Florida legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Florida S562: Communication Rights of Individuals with Disabilities
Status: Failed, March 13, 2026
Providing that individuals with a disability have the right to communicate in their preferred manner; prohibiting state agencies, schools, and health care providers from restricting or denying such individuals access to their preferred alternative communication method; specifying rights that individuals with disabilities have with respect to their communication needs; establishing the Communication Rights Advisory Board within the Agency for Persons with Disabilities for a specified purpose, etc.
What the bill says
An act relating to the communication rights of individuals with disabilities; creating s. 393.0665, F.S.; defining terms; providing that individuals with a disability have the right to communicate in their preferred manner; prohibiting state agencies, schools, and health care providers from restricting or denying such individuals access to their preferred alternative communication method; specifying alternative communication methods recognized under the act; specifying rights that individuals with disabilities have with respect to their communication needs…
From the introduced text, November 18, 2025:
A bill to be entitled An act relating to the communication rights of individuals with disabilities; creating s. 393.0665, F.S.; defining terms; providing that individuals with a disability have the right to communicate in their preferred manner; prohibiting state agencies, schools, and health care providers from restricting or denying such individuals access to their preferred alternative communication method; specifying alternative communication methods recognized under the act; specifying rights that individuals with disabilities have with respect to their communication needs; requiring the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to adopt rules and develop certain training; providing requirements for the training; establishing the Communication Rights Advisory Board within the agency for a specified purpose; providing for membership and duties of the board; providing for future repeal of the board; requiring the agency to adopt procedures for reporting violations of specified provisions; providing for administrative penalties; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1.âSection 393.0665, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 393.0665âCommunication Bill of Rights for Individuals with Disabilities.â (1)âDEFINITIONS.âAs used in this section, the term: (a)ââAlternative communication methodâ means a communication technique or device that is evidence-based or recognized by relevant professional organizations, including, but not limited to, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and that allows an individual with a disability to communicate independently without …