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Assistive Telecommunications Equipment Provided By the State
Communicating by telephone is an important part of living an independent life. That’s why the Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) program offers a wide variety of solutions and tools, provided by the State, to support day-to-day communications. The MAT program is administered by Telecommunications Access of Maryland, a State agency located within the Maryland Department of Disabilities.
The MAT program is available to any Maryland resident who:
- has difficulty using a standard telephone;
- is 3 years of age or older;
- is certified as being Deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, blind, low vision or having cognitive, mobility or speech-related difficulties;
- is on a fixed income, or is a recipient of at least one state or federal financial benefit;
- equipped with home phone service and high speed/WiFi
If you meet the above criteria, you may apply for the MAT program. Applications are available online at mdrelay.com. Once your application is approved, you will be notified and given instructions to schedule a free evaluation at a MAT evaluation center near you.
During this evaluation, you will have the opportunity to practice dialing, answering and talking on several different pieces of equipment until the evaluator finds the solution that works best for you. Your evaluator will order your equipment and it will be shipped to your home within 4-6 weeks. Each device comes with personalized instructions for setup and use, and you may always contact your local MAT evaluation center for additional training and set-up.
A sampling of the solutions available through the MAT program includes:
- Amplified phones
- Captioned Telephones
- Ring signalers
- Phones with large and/or high contrast buttons
- Phones that talk when dialed
- Picture phones
- Phones that amplify speech
- Braille TTYs for people who are Deaf-Blind
- Hearing Carry-Over (HCO) phones
- Voice Carry-Over (VCO) phones
- Hands-free phones
If you do not qualify for the MAT program but would like to purchase equipment, you may also request a free evaluation at any MAT evaluation center.
To learn more, or to apply for the MAT program, please visit mdrelay.org or call 1-800-552-7724 (Voice/TTY) or 443-453-5970 (VP).
Other Articles You May Find of Interest...
- Five Important Reasons To Schedule A Yearly Hearing Exam
- Difficulty Hearing Over The Phone?
- Hearing Loss and Your Overall Health
- Assistive Telecommunications Equipment Provided By the State
- Speech Disability and Using the Telephone
- Keeping Maryland Residents Connected
- Your Hearing, Diabetes and Cardio Health
