One recent sunny day in Golden Gate Park, Jessie Wolinsky and her boyfriend Nick pulled up and climbed out of the back seats of a sparkling Waymo vehicle. The two were visiting some of their favorite spots in San Francisco and were stopping at the park for a picnic.
“Honestly, [Waymo] absolutely has changed my life here,” said Wolinsky, a 30-year-old who grew up in Los Angeles but moved to San Francisco in 2023, in part because of its greater walkability for people living with disabilities. “It just gave me this independence that I’ve never had before.”
Wolinsky is a person who is blind, and she said she likes how Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hailing service lets her plan trips and navigate the city by herself without riding with unknown drivers or depending on anyone else.
“I really struggled to find independence in my daily life in any sort of way, but specifically with transportation,” Wolinsky shared. “I’ve never been able to be in a car by myself; I’ve never been able to really call the shots, when it comes to getting from A to B.”
As a vocal advocate for people living with disabilities, Wolinsky shares experiences like her Waymo rides with her tens of thousands of social media followers as ‘Badass Blind Babe.’
“I’m mainly just sharing very true stories about my life […] very funny stories, embarrassing stories, and just the truth about what it’s like to go through my life as a blind person, and how I deal with everyday situations,” Wolinksy shared.
Over the last few years, Wolinsky has produced a podcast and built up a following of over 44,000 on TikTok with her unique mix of revelations, education, and compelling observations. Part of Wolinksy’s mission is upending misconceptions about blindness, such as by educating people about how blindness exists on a spectrum. For example, Wolinksy has some central vision but diminishing peripheral vision.
“I know it might seem a little bit confusing, since I don’t seem to appear as a blind person, but I’ve had a lot of experience with learning how to adapt to the sighted world with what I have,” Wolinsky revealed.
Wolinsky was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when she was seven years old, a condition which slowly deteriorates the cells in the retina, eventually causing total blindness. For Wolinsky, the full gravity of her condition didn’t fully sink in until she was about 14.
“My parents sat me down and told me what was happening, and honestly, it completely rocked my world and changed the way that I viewed my life and viewed myself and viewed my future,” Wolinsky recalled.
“For so long, I felt like a victim, it was the classic situation of, ‘Why is this happening to me?’”
Wolinsky eventually realized that narrative didn’t fit her. She decided she wanted to write her own story, embrace what makes her different, and share what she’s learned with others.
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“You can’t control what happens to you in life, but you can control your reaction,” Wolinsky emphasized. “I don’t want to have a negative life, so I have to really make the choice to be positive and to accept myself as I am.”
As part of her journey, Wolinsky is leaning into new experiences and embracing new technologies like Waymo.
The Waymo One app keeps accessibility in mind, is designed with input from disability advocates, and lets riders activate audio-visual wayfinding cues to help them identify their vehicle when it arrives to pick them up. In-car descriptive audio cues can be turned on to describe what’s happening during the ride, which is helpful for people who are blind or have low vision.
Waymo works closely with people living with disabilities and disability advocacy organizations, such as through the Waymo Accessibility Network, to make the technology accessible to people of all abilities. Waymo has integrated accessible audio-visual, haptic, and hands-free features and tools into its technology to continue expanding access for people with physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities.
“It’s always exciting every single time I get to go in the Waymo and get where I’m going,” Wolinsky said.
With her bright enthusiasm, perennial smile, and infectious confidence, it’s hard to deny Wolinsky’s innate charisma. Nick confirmed Wolinksy’s social moniker is very fitting.
“She is a badass, she is blind, and she is a babe,” Nick said smiling.
Wolinsky wants everyone to know that people who are blind and live with disabilities are out in the world, having adventures, and living rich lives.
“I want people who are disabled to know that you can still have an incredible life, and I want people who aren’t disabled to know that there’s no reason to look down on us or talk down to us or feel bad for us,” Wolinsky said. “Just because you have something that makes you different, it doesn’t mean that you’re inadequate in any way.”