Jeane "Jeannie" Orjas l 80

Jeane Orjas contributed to the background in this post to flesh out the material that is in her interview.

She came to San Francisco in 1963 to attend San Francisco State University to become a high school teacher and ended up going into the unskilled clerical army instead. Throughout almost all her time in San Francisco, she credits the the Unitarian Universalist Church and their support as being a root and ground for her. She identifies as a lesbian. Jeane has dealt with several health conditions as she has gotten older, including macular degeneration that affects her vision, and congestive heart failure. She is receiving in-depth training from the Lighthouse for the Blind to help her use the accessibility functions on her iPad, and so technology has played a role in keeping her connected. She has become passionate about disability justice. She listens to audio books and is trying to return to writing and drawing. She is delighted to discover her one published poem is online. She is trying to find peace about the loss of identity upon death and figure out what she might believe in.

Interview date: 8/25/2021

Interviewed by: Anna Chodos

Referred by: Sarah Arnold, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly