Announcements

• Maryland Advisory Council for Individuals with Disabilities (MACID) and Governor's Office for Individuals with Disabilities hold Public Forum in Hagerstown.
• Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) provides free equipment.
• DVS TV and Movie listings for October and November.

Maryland Advisory Council for Individuals with Disabilities (MACID) and Governor's Office for Individuals with Disabilities hold Public Forum in Hagerstown.

The Maryland Advisory Council for Individuals with Disabilities (MACID), the advisory council to the Governor's Office for Individuals with Disabilities, would like to meet with you to learn directly from you, the most pressing issues that you deal with on a day-to-day basis concerning individuals with disabilities. Please take advantage of this opportunity to have your issues and concerns heard. Two forums will be held to accommodate your schedule. Sign language and oral interpreters will be provided. Please contact our office at 1-800-637-4131 V/TTY regarding any accommodation that you may require.

Wednesday, October 10, 2001
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
And
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
at the
Plaza Hotel - Cumberland Room
1718 Underpass Way
Hagerstown MD 21740

Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) provides free equipment.

Maryland Department of
Budget & Management
DBM - people and technology...
a partnership for the new millennium

Office of Information Technology

Telecommunications Access of Maryland

PARRIS N. GLENDENING
Governor

July, 2001

To whom it may concern:

We are writing to acquaint you with a new program, Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT). This program, offered by the State of Maryland, allows SSI, SSDI, AFDC/TCA, or TENMA recipients who are deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, speech disabled or those having functional difficulty using the telephone to receive specialized telephone equipment and service they might otherwise be unable to afford.

MAT provides free TTYS, amplified handsets, and other assistive devices to qualified applicants. This specialized equipment will permit your customers to use the Maryland Relay to make telephone calls to family, friends, and businesses, or to call from one TTY to another TTY. Recipients of these equipment items will retain ownership of the devices so long as they continue to reside in Maryland. Highly specialized equipment items, such as Tele-Braille machines, will also be provided, based on evaluation of the recipient's unique needs by the Maryland Technology Assistance Program (MD TAP).

In cooperation with the Bell Atlantic Tel-Life program, and the Department of Human Resources (DHR), MAT will also assist program recipients who cannot afford basic telephone installation costs to obtain telephone service. Additional copies of the enclosed brochure, and application forms for both MAT and TelLife, are also available upon request by calling our office at 1.800.552.7724 V/TTY, or by writing to MAT at the address shown.

Should you have any questions regarding the MAT program, please feel free to contact us. Please feel free to publish information about this program in any of your newsletters to help us spread the word and mail a copy of the published article for our archives.

We realize the importance to children and adults of using the telephone independently and want all customers in Maryland to have access to this specialized equipment.

Sincerely,

Brenda Kelly-Frey
Equipment Coordinator

301 West Preston Street Suite 1008A a Baltimore, MD 21201-2305
Tel: (410) 767-6960 Fax: (410) 767-4276 , Toll Free: 1 (800) 552-7724
TTY Users call via Maryland Relay
http://www.mdrelay.org

MARYLAND PROVIDES FREE ASSISTIVE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT

By: Brenda Kelly-Frey
Maryland Accessible Telecommunications Program

The telephone is now a treasured friend to many deaf, DeafBlind, hard of hearing, speech and mobility disabled individuals thanks to a program, which was founded in 1997 to fund specialized telecommunications equipment. Now, four years strong, the Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (NIAT) program has distributed specialized telephone equipment to more than 900 Marylanders who previously found the assistive telephone equipment to be too cost prohibitive.

"Advances in technology have brought about phenomenal equipment options including amplified telephones for the hard of hearing, hands-free phones for the mobility disabled, text telephones for the Deaf and Braille type text telephones for those who are DeafBlind." Says Brenda Kelly-Frey, director of the MAT program for the State of Maryland "Our goal is to spread the word that funding for these devices is available for those who need it and cannot afford it." -

Audrey G., a beneficiary of the MAT program has cerebral palsy, which limits her to the use of one hand. Audrey was using a large button telephone but she still had great difficulty dialing the telephone. Frequently, she would misdial and eventually became frustrated and became dependent upon her family members to make the phone calls for her. She lost her independence! Through the MAT program, Audrey received a FREE telephone assessment and it was determined that a hands-free speakerphone was most appropriate and was very easy for her to dial her friends. A headset, which attaches to the speakerphone, provides her with privacy, when necessary.

"I learned about the MAT program after spotting an article in a newsletter from my local adult activity center," says Audrey. "After speaking with a customer service representative from the MAT program, my mom took me to a local rehabilitation center so I could determine which phone was best suited for me. I have had the phone since December and now the only complaints are from my family, which can't use the phone because I am constantly talking with my friends."

By providing free telecommunications equipment to qualified disabled individuals, Maryland Relay looks to keep this essential lifeline available for all Marylanders.

To be considered for the MAT program, all applicants must:

• Live in Maryland and have phone service in their home.
• Be at least 5-years old (persons under age 18 must have application signed by their parent or guardian.
• Receive SSI (Supplemental Security Income), SSDI (Social Security Disability Income), TEMHA (Transitional Emergency Medical and Housing Assistance) or TCA (Temporary Cash Assistance). Note: Hardship Cases are considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Provide certification of their disability by a licensed professional.

Maryland Accessible Telecommunications Program
Department of Budget and Management
301 West Preston Street, Suite 1008A
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: 410-767-5891 or 1-800-552-7724
E-mall: frey@dbm.state.md.us

You can also download and print an application from the Maryland Relay website by visiting:

http://www.mdrelay.org/equipment/mat_application.htm

DVS TV and Movie listings for October and November.

New Titles from DVS Home Video

Erin Brokovich - Check out Julia Roberts' Oscar-winning turn as a spirited, grassroots legal crusader in this critically acclaimed box office hit from Universal Pictures.
Gladiator - Travel back to Ancient Rome with "Best Actor" Oscar-winner Russell Crowe in this dramatic action film from DreamWorks- winner of multiple Oscars, including "Best Picture."
Meet the Parents - Enjoy a hilariously disastrous weekend with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro as a father and hopeful future son-in-law-to-be in this comedy blockbuster from Universal.
Toy Story II - Tag along with Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys as they return for exciting new adventures in this animated family comedy from Disney.
The Matrix - Follow computer hacker Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, as he leads rebels in a struggle to reclaim Earth in this sci-fi thriller from Warner Brothers.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Celebrate the holidays in Whoville with Jim Carrey as the Grinch in this popular big-screen remake from Universal.

PBS Schedule
PBS programs are subject to change; for updates of the PBS broadcast schedule with DVS, call toll free on your touch-tone phone, the DVS Information line, 800-333-1203.

Adventures from the Book of Virtues
Every Sunday, (30 minutes)

Africa (a Nature special)
10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28 (60 minutes)

American Experience
11/11 (60 minutes)

Arthur
Every weekday and Sunday, (30 minutes)

Between the Lions
Every weekday and Sunday, (30 minutes)

Exxon Mobil Masterpiece Theater
10/8, 10/22, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 11/26 (60 minutes)
The episode on 10/8 is 150 minutes.
The episodes on 10/22, and 11/26 are 120 minutes long.

Exxon Mobile Masterpiece Theater's American Collection
10/15, (120 minutes)

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Every week from October 8th, (30 minutes)

Mystery!
Every Thursday, (60 minutes)

Nature
11/4, 11/11, 11/18, 11/25, (60 minutes)

New York (An American Experience special)
10/1, (150 minutes)

NOVA
10/2, 10/9, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, (60 minutes)

Scientific American Frontiers
10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, (60 minutes)

Warship
11/7, 11/14, (120 minutes)

Zoboomafoo
Every weekday and Sunday, (30 minutes)

Zoom
Every weekday and Sunday, (30 minutes)

*You can also get a complete listing of movies described on the TCM cable channel by calling the DVS Information line, 800-333-1203 or on the Internet at: dvs.wgbh.org