Disability Rights in Missouri - Missouri Attorney General Office

It is against the law for employers, public entities, and public accommodations to discriminate against a person based on that person’s disability. If you have questions or feel that you have been discriminated against due to your disability, please contact:

U.S. Department of Justice

Civil Rights Division

(202) 514-4609

(202) 514-0716 (TTY)

Missouri Commission on Human Rights

(877) 781-4236

(800) 735-2966 (TDD)

mchr@labor.mo.gov

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities in places of public accommodation, government services, and employment. The ADA is enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) prohibits discrimination on several bases, including disability, and incorporates the ADA. Complaints of violations of the MHRA are investigated by the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. 

Public Accommodations are privately owned or operated facilities that are open to the public, such as restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. It is against the law for a place of public accommodation to discriminate against a person because of that person’s disability. Section 213.065 

Places of public accommodation may be required to provide auxiliary aids, such as qualified interpreters and Braille or large-print materials, but only if it would not unduly burden or fundamentally alter the service provided by the facility. Limitations are examined on a case-by-case basis.

Places of public accommodation are generally required to permit the use of service animals, regardless of a facility’s “no pets” policy, or state or local health codes. The service animal’s owner is solely responsible for its care and control. While “pet deposits” may not be charged to a service animal’s owner, the owner may be charged to repair or clean any damage caused by the service animal. 

Barriers to accessibility must be removed when it is “readily achievable” to do so, given the associated difficulty and expense. When barrier removal is not readily achievable, alternatives should be explored, including in-store assistance and home delivery.

In most cases, residential property is not covered by the ADA or the MHRA. An exception exists, though, under the MHRA for “multi-family dwellings,” which are residential buildings with four or more units, and which must be built with certain accessibility features in mind. Section 213.040 

The ADA and MHRA prohibit covered employers from discriminating against qualified individuals on the basis of disability when considering actions related to that person’s employment. 

Qualified individuals with a disability may not be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of services or activities of, a public entity, including state or local governments and their departments, nor may they be subjected to discrimination by any such entity. Section 213.070