[NFBMO] Just an update

Tue Aug 18 19:46:46 UTC 2026

I have rented a car on two separate occasions and have never had a problem.
However, the person who would be driving the car was always with me and I
have never tried to rent one online or by calling a car rental place so this
is very helpful.

Both times I did rent a car it was rented in my name and I of course paid
for it.  I dont recall being asked if I would be driving it but it could
have just been assumed I wasnt going to be the one driving it.  Its been a
few years though and the process might have changed since then.  I do
remember showing my ID and the person who would be driving showed their
drivers license.

Dennis

From: NFBMO <nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Gary Wunder via NFBMO
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2026 1:22 PM
To: 'NFB of Missouri Mailing List' <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Gary Wunder <gwunder at earthlink.net>
Subject: [NFBMO] Just an update

I am not a frequent renter of vehicles, but I noticed that every time I do
go to rent, there is a question about whether or not I can actually do it.
What you will see below are laws relating to the subject as well as policies
from a couple of rental companies. I hope it is helpful as reference
material.

Is there any law in Missouri or nationally that says that a Blind person can
rent a car or any other kind of vehicle as long as they have a licensed
driver to drive it

Yes. Federal law provides a strong basis for a blind person to rent a car in
their own name and have an accompanying licensed driver operate it. There is
also Missouri law that fits with this arrangement, although the clearest
protection comes from the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12182,
rental establishments are public accommodations. They generally must make
reasonable modifications to policies when necessary to provide their goods
and services to a person with a disability, unless the modification would
fundamentally alter the service. 

The U.S. Department of Justice has applied that provision specifically to
blind people renting cars. In a settlement with Budget, DOJ addressed
complaints that Budget refused to rent vehicles to people who could not
drive because of a disability even though they had licensed drivers with
them. DOJ concluded that modifying the policy was required to provide the
rental service to people with disabilities. Under the resulting policy:

*	The blind or otherwise disabled person may be the renter and
financially responsible party. 
*	The renter does not have to have a driver's license. 
*	The accompanying driver must have a valid license and meet the
company's ordinary driver qualifications, such as its age requirements. 
*	The rental company may require identification and the normal method
of payment from the renter. 

DOJ reached similar results involving Dollar and other rental companies. It
specifically reported that Dollar's old policy prevented people who were
blind from renting cars and required the company to permit a person with a
disability to be financially responsible for the rental while an
accompanying licensed driver actually drove the vehicle. 

This isn't merely historical theory. For example, Hertz's current policy for
customers with disabilities
<https://www.hertz.com/us/en/products-and-services/value-added-services/unit
ed-states/car-rental-services-for-people-with-disabilities?utm_source=chatgp
t.com>  expressly says that a person with a visual disability may rent the
car and provide a licensed driver, who is treated as an authorized operator.

Missouri law

Missouri's rental-car statutes are also useful. RSMo § 407.730 defines an
"authorized driver" to include not only the renter but also certain other
licensed drivers and, importantly, "any person expressly listed by the car
rental company on the renter's contract as an authorized driver." 

In addition, the Missouri Human Rights Act applies disability-discrimination
protections to businesses offering goods and services to the general public.
The Missouri Commission on Human Rights describes the Act as covering such
businesses, and the Missouri Attorney General states that public
accommodations may not discriminate against a person because of disability. 

So, a rental company cannot simply say, "You are blind, therefore you cannot
be the renter because you don't have a driver's license," when a qualified
licensed driver will actually operate the car. Requiring the driver to be
properly licensed is legitimate; requiring the blind renter to have a
driver's license is precisely the sort of policy DOJ has required rental
companies to modify under the ADA.

One qualification: this doesn't necessarily mean that every conceivable
vehicle must be rented under the same arrangement. Commercial trucks,
specialized equipment, motorcycles, insurance requirements, and other
regulated vehicles can involve different licensing and safety rules. But for
an ordinary passenger rental car, the federal authority is unusually clear.

If you're dealing with a particular Missouri rental company that has refused
to rent a vehicle to a blind person, tell me which company and what they
said. I can look at that company's current policy and the ADA authorities
and tell you exactly what you could cite to them.

Avis is questioning whether we can do this

Yesand in this case you have something stronger than a general
interpretation of the ADA: Avis's own current published policy explicitly
says you can do this.

Avis's Disability Services page says:

All you need to do is make an advance reservation in your name, arrive with
a licensed driver who is at least 25 years old, complete the Avis additional
driver form at the time of rental

Avis specifically describes this as its policy for customers with visual
disabilities. 

Even more explicit is Avis's current additional-driver policy. Under the
heading Non-Licensed Renter With a Disability, Avis says that when the
renter cannot operate the vehicle because of a disability, an additional
driver may drive the vehicle without an additional-driver fee. Avis says
that the primary renter completes a non-licensed renter form, while the
driver presents a valid driver's license and must be at least twenty-five. 

So if Avis is questioning this, I would point them directly to their own
policy:

Avis Disability Services
<https://www.avis.com/en/customer-service/disability-services?msockid=07b3fe
000c4b6c5f0c07e8590d456d47&utm_source=chatgpt.com> 

Avis Additional Driver Policy
<https://www.avis.com/en/help/usa-faqs/additional-driver?msockid=3bcbbb899a5
76dca215cac8a9b3f6c6d&utm_source=chatgpt.com> 

The important distinction is that you are not trying to rent a car to an
unrelated third party. You are the renter with a disability, and Avis has a
specific procedure allowing your licensed companion to be the driver. Their
ordinary webpage saying that you cannot rent a car for someone else
actually contains an exception for a person driving for an unlicensed
renter with a disability. 

If you're dealing with an Avis agent right now, I would say: Please look up
the Avis non-licensed renter form and your policy for a non-licensed renter
with a disability. Your website specifically provides for a person with a
visual disability to make the reservation in their own name and have an
accompanying licensed driver.

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