Members of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri Will Convene in Jefferson City in Support of Its 2025 Legislative Priorities
Agenda Stresses the Need for Improved Accessibility
St. Louis, Missouri (February 7, 2025): On February 11 and 12 members of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri will be in Jefferson City to promote the legislative priorities of blind Missourians. “Our 2025 legislative agenda highlights the need for improved accessibility,” said Shelia Wright, President of the NFB of Missouri. Deaf/blind Missourians face unique challenges and as such require specialized help in communicating their needs with other people. We therefore urge the legislature to increase funding for the state’s Support Service Provider program so that more deaf/blind individuals can take advantage of this service. Healthcare accessibility is also important to Blind Missourians, and as such, we welcome the opportunity to work with the legislature to ensure that we have access to prescription labels that can be accessed non-visually. The third issue we bring to the legislature this year has to do with removing the requirement that the letters advising Blind Missourians of their need to re-certify for the Blind Pension not be sent through certified mail. The state of Missouri can save money on administering this program, and it would make it easier for Blind Missourians to respond to these letters.”
The Support Service Provider program currently receives a maximum of $300,000 annually through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). There are currently 80 consumers in the program who have limited service hours (13 per month at best), and more deaf/blind individuals on the waiting list who cannot receive services due to insufficient funding. With an increase to $600,000 annually, the program would be able to accept the consumers on the waiting list, provide sufficient SSP hours for consumers (average of 10 weekly), train consumers and SSP's on how to use the program, and pay for IT systems needed to manage and administer the program.
Taking medication as prescribed is an essential aspect of remaining healthy. This can only be done right if one has medication that is clearly labeled and instructions provided, and for too many blind and low-vision people, this is not currently the case. Technology is available to create prescription labels that provide audible, Braille, or large-print output to ensure that everyone knows what medications they are taking. This technology allows pharmacy staff to run the prescription bottles through a label maker to make the label accessible based on the blind persons needs. We therefore support legislation that gives guidance to pharmacies for making prescription labels accessible to enhance the health and safety of all Missourians.
We also support legislation that seeks to exclude the word "certified" from the legislation governing the Blind Pension. Many blind Missourians have experienced significant hardship due to receiving correspondence via certified mail. For this reason, the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri strongly endorses this legislation as presented.
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About the National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), headquartered in Baltimore, is the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. Founded in 1940, the NFB consists of affiliates, chapters, and divisions in the fifty states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. The NFB defends the rights of blind people of all ages and provides information and support to families with blind children, older Americans who are losing vision, and more. We believe in the hopes and dreams of blind people and work together to transform them into reality. Learn more about our many programs and initiatives at www.nfb.org.
CONTACT:
Randy Carmack, Public Relations Chair
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
(314) 239-2947
rcarmack@nfbmo.org