Figueroa, to discuss the issues regarding the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)’s Order of Selection Category 1 closure, as well as the cut to Older Individuals Who are Blind (OIB) program funding, and how that will catastrophically impact our agencies and the clients we serve.

While the state’s budget process is nearly finalized, we are hopeful that through the collective efforts of Tuesday’s Day of Action participants and our multitude of blind and low vision California advocates, we can put pressure of the DOR to withdraw their proposal to close Category 1 before the plan is submitted and approved by the federal government.

Next Steps 

What do we do now? We continue to speak up and share our stories! We are encouraging our community members and sighted allies to write to their district representatives about the devastating effects this year’s budget and the DOR’s plans for Order of Selection will have on the blind, low vision, Deafblind, and disabled people of California.

LightHouse would like to express our sincere gratitude to distinguished writer and LightHouse Earle Baum Campus community member, Elaine Rock, for not only writing to her representatives in Sonoma County, but for authoring and sharing the Support Letter Template. (See below.) Thank you for your invaluable advocacy, Elaine!

Here’s How You Can Help

• First, look up your California District Representative Here.
• Second, download this Support Letter Template. Please read this letter thoroughly and insert your own relevant information. You do not have to include a brief personal story or statement, but we encourage those who feel comfortable to do so. (Please Note: If you have any difficulty downloading the template via the link provided, you may copy and paste the template. Text can be found at the bottom of this page.)
• Third, send it off! Contact information, including phone numbers, fax numbers, and email can be found on your representative’s website under the “Contact Me” section (typically at the bottom of the representative’s home page.) You may send physical mail, but digital submission is a faster and more efficient way to contact your Senator or Assembly member’s office.

We must band together now more than ever to protect our H.O.P.E. If you have any questions regarding the support letter or other ways to advocate for our community, please contact the LightHouse Communications team at communications@lighthouse-sf.org.

SUPPORT LETTER TEMPLATE – Please Copy & Paste the Text Below

DATE: [Insert date]

TO: [Name of State Rep. or Sen.]

RE: URGENT: PROTECT HOPE FOR DISABLED CALIFORNIANS. STOP DOR FUNDING CUT THREATS TO CATEGORY 1 PROGRAMS FOR OIB AND YIB SERVICES

Dear [Name of Senator or Representative],

I am writing to express my deep concern about how the current state budget environment is affecting disability and rehabilitation services for blind and low-vision Californians. As your constituent, I urge you to preserve vital independence programs in our region, as major funding cuts by the California DOR are targeting OIB (Older Individuals Who Are Blind). That’s nearly 100% of blind and low-vision people who receive DOR vocational services.

Organizations such as the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, including its Earle Baum Campus in Santa Rosa and Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa, provide essential independent living support, counseling, mobility instruction, and youth programs. While the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) budget funds community-based service delivery, the DOR says it plans to close Priority Category 1 service delivery within the Order of Selection. This could lead to devastating cuts for blind and low-vision service recipients.

[Optional personal statement/story here]

The result could be that service providers may not be able to remain open and support their clients under such intense economic pressure. There is concern that services cannot be maintained as current cases close, with a corresponding inability to open new cases, resulting in indefinite waitlists. OIB has seen over a 60% decrease in funding since 2024-2026, with the Younger Individuals Who are Blind (YIB) experiencing deeper cuts, even exceeding 90% for some agencies. Such reductions could have long-term impacts on programs, staffing, and service delivery across the board and could entirely dismantle the excellent LightHouse programming in [County Name]. This would not just be heartbreaking to our community. It would be cruel.

These programs are not luxuries. They help an aging population navigating macular degeneration, glaucoma, and progressive vision loss remain independent, safe, and connected to their communities. Maintaining robust rehabilitation and independent living services prevents long-term public costs associated with avoidable falls, hospitalizations, and premature institutional care.

Please protect us against these threats to our independence, self-sufficiency, dignity, and the basic human rights of blind, low vision, and disabled Californians. This isn’t about politics. It’s about maintaining access to quality of life. I urge you to ensure that all Category 1 services in the budget are retained and that all essential infrastructure continues to enable visually impaired Californians to thrive.

Thank you for your consideration and public service.

Sincerely,

[Name, Address, phone number, email address]