The DOR assists eligible Californians with significant disabilities to obtain and retain employment and maximize their ability to live independently in their communities.

Historically, the California government developed various agencies and services to aid and rehabilitate people with physical, mental, visual, and hearing disabilities.

In 1961, Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, Sr. established the Health and Welfare Agency as part of his plan for the reorganization of state government.

In 1963, the Edmund G. Brown administration added the Department of Rehabilitation to the departmental divisions of the Health and Welfare Agency (Chapter 1747, Statutes of 1963).

DOR vocational rehabilitation services may include career assessment and counseling, job search and interview skills, education and training, and assistive technology.