[NFBMO] Just an update

Tue Aug 18 21:24:20 UTC 2026

This is where having connections with our local amd state transportation advocacy organizations would be a good idea. People do not understand either in cases of this or in cases of appreciating vintage cars how we could possibly be interested. Pointing out the blind driver challenge and blind race car challenge could also be a talking point in some cases but on a larger scale we need to get our sighted counterparts to understand that just becwue you are a passenger does not mean you can not be independent. I don’t know if it’d make sense to write a resolution regarding this but it might be worth considering.
Carolyn McGhee

On Aug 18, 2026, at 14:48, Dennis Miller via NFBMO <nfbmo at nfbnet.org> wrote:

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 don’t recall being asked if I would be driving it but it could have just been assumed I wasn’t going to be the one driving it.  It’s 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 driver’s 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/united-states/car-rental-services-for-people-with-disabilities?utm_source=chatgpt.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
Yes—and 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=07b3fe000c4b6c5f0c07e8590d456d47&utm_source=chatgpt.com>
Avis Additional Driver Policy<https://www.avis.com/en/help/usa-faqs/additional-driver?msockid=3bcbbb899a576dca215cac8a9b3f6c6d&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.”
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/attachments/20260818/0dcb1693/attachment.htm>