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.
NOTICE: As of October 1, 2024, each Applicant must submit proof of telephone service which aligns with the type of equipment applied for. For example, if the Applicant is requesting a device that works with a Smartphone/cell phone, a copy of the smartphone bill that shows the applicant's name, cell phone number and address.
Any client needing demonstrations, technical assistance, or any service related to equipment are best served by appointment. This can be in-person or video (Zoom or Google Meet). Please call 602-542-3365 (V), 602-761-9541 (VP) or 1-866-223-3412 (V) or email [email protected] to ensure availability to serve you.
Applicants can qualify as Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, Combined Vision and Hearing Loss (CVHL) or Speech-Impaired.
Attention Certifying Professionals:
As professionals who work with people with hearing loss, you know that no two people are the same. Here at the Arizona Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program (AzTEDP, AKA “The Phone Program”) we offer FREE equipment to those who meet the program requirements.
Each individual is allowed one device to help them hear better on the phone (Primary) and one device which serves as an environmental alert (Secondary).
You, as the Certifying Professional, simply need to complete Part C of the Application Form which is now FILLABLE here. The applicant is responsible for completing the forms and providing copies of the documents as outlined in the “Program Requirements” portion of the application. They may submit the paperwork to AzTEDP via postal, email or fax.
Vicki Thompson is available for consultation in choosing the device(s). The voucher(s) will be mailed to the applicant along with instructions on how to sign and mail the voucher(s). The vendor will then ship the equipment to the applicant.
Any Arizonan who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind/CVHL, or Speech-Impaired is eligible for this life-changing equipment, regardless of income. For questions, please contact Vicki Thompson at 602-542-3365 or [email protected].
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 an ALERTING packet (flashing, ringing, tactile alerts)
Click HERE to download a SPEECH-IMPAIRED packet (variety of methods used to express only)
- A variety of Amplified Telephones
- 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.
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 85007
Note: 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.
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 you are currently using, as of midnight on December 31, 2024, CapTel service ended. However, the CapTel phone will still work as an amplified phone and can be used to call 911. Contact us for more info about your options for internet captioning phones.
You may have seen CapTel or CaptionCall advertisements on T.V. or in publications. AzTEDP no longer provides the landline CapTel phone, nor do we provide the CapTel internet models, ClearCaptions Blue or the CaptionCall telephones, but we can help you get in touch with an internet captioned telephone company.
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.
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. Since 1986, AzTEDP expanded the equipment catalog to include devices for hard of hearing people as well as persons who have speech difficulties.