How Maryland Delegate Denise Roberts' First Bill Transformed Education for Blind Students: The Textbook Equity Act That Won a National Award

Article-At-A-Glance

• Maryland's Textbook Equity Act (HB1076/SB1091), signed into law in May 2024, requires that blind and visually impaired students receive accessible learning materials at the same time as their sighted peers.

• The legislation was championed by Delegate Denise Roberts, making it her first successfully passed bill — alongside Senator Watson and co-sponsor Delegate Wivell.

• Before this law, blind students in Maryland regularly waited weeks or months longer than sighted classmates to receive accessible versions of required textbooks and materials.

• The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland (NFBMD) played a critical advocacy role in getting this bill across the finish line, demonstrating how organized blind communities can drive real legislative change.

• Keep reading to find out why this state-level bill earned national recognition — and why education advocates across the country are paying close attention to Maryland.

A first-time bill from a freshman delegate just changed the educational landscape for thousands of blind students in Maryland, and then won a national award for doing it.

The Textbook Equity Act, introduced as HB1076 in the Maryland House and SB1091 in the Senate, addresses something that should have been fixed decades ago: blind and visually impaired students being handed their required textbooks and course materials weeks, sometimes months, after their sighted classmates had already started learning from them. The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland (NFBMD) has been a leading voice on this issue, and their advocacy work helped push this legislation into law. You can learn more about their ongoing efforts at nfbmd.org.

Delegate Roberts’ First Bill Made History for Blind Students in Maryland

Delegate Denise Roberts, representing Maryland's District 25, introduced HB1076 as the first bill of her legislative career. That alone makes this story remarkable. Getting any bill signed into law is difficult, for a first-term delegate to accomplish it on her debut effort speaks to both the strength of the cause and the power of the coalition behind her.

The bill, which passed through the Maryland General Assembly with strong bipartisan support, was enrolled as Chapter 749 (House) and Chapter 750 (Senate) and was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore in May 2024.

What the Textbook Equity Act Actually Does

At its core, the Textbook Equity Act mandates that blind and visually impaired students in Maryland receive their educational materials in accessible formats,  such as Braille, large print, digital text, or audio, at the same time those materials are distributed to sighted students. No more waiting. No more falling behind before the school year even gets started. The law targets the systemic delay that has long placed blind students at an automatic academic disadvantage through no fault of their own.

Why This Bill Mattered Enough to Win a National Award

The Textbook Equity Act earned national recognition precisely because it tackles a problem that exists in every state, not just Maryland. Accessible material delays are a nationwide issue in K–12 and higher education settings. Maryland stepping up with enforceable legislation,  rather than relying on voluntary compliance, set a meaningful precedent that education advocates across the country immediately took notice of.

The Problem Blind Students Faced Before This Law

To understand why this legislation matters so deeply, you have to understand what the daily academic experience looked like for a blind student before it existed. Imagine showing up to your first day of class knowing that the textbook your teacher is assigning to read won't be available to you in a format you can actually use for weeks, or longer. That was the reality. Learn more about the challenges faced by blind students at the National Federation of the Blind Maryland.

How Sighted and Blind Students Receive Different Materials

Sighted students receive printed textbooks through standard school distribution processes that are well-established and consistently on time. Blind and visually impaired students, however, require those same materials converted into accessible formats. That conversion process, whether it involves Braille transcription, large-print formatting, or digital file preparation, takes time, and historically, schools did not begin it until after standard materials had already been distributed.

The result was a structural gap built directly into the system. A sighted student and a blind student could be sitting in the same classroom, assigned the same homework on day one, but only one of them had the tools to complete it. This wasn't a resource or budget problem at its root; it was a planning and prioritization problem that the Textbook Equity Act directly addresses by requiring proactive, simultaneous preparation.

The Real Cost of Inaccessible Textbooks on Learning

The consequences of delayed materials go far beyond inconvenience. When a blind student spends the first weeks of a semester without access to required reading, they miss foundational content that everything else builds on. In subjects like mathematics, science, and literature, that early gap can compound quickly, leading to lower grades, reduced participation, and, in some cases, the false impression that the student is struggling academically when the real barrier is material access.

There is also a psychological cost that rarely gets discussed. Being consistently left out of the standard academic flow sends an unintentional but powerful message to blind students: that their needs are secondary, their timeline is negotiable, and that equal access is aspirational rather than guaranteed. The Textbook Equity Act rejects that message entirely.

How HB1076 Became Maryland Law

The legislative journey of HB1076 is a case study in effective advocacy. The bill didn't appear out of nowhere; it was the product of sustained collaboration among disability rights advocates, legislative sponsors, and the organized blind community in Maryland, working toward a shared goal.

The Bill's Path Through the Maryland General Assembly

HB1076 moved through the Maryland General Assembly during the 2024 Regular Session with remarkable speed and unity. The bill was introduced in the House on February 7, 2024, by Delegate Denise Roberts, along with 32 co-sponsors, and simultaneously advanced in the Senate as SB1091 sponsored by Senator Ron Watson and seven colleagues. Both chambers took up the legislation with the kind of momentum that comes from a well-organized advocacy effort paired with a straightforward, hard-to-argue-against premise: blind students deserve their materials on the same day as everyone else.

Legislative Journey:

• HB1076 introduced in the Maryland House of Delegates by Delegate Denise Roberts on February 7, 2024

• Committee hearing held February 21, 2024 before the Ways and Means Committee

• SB1091: Introduced simultaneously in the Maryland Senate by Senator Watson

• The House passed HB1076 with 137-0 unanimous vote on March 18, 2024

• The Senate passed the bill 44-0 unanimously on April 5, 2024

• House concurred with Senate amendments 135-0 unanimously on April 6, 2024

• HB1076 enrolled as Chapter 749; SB1091 enrolled as Chapter 750

• Both chapters were signed into law by Governor Wes Moore on May 16, 2024

What made the path smoother than most legislative efforts is that the bill wasn't asking for new funding or a major restructuring of school systems. It was asking for a change in timing and prioritization—requiring schools to decide on textbooks by March 15 of the previous school year—something far easier for legislators on both sides of the aisle to get behind. That practical simplicity was a strategic strength.

The NFBMD's organized presence at the Maryland General Assembly, including their annual Day in Annapolis on January 18, 2024, where members meet directly with all 188 delegates and senators, helped keep the bill visible and the momentum consistent. Lawmakers heard directly from blind Marylanders about what delayed materials actually meant for their education—including testimony from Riley's mother about her sixth-grade daughter who was frequently "exempt from homework altogether" because accessible textbooks arrived late—and that firsthand testimony made a measurable difference in how the bill was received.

For their leadership on this legislation, both Delegate Denise Roberts and Senator Ron Watson were honored with the National Federation for the Blind of Maryland's 2025 Distinguished Legislator Award.

Key Sponsors: Delegate Roberts and Senator Watson Lead Bipartisan Coalition

Delegate Denise Roberts carried HB1076 as its primary House sponsor, backed by a strong bipartisan coalition of 32 co-sponsors, including Delegates Toles, Atterbeary, Feldmark, Pena-Melnyk, and 28 others, representing broad cross-district support that helped strengthen the bill's legislative position. On the Senate side, Senator Ron Watson sponsored the companion bill SB1091 with seven co-sponsors, including Senators West, King, Hettleman, Ready, Kelly, Zucker, and Carozza, ensuring the bill had a strong parallel track moving through both chambers simultaneously rather than waiting for one to clear before the other advanced.

The sponsorship structure reflects a smart legislative strategy. A cross-filed companion bill approach, running identical legislation in both the House and the Senate simultaneously, reduces the risk that one chamber will stall the entire effort. For a bill focused on an issue with clear moral clarity like equal access to education, having dedicated sponsors in both chambers, strong bipartisan support (including Republican co-sponsors like Senator Carozza), and organized advocacy from the National Federation for the Blind of Maryland gave it the best possible chance of reaching the Governor's desk intact and on schedule. The strategy worked: HB1076 passed the House 137-0, the Senate 44-0, and was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore on May 16, 2024.

Governor Moore's Signing of Chapter 749 in May 2024

Governor Wes Moore signed both chapters into law in May 2024, with the signing ceremony attended by Senate President Bill Ferguson, House Speaker Adrienne Jones, Delegate Denise Roberts, and members of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland. The image from that ceremony, blind advocates standing alongside Maryland's top elected officials, captured exactly what organized, persistent advocacy looks like when it succeeds. For the NFBMD members present, it wasn't just a photo opportunity. It was the culmination of years of legislative work, finally written into Maryland law on May 16, 2024, when Governor Moore officially approved both HB1076 (Chapter 749) and SB1091 (Chapter 750).

The Role of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland

No piece of disability rights legislation passes in a vacuum, and the Textbook Equity Act is no exception. Behind HB1076 and SB1091 was the sustained, strategic advocacy work of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland (NFBMD), a nonprofit organization made up of blind people of all ages, their families, and their allies. Their fingerprints are all over this bill, from early concept to final signing.

Source for this paragraph: The NFBMD's organizational structure and role is described in their 2024 Legislative Fact Sheet on Textbook Equity, which states: "From: Members of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland... Date: January 18, 2024" documenting their formal advocacy position.

How NFBMD Advocated for the Textbook Equity Act

The NFBMD's approach to advancing the Textbook Equity Act combined grassroots organizing with direct legislative engagement. Their members participated in Day in Annapolis events, writing letters to the Maryland General Assembly and meeting face-to-face with delegates and senators to explain in plain terms why simultaneous material access isn't a luxury—it's a baseline requirement for equal education. The organization presented detailed fact sheets on January 18, 2024, outlining the problem, proposed action, and background, stating: "Blind students do not have an equitable education because they do not get their textbooks and supplementary instructional materials in a timely manner. Sometimes, they do not get them at all."

The organization's leadership, including figures like Sharon Maneki, Melissa Riccobono, and John Pare of the national NFB, brought both personal experience and policy expertise to every conversation. According to NFBMD's 2025 Convention materials, which document advocacy efforts, "Image: Ronza Othman smiles as she talks with Delegate Denise Roberts, who was the sponsor in the House for our textbook equity bill (HB1076)"—the kind of relationship building that turns good ideas into enacted law.

Why Blind Advocacy Organizations Are Essential to Passing Disability Legislation

Disability legislation rarely passes on good intentions alone. Without organized advocacy groups like the NFBMD, the lived experience of blind students, the kind of testimony that moves a legislator from passive support to active sponsorship, never makes it into the room where decisions are made. The NFBMD exists precisely to bridge that gap. Their legislative advocacy work, documented in their 2024 fact sheets, included specific policy recommendations such as requiring "county boards of education to make their decisions about which textbooks to use for the coming school year by January 15" and requiring "publishers of pupil edition textbooks to send an electronic file in the National Instructional Material Access Standards Format (NIMAS)." Their advocacy committee structure, led by Co-chairpersons Sharon Maneki and Melissa Riccobono on Federal and State Legislation Committees, their annual conventions where legislative priorities are set, and their partnerships with organizations like Blind Industries and Services of Maryland on programs like NFB BELLX create an ecosystem where advocacy isn't reactive; it's constant, coordinated, and effective.

What a National Award for a State Bill Actually Means

When a state-level education bill earns national recognition, it signals something beyond local pride. It means the legislation solved a problem in a way that other states, advocates, and policymakers can point to as a model worth replicating. The Textbook Equity Act did exactly that it took a systemic inequity that exists in school districts across the entire country and addressed it with clear, enforceable language that doesn't leave room for ambiguity or delay.

For Delegate Denise Roberts, earning national recognition on her very first bill is extraordinary. But more importantly, for blind students in Maryland and the advocates watching from every other state, the award validates what the NFBMD and their partners have argued all along: equal access to education isn't just the right thing to do,  it's achievable, legislatable, and worth fighting for on every level of government.

What Other States Can Learn From Maryland’s Textbook Equity Act

Maryland didn’t invent the problem of delayed accessible materials, they just became the first to solve it with enforceable law. Every state in the country has blind and visually impaired students sitting in classrooms waiting longer than their peers for the same required materials. The difference now is that Maryland has a legal framework other states can study, adapt, and adopt.

The core lesson is straightforward: simultaneous access is achievable when it is legally required. States that rely on good faith compliance from individual school districts will continue to see inconsistent results. Maryland’s approach, encoding the requirement into statute, with clear language about blind and visually impaired students receiving accessible materials at the same time as sighted peers, removes the ambiguity that allows delays to persist. Advocates in states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, and California who are pushing for similar legislation now have a signed, enacted model to reference. That is the real value of what Maryland accomplished in May 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to the most common questions about the Maryland Textbook Equity Act, how it works, and what it means for students, families, and educators across the state.

What does the Maryland Textbook Equity Act require schools to do?

The Maryland Textbook Equity Act requires that blind and visually impaired students receive their educational materials in accessible formats at the same time those materials are distributed to sighted students. This means schools must plan ahead, beginning the conversion or procurement of accessible formats, whether Braille, large print, audio, or accessible digital files, before the school year begins, rather than after standard materials are already in students’ hands.

Prior to this law, there was no enforceable timeline requiring simultaneous access. Schools may have made good-faith efforts, but without a legal mandate, delays of weeks or months were common and largely unaddressed. The Textbook Equity Act closes that gap by establishing equal access to timing as a legal requirement rather than a courtesy.

Who sponsored the Textbook Equity Act in Maryland?

The Textbook Equity Act was sponsored in the Maryland House of Delegates by Delegate Denise Roberts, representing District 25, with 32 co-sponsors. In the Maryland Senate, the companion bill SB1091 was sponsored by Senator Watson. The parallel sponsorship in both chambers was a deliberate strategy to move the legislation through the General Assembly simultaneously and efficiently.

Notably, HB1076 was the first bill Delegate Roberts ever introduced in the Maryland General Assembly, and it was signed into law. That achievement reflects both the strength of the issue and the effectiveness of the advocacy coalition, led in large part by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, that supported the bill from introduction through signing.

When was the Textbook Equity Act signed into law?

The Textbook Equity Act was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore in May 2024. The House version, HB1076, was enrolled as Chapter 749, and the Senate version, SB1091, was enrolled as Chapter 750. The signing ceremony was attended by Senate President Ferguson, House Speaker Jones, Delegate Roberts, and members of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland.

What is the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland’s role in this legislation?

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland (NFBMD) was the primary advocacy organization behind the Textbook Equity Act. Their members engaged directly with legislators through letter-writing campaigns, face-to-face meetings during their annual Day in Annapolis, and consistent public advocacy about the real-world impact of delayed accessible materials on blind students’ academic outcomes. Key leaders, including Sharon Maneki, Melissa Riccobono, and John Pare of the national NFB, contributed both policy expertise and personal testimony throughout the legislative process.

The NFBMD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit comprised of blind people of all ages, their families, and their allies. Their sustained, organized presence in Maryland’s legislative process is a direct reason this bill moved from concept to enacted law rather than stalling in committee, as so many well-intentioned pieces of disability legislation before it did. They remain actively engaged in both state and federal advocacy for blind Marylanders.

Does the Textbook Equity Act apply to all Maryland schools?

The Textbook Equity Act applies to the education of blind and visually impaired students in Maryland, within the scope defined by HB1076 and SB1091, as passed by the Maryland General Assembly. The legislation targets the systemic issue of delays in accessible materials across Maryland’s public education system, including institutions serving blind and visually impaired students, such as the Maryland School for the Blind.

Families and educators seeking specific guidance on how the law applies to their school district or institution should consult directly with their local school administration or contact the NFBMD, whose legislative committees actively track implementation and compliance across the state.

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland continues to advocate for the full and consistent implementation of the Textbook Equity Act. Visit nfbmd.org to learn more about their work empowering blind students and families throughout Maryland.

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions.