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cttap services

Access through Technology

We can provide a full assessment, a range of equipment and training to eligible individuals who have a combination of Deafness & Blindness (low vision and hearing loss)

and meet the income requirements. ​

The FCC has selected the CT Tech Act Project as the Certified Program the National Deaf Blind Equipment Distribution Program to provide equipment needed to make telecommunications, advanced communications, and the Internet accessible to low-income individuals who have both significant vision loss and significant hearing loss.​ ​

There is no cost to eligible individuals to receive assessments, equipment and training.​

Significant vision loss is defined as having at least one of the following conditions:

  • Visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective lenses
  • A field defect such that the peripheral diameter of the visual field is no greater than 20 degrees
  • Progressive visual loss with a prognosis leading to one or both of above condition.
Woman with low vision and her colleague looking at a laptop
Sisters showcasing their laptops and cellphones they received from the Access Through Technology program, sitting on a sofa smiling at the camera

Significant hearing loss is defined as having at least one of the following conditions:

  • Chronic hearing disabilities so severe that most speech cannot be understood with optimum amplification
  • Progressive hearing loss having a prognosis leading to above condition
  • Household income within 400 % of federal poverty level.
  • Income guidelines for the current year can be found on the National iCanConnect website. 

Income guidelines:

Application:

For More Information:

man with low vision tying on an alternate keyboard with an audio recorder next to him.

Whistleblower Protection

National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) certified programs shall permit, without reprisal in the form of an adverse personnel action, purchase or contract cancellation or discontinuance, eligibility disqualification, or otherwise, any current or former employee, agent, contractor, manufacturer, vendor, applicant, or recipient, to disclose to a designated official of the certified program, the NDBEDP Administrator, the TRS (Telecommunications Relay Services) Fund Administrator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission), or to any federal or state law enforcement entity, any known or suspected violations of the Communications Act or Commission rules, or any other activity that the reporting person reasonably believes to be unlawful, wasteful, fraudulent, or abusive, or that otherwise could result in the improper distribution of Equipment, provision of services, or billing to the TRS Fund.

You may report your concerns to:

The whistleblower protection rule is located at:  47 CFR § 64.6219.

§ 64.6219 Whistleblower protections.

(a) NDBEDP certified programs shall permit, without
reprisal in the form of an adverse personnel action, purchase or contract cancellation or discontinuance, eligibility disqualification, or otherwise, any current or former employee, agent, contractor, manufacturer, vendor, applicant, or recipient, to disclose to a designated official of the certified program, the NDBEDP Administrator, the TRS Fund Administrator, the Commission, or to any federal or state law enforcement entity, any known or suspected violations of the Communications Act or Commission rules, or any other activity that the reporting person reasonably believes to be unlawful, wasteful, fraudulent, or abusive, or that otherwise could result in the improper distribution of Equipment, provision of services, or billing to the TRS Fund.

 (b) NDBEDP certified programs shall include these whistleblower protections with the information they provide about the program in any employee handbooks or manuals, on their websites, and in other appropriate publications.

Who We Are

The Connecticut Tech Act Project (CTTAP) operates out of the CT Department of Aging and Disability Services. We help people with disabilities, family members, employers, educators and other professionals with access to Assistive Technology devices and services.

© CT Tech Act Project 2023. All rights reserved.

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