[Nfbofsc] I Can Connect Program for people with hearing and visual loss

Tue Nov 1 15:26:58 UTC 2016

Below, is information about the I Can Connect Program for eligible
individuals.

Call or text us at (803) 627-8847 or email us at 

iCanConnect at tvisc.org

for an  appointment today. 

The 

21st Century Communications and Video Access Act (CVAA)

has made it       possible for people with hearing and vision loss to enjoy
fuller lives     through better access to technology through the National
Deaf-Blind

               Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) or iCanConnect. 

Through statewide collaboration with agencies and organizations, public
media outlets, community centers and churches, TVI encourages all South
Carolinians

with combined vision and hearing loss to seek information        regarding
iCanConnect or other services from which they may benefit.

For those who qualify for NDBEDP, technology equipment used for distance
communication is provided FREE. Installation, training and technical support

               are also available at NO CHARGE.

Call or text us at (803) 627-8847 or email us at 

iCanConnect at tvisc.org

for an  appointment today. 

Who is eligible to receive equipment?

Under the CVAA, only low-income individuals who are deaf-blind are eligible
to receive equipment provided through the NDBEDP. Applicants must provide

               verification of their status as low-income and deaf-blind. 

Income eligibility            

To be eligible, documentation such as retirement benefits statements or a
copy of last year's Federal IRS 1040 tax form(s) filed by you and members of

               your family/household must show that your family/household
income is below             400% of the 

Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Also, individuals eligible            for one of the following federal
programs are eligible for NDBEDP :

Medicaid

Low income home energy assistance

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Federal public housing assistance or Section 8

Food Stamps or Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Welfare to Work (WTW)

National School Lunch Program's free lunch program

Disability eligibility        

For this program, the CVAA requires that the term "deaf-blind" has the same
meaning given by the Helen Keller National Center Act. In general, the
individual

must have a certain vision loss and a hearing loss that,
combined, cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life
activities, achieving

psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining a vocation            (working).

Specifically, the FCC's NDBEDP rule 64.610(c)(2) states that an individual
who is "deaf-blind" is:

(i) Any person:

(A) Who has a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with
corrective lenses, or a field defect such that the peripheral diameter of

               visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20
degrees, or a           progressive visual loss having a prognosis leading
to one or both these

               conditions;

(B) Who has a chronic hearing impairment so severe that most speech
cannot be understood with optimum amplification, or a progressive hearing
loss

having a prognosis leading to this condition; an

(C) For whom the combination of impairments described in . . . (A) and (B)
of this section cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily

               life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or
obtaining a vocation.

(ii) The definition in this paragraph also includes any individual who,
despite the inability to be measured accurately for hearing and vision loss 

                due to cognitive or behavioral constraints, or both, can be
determined                through functional and performance assessment to
have severe hearing and    visual

disabilities that cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence      in
daily life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining
vocational

objectives. 

An applicant's functional abilities with respect to using
telecommunications, Internet access, and advanced communications services in
various environments

shall be considered when determining whether the      individual is
deaf-blind under . . . (B) and (C) of this section.

Who can attest to a person's disability eligibility? 

A practicing professional who has direct knowledge of the person's vision
and hearing loss, such as: 

list of 12 items

Audiologist

Community-based service provider

Educator

Hearing professional

HKNC representative

Medical/health professional

School for the deaf and/or blind

Specialist in Deaf-Blindness

Speech pathologist

State equipment/assistive technology program

Vision professional

Vocational rehabilitation counselor

list end

Such professionals may also include, in the attestation, information about
the individual's functional abilities to use telecommunications, Internet

               access, and advanced communications services in various
settings.

Existing documentation that a person is deaf-blind, such as an
individualized education program (IEP), or a statement from a public or
private agency,

such as a Social Security determination letter, may serve as
verification of disability. 

Confidentiality policy

iCanConnect is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected.
Information will only be used to determine eligibility for iCanConnect
products

and services. iCanConnect will not sell, distribute or lease your
personal information to third parties unless you give permission, or if the
iCanConnect

program is required by law to do so. iCanConnect is committed to
ensuring that personal information is secure. In order to prevent
unauthorized access

or disclosure, suitable physical, electronic and                 managerial
procedures are in place to safeguard and secure the information
iCanConnect collects.

Call or text us at (803) 627-8847 or email us at 

iCanConnect at tvisc.org

for an  appointment today or visit

www.ICanConnect.org

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