National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program
Perkins School for the Blind, along with Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths & Adults and Fablevision, Inc., has been chosen to conduct the outreach efforts across the country to promote the National Deafblind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) pilot.
The idea behind the NDBEDP is that people with combined hearing and vision loss should have access to modern telecommunication tools (and the training necessary to use them) so that they can interact, communicate, use the internet and contribute more to their community. Access to these tools shouldn’t be seen as a luxury, but as a right.
The program provides outreach, assessments, telecommunications technology and training free of charge to those who meet federal eligibility guidelines. Of course, the issue then becomes identifying who is eligible for the program and getting the technology and training out to them, and that is where this new website, iCanConnect.com, comes in.
If you think you or a loved one would be eligible for this program, visit the website and look up your state to find out who your contact person is.
You do have to meet an income threshold to be eligible for this program. You must have an income that does not exceed 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG). To look up the 2012 Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG), click here.
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