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.