What DOR actually is
The California Department of Rehabilitation runs vocational rehabilitation. If you have a disability that is a barrier to getting or keeping work, DOR may fund counseling, training, tools, and assistive technology devices and services (evaluation in your usual environment, purchase or lease, customization, training, repair). That definition comes from the Rehabilitation Act and California regulations — not from KLM Ventures.
How to start
- Apply for vocational rehabilitation: Get started and Vocational Rehabilitation, or walk into a local DOR office. Eligibility overview: Am I eligible?
- Ask, in writing, for an assistive technology assessment in the home if that is where the barrier shows up (getting out the door, seeing the stove, hearing the doorbell before a shift).
- If DOR opens a case, work with the counselor on an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE). Technology belongs in the plan — not in a side email to a gadget shop.
- Purchases often go through DOR procurement / the Cal-ATSD supplier directory. Being “the company you like” is not the same as being an approved supplier.
Statewide AT (Ability Tools)
DOR is the lead agency for California’s Assistive Technology Act program, implemented by Ability Tools (California Foundation for Independent Living Centers): device demos, device loans, reuse, and information. That is a try-before-you-buy resource, not a grant that pays KLM Ventures's invoice.
Start: abilitytools.org · DOR AT page: dor.ca.gov/Home/AssistiveTechnology
What to bring from us
- Photos of the hazard (dark hall, unreachable switch, unheard door).
- A written spec: what we would set up, what it costs, what is plug-in vs. licensed electrical.
- A one-sentence job goal if you have one (“keep night shifts without falling on the way to the bathroom”).
We are not your DOR counselor. We will not claim a device is “required for employment.”
Official sources
- DOR Vocational Rehabilitation
- Disability Rights California, “Obtaining Assistive Technology through the Department of Rehabilitation”
- Cal-ATSD vendor directory · Ability Tools / AT Act state program
Need a specification you can attach?
The free visit produces a one-page plan and honest prices. If a program wants bids, photos, or a written scope, that is what we produce. We do not promise the program will pay.
Take the 60‑second home check Call (323) 990‑1101