At the request of the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing, HB 181 was introduced by Representative Therese Sander
of Mexico, Missouri.  HB 181 was read a first time on 1/3/07 and read
a second time on 1/4/07.  If enacted into law, HB 181 would require
every publisher or manufacturer of electronic video instructional materials
offered for adoption or sale in Missouri to supply those materials with
either open or closed captions.  This would include instructional materials
on videotape, CD-ROM, digital video disc (DVD) and film.  A similar bill
was introduced last year and passed the House with only one “no” vote,
but it was too late in the legislative session to get the bill considered in the
Senate.   

We have a good chance to get this bill through the legislature this year, but
to do so will require the effort of all of us – parents of deaf and hard of
hearing children, students with hearing loss, interpreters who know that deaf
and hard of hearing children are missing information when they view interpreted
videos, teachers who want the best for their students with hearing loss,
members of the deaf and hard of hearing communities who want to ensure
a better education for future generations of children with hearing loss, and
other advocates who want to further level the playing field for deaf and hard
of hearing students.  I want to prepare for the struggle to pass this bill this year
by asking all of you to send me e-mails indicating your support for HB 181
(mandatory captioning of educational videos) so that I can communicate
that support to our legislators.