African American Outreach Specialist
California Telephone Access Program
by Angela Merritt

I am the African American Outreach Specialist for the California Telephone Access Program. This is a state funded program that provides free telephone equipment to those who have difficulty using standard telephones as a result of a disability (visual, hearing, ability, mobility, cognitive).

The African American Outreach Specialist is a very new position and I am new at it, but what I am finding is that a large number of African American's are not aware of our program. I am very disappointed with this considering many people with disabilities appear to be on a fixed income.

This brings me to why I am writing this.

I'm appealing to as many African American churches and other organizations to "get the word out."

My position allows me to approach the community in many ways -- through exhibits at fair, interviews for TV and radio, public service announcements, articles for newsletters and presentations to groups.

The latter is where you come in.

I would like to provide you with an article for your newsletter or arrange a presentation. I am hoping we might work together to get valuable information to the members of the community who can benefit from this.

For more information regarding the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program please see www.ddtp.org.

Sincerely;

Angela L. Merritt

6370 Magnolia Ave, Suite 310
Riverside, California 92506
909-342-3314 Office
818-522-8358 Cell
angela@ddtp.org

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Did you know?

There are 53,907,000 people with disabilities in America. 7,219,000 of those are African Americans. 8,473,000 of them are children and youth. 1,390,000 of those are African American children and youth. ** ** Briggs, Ethel D. "Disability is Diversity" National Council on Disability Feature Article (March 23, 2000)

With numbers this high you can imagine how surprised I was when I began my outreach to the community and discovered how many people are not familiar with the California Telephone Access Program...and so my mission begins.

What is California Telephone Access Program?

The California Telephone Access Program is a program that provides free specialized phones, equipment and some services to individuals with difficulty using standard phones. The program is funded by a surcharge that appears on every Californian's telephone bill, allowing us to provide free equipment to people who qualify.

Who is eligible and how do they receive services?

To qualify, a person must:

Be a California resident; Have existing phone service in their home; Have a disability or condition which makes using a standard phone difficult.

If they meet these qualifications, the individual then completes a simple application and has their doctor or another designated professional sign it. They can mail or fax the application back to CTAP or bring it to one of our Service Centers. Upon approval, they can obtain their phone immediately at a Service Center or have it sent to them by calling our Call Center's toll free number.

What other services are provided?

We also operate the California Relay Service (CRS). This service uses a Relay Operator to allow people who use a text telephone or TTY and people who use a telephone to communicate. The Operator vocally reads the TTY users conversation to the telephone user and types the telephone user's conversation back to the TTY user. We also provide a Speech to Speech service which uses a voicer to help people with speech difficulties communicate by phone.

What use do I have for Angela Merritt?

As an Outreach Specialist, it is my mission to reach as many people as possible, informing them of how this program might benefit them or someone they know. As the African American Community Outreach Specialist, it is my personal goal to reach out to this community and provide information to foster independence among African Americans with disabilities.

I accomplish this by providing training and informative presentations to community organizations, churches, and agencies, but I need your help! Please contact me for presentations and training.

Let's work as a team to get the word out!