Program Information
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AzTEDP
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Relay Services
Arizona Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program (AzTEDP)
What's in it for me?
ACDHH's AzTEDP provides free telecommunications devices to residents of the State of Arizona who need assistance communicating on the phone.
AzTEDP clients needing demonstrations, technical assistance, and any service related to equipment are best served by appointment. Please call 602-542-3365 (V), 602-761-9541 (VP) or 1-866-223-3412 (V) or email Vicki Thompson to ensure our availability to serve you. A Zoom videoconference can be scheduled to assist you, when requested in advance, and in-person appointments are available upon advance request.
Applicants can qualify as Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, Combined Vision and Hearing Loss (CVHL) or Speech-Impaired.
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AzTEDP is the free, state-funded program that offers telecommunications devices to qualified residents with hearing loss or speech challenges who need assistance using the telephone effectively.
Click HERE to download a HARD OF HEARING packet (doesn't hear well, but can speak)
Click HERE to download a DEAF packet (typically American Sign Language users, keyboard used to express)
Click HERE to download a SPEECH-IMPAIRED packet (variety of methods used to express only)
Click HERE to download a COMBINED VISION AND HEARING LOSS packet (large font)
Click HERE to download an ALERTING/SINGALING packet (flashing, ringing, tactile alerts)
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- A variety of Amplified Telephones
- CapTel 840 (landline, operates on electricity and analog telephone only)
- TTY (video can be seen HERE)
- Electrolarynx (video can be seen HERE)
- Voice Amplifier
- Signaling Devices such as Serene Innovations CA-380, Serene Innovations CA-360, and SquareGlow.
Please see the application packet for a more comprehensive list.
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1. Please print and complete the application then choose a device from the product catalog.
2. Have your certified professional complete and sign the appropriate section of the application. AzTEDP defines certified professionals as dispensing audiologists, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, speech-language pathologists, hearing aid dispensers or CRC certified vocational rehabilitation counselors.3. After you gather the photocopies of the United States Citizenship and applicable name change documents along with Arizona residency documents, just send those copies, along with the program forms, to the AzTEDP office located at:
ACDHH/AzTEDP
100 N. 15th Ave, Suite 104
Phoenix, AZ 85007Note: The application process takes one to two weeks upon receipt of a complete application packet. Incomplete applications will be returned with a pending information letter.
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1. After all forms and photocopied documentation have been received by AzTEDP, it will be reviewed for completeness.
2. If approved, a voucher will be printed for the device documented on the application and the voucher will be mailed to the recipient or designee with instructions on how to redeem the voucher. The instructions will include you signing your name where indicated and mailing the voucher to a supplier from the list.
3. The supplier will then ship the device to you. The device becomes your personal property after the warranty ends. A warranty comes with all voucher equipment. (Amplified phone users, be sure to turn on that amplifier!)4. If CapTel is the phone of choice, a consultation is conducted over the phone or by email to determine if the CapTel is appropriate. It is important to understand that the Arizona Relay Service is involved as a third party producing the captions for the captioned phone. We also explain the Toll Free "Call Me" number in order for incoming calls to be captioned, as well as the slight delay of captions coming across the screen. If the CapTel 840 is appropriate, one will be issued directly from our inventory. Home visits can be arranged for installation and training on a case-by-case basis upon advance request. The CapTel 840 will always remain State of Arizona property. Please view the conversation example. Take note of how long the employee waits for the caller to speak. CLICK HERE. A video of how the CapTel is used in emergency 911 situations should also be viewed. CLICK HERE.
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You may have seen CapTel or CaptionCall advertisements on T.V. or in publications. AzTEDP does NOT provide any of the CapTel internet models, ClearCaptions Blue or the CaptionCall telephones. All of these models utilize the internet and analog phone service in a person's home. Information about those phones and program information can be found on their respective websites.
The biggest benefit of having an internet version of the captioned telephone is that the party calling the internet captioned phone user does not have to call a special captioning number with every call. The delay of captions may be lessened via internet, but there is still a delay.
If a captioned telephone isn't appropriate, amplified phones can often provide the needed improvement.
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In 1986, the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (ACDHH) began a program to distribute TTYs to Deaf Arizonans so they could access the public telephone system. Today, AzTEDP has grown into one of the most comprehensive telecommunication loan programs in the nation, serving the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind/CVHL, and Speech-Impaired residents of Arizona.