Calling Advocates, Supporters, and Family Members

For the first time in Missouri, ongoing Orientation and Mobility Services and Vision Impairment Services (OMS/VIS) are being provided to an adult with a Visual Impairment and Developmental Disabilities. In 2017, after a lengthy legal battle, the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District ruled in favor of providing these medically necessary support services to one individual, Maria Fields.

Now ALL adults with these disabilities who are participating in a Medicaid Waiver through the Missouri’s Division of Developmental Disabilities, need access to this same level of support. This includes adult participants in Comprehensive Waiver, Community Support Waiver, and Partnership for Hope Waiver.

These supports may be needed in a consistent, lifelong format to not only the individual, but their families, staff and therapists for the individual to achieve and maintain his/her personal maximum level of independence. These services may include, but are not limited to:

• Adapted activities of daily living
• Access to braille and other assistive technology
• Independent and/or supported travel

A descriptive Medicaid Waiver code is needed for Vision Impairment Professionals and Orientation and Mobility Specialists. This code would create access to these services for participating individuals, define the qualifications of the service providers and establish a competitive rate of pay for these professional services.

 

Get Involved!

Get Involved

We are setting goals and making plans for 2022. To learn about how you can volunteer to help, please contact Bev Fields at bev@mariasvision.org — we would love to hear from you!

Share Maria’s Vision

 

Share our message with others to secure blindness services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

 

Join the Community

Join the Maria’s Vision Facebook group for up-to-date information on news and volunteering opportunities to support the visual impairment and developmental disabilities community.