Legislation & Regulations
Advocating for Access, Opposing Opportunism: The NFB of Missouri’s Vision
For the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, the internet is not a luxury; it is the modern town square. As our society shifts further into the digital age, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) remains our North Star, ensuring that blind Missourians can access the essential pillars of daily life—commerce, education, and entertainment. Whether we are shopping for groceries, pursuing a degree, or engaging with our community, an accessible website is the difference between independence and exclusion. We remain unshakeable in our commitment to the ADA and its requirement that digital storefronts be just as navigable as physical ones.
We believe, however, that true progress is measured by improved access, not by the volume of litigation. We do not support "sue-and-settle" tactics that prioritize quick payouts over meaningful remediation. We are deeply concerned by lawsuits filed by parties with no genuine intent to use a service, or those initiated without giving a business a fair opportunity to fix a technical barrier. Such actions do not advance the cause of equality; instead, they foster resentment and bridge-burning between the disability community and the small businesses we wish to patronize.
To ensure positive results rather than legal windfalls, we suggest and support a 90-day remediation period. This timeframe allows businesses to take good-faith steps to bring their digital presence into compliance. Too often, business owners are victims themselves—sold websites by developers and coders who do not understand accessibility and who, under current law, are rarely held accountable for delivering a defective, inaccessible product. We want to work with Missouri’s business community to build a digital landscape that welcomes everyone.
While there are numerous bills currently moving through the General Assembly—including HB 1674, HB 1694, HB 1755, HB 1780, HB 1842, HB 2056, HB 2150, HB 2312, and SB 907—our focus is not on any single piece of legislation. Rather, we are speaking to the vital concept they represent: the need for a balanced approach. We demand a Missouri where accessibility is a requirement, not a suggestion, but we refuse to see the civil rights of the blind weaponized for the profit of predatory law firms and recruited plaintiffs. Our goal is a future of inclusive technology and strong community partnerships.
PRESENTED TO
THE SECOND SESSION OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
From: The National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
Date: February 9–10, 2026
We, the members of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, come before you to share our lived experience and present practical solutions grounded in a clear understanding of blindness. We are committed to improving the lives of blind Missourians and expect you to strengthen Missouri statutes when our proposals are sound and effective.
We also commit to serving as a resource to you and your constituents when questions arise about blindness or services for blind people. Thank you for meeting with us and considering our concerns.
ACCESS FOR DEAFBLIND MISSOURIANS
In 2016, the Missouri Legislature established the Support Service Provider (SSP) Program within the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This program serves DeafBlind people by providing trained professionals who deliver environmental information, support communication access, promote safety, and provide transportation when needed.
The legislature took important action by authorizing the SSP Program, and DeafBlind participants have benefited significantly. Approximately eighty consumers currently participate in the program and may receive up to thirteen service hours per month. We appreciate your continued support and the independence this program provides to the DeafBlind community.
We are concerned that current law includes a fixed funding cap of $300,000 that restricts the legislature’s ability to act when that amount is no longer sufficient. When that time comes, lawmakers will be unnecessarily constrained by the cap. Inflation and program growth now threaten to create hardship for DeafBlind Missourians.
Representative Brenda Shields has introduced HB 2408 to remove the $300,000 cap and place funding within the appropriations process. We urge your support for this legislation so the department can request funding that reflects actual program needs.
REFORM OF BLIND PENSION MAILING REQUIREMENTS
This legislation has a single purpose: removing the word “certified” from statutes governing correspondence with Blind Pension recipients. Although well intended, this requirement has created unnecessary costs for the state and unnecessary barriers for blind Missourians.
This policy often forces blind Missourians to travel to post offices to retrieve mail that should be delivered to their homes. It also shortens the time available for recipients to complete annual recertification. As a result, some recipients are terminated from the program and must reapply before benefits are restored.
HB 2180, introduced by Representative Griffith, removes the certified mail requirement for Blind Pension correspondence. For these reasons, the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri strongly supports this legislation.
ACCESS TO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
Missouri is considering legislation governing self-driving and autonomous vehicles. These technologies offer major opportunities for increased independence for blind Missourians. Access must be addressed at the policy level from the start.
Blind people must be permitted to use autonomous vehicles on equal terms without unnecessary driver’s license requirements. Because these vehicles operate without human drivers, passenger access must not depend on vision.
Vehicle interfaces must be accessible without sight. If speech recognition is used, the system must provide clear spoken confirmation or clarification of commands. If touchscreen systems are included, they must offer a nonvisual mode that allows blind users to explore the screen and select functions independently.
Although SB 1050 and HB 2208 need not contain detailed technical standards, these bills must not restrict collaboration between advocates and manufacturers to ensure equal access. Full access must also include audible arrival cues so blind passengers can locate autonomous vehicles when they arrive.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Shelia Wright, President
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
Phone: 816-679-5258
Email: president@nfbmo.org
Code of State Regulations
Title 20—DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION
Division 100—Insurer Conduct Chapter 2—Unfair Trade Practices 20 CSR 100-2.100 Unfair Financial Planning Practices (Rescinded July 30, 2019)
AUTHORITY: section 374.045, RSMo 2000. This rule was previously filed as 4 CSR 190-10.120. Original rule filed Oct. 16, 1989, effective April 15, 1990. Amended: Filed Nov. 1, 2007, effective July 30, 2008. Rescinded: Filed Dec. 13, 2018, effective July 30, 2019.
20 CSR 100-2.200 Unfair Discrimination on the Basis of Blindness, Partial Blindness or Physical or Mental Impairment
PURPOSE: This regulation identifies specific acts or practices which are prohibited by section 375.936, RSMo. It follows the National Association of Insurance Commissioners model regulation dealing with discrimination based on blindness or partial blindness and its model regulation dealing with discrimination based on physical or mental impairment.
(1) Unfairly Discriminatory Acts or Practices Regarding Blindness or Partial Blindness. The following are identified as acts or practices which constitute unfair discrimination between individuals of the same class: refusing to insure, or refusing to continue to insure, or limiting the amount, extent or kind of coverage available to an individual or charging an individual a different rate for the same coverage solely because of blindness or partial blindness.
(A) With respect to all other conditions, including the underlying cause of blindness, persons who are blind or partially blind shall be subject to the same standards of sound actuarial principles or actual or reasonably anticipated experience as are sighted persons.
(B) Refusal to insure includes denial by an insurer of disability insurance coverage on the grounds that the policy defines disability as being presumed in the event that the insured loses his/her eyesight. However, an insurer may exclude from coverage disabilities consisting solely of blindness or partial blindness when this condition existed at the time the policy was issued.
(2) Unfairly Discriminatory Acts or Practices Regarding Physical or Mental Impairment. The following are identified as acts or practices in life and health insurance which constitute unfair discrimination between individuals of the same class: refusing to insure, or refusing to ontinue to insure, or limiting the amount, extent or kind of coverage available to an individual, or charging a different rate for the same coverage solely because of a physical or mental impairment, except where the refusal, limitation or rate differential is based on sound actuarial principles or is related to actual or reasonably anticipated experience.
AUTHORITY: sections 374.045 and 375.936, RSMo 2000.* This rule was previously filed as 4 CSR 190-13.170. Original rule filed Feb. 10, 1978, effective Aug. 11, 1978. Rescinded and readopted: Filed March 7, 1985, effective Aug. 11, 1985. Amended: Filed Nov. 1, 2007, effective July 30, 2008.
*Original authority: 374.045, RSMo 1967, amended 1993, 1995 and 375.936, RSMo 1959, amended 1967, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1991.
20 CSR 100-2.300 The Actual Payment Must Be the Basis for Policy or Plan Calculations (Rescinded July 30, 2008)
AUTHORITY: sections 354.085, 354.120, 354.485, 374.045, and 376.405, RSMo 1994. Original rule filed May 1, 1995, effective Dec. 30, 1995. Rescinded: Filed Nov. 1, 2007, effective July 30, 2008.
Download Insurance Complaint Form
Contact: Shelia Wright President National Federation Of The Blind Of Missouri