Title 7. Individuals With Disabilities — Subtitle 9. Telecommunications Devices and Distribution of Accessible Information for Disabled Individuals

is a resident of the State;

is certified by a licensed professional as having a disability which seriously limits or prohibits the use of the telephone or wireless network without specialized customer telephone equipment;

is certified by a licensed professional as being able to use specialized customer telephone equipment for which application is made;

meets the financial eligibility requirements established by the Department as a recipient of:

at the time of application is not receiving similar services which are available and can be provided in a timely manner through another program.

produces audio editions of daily newspapers, available for interstate distribution using high–speed computer and telecommunications technology; and

provides a means of program administration and reader registration on the Internet.

to provide specialized customer telephone equipment to eligible program participants; and

to provide reimbursement of costs under § 7–906 of this subtitle.

In this subsection, “shopping facility” means an outdoor or indoor retail facility with a common pedestrian area housing more than five sales or rental establishments in which a majority of the tenants have a main entrance from the common pedestrian area.

This subsection applies to a shopping facility that:

In accordance with the standards and regulations established by the Department, the owner, operator, manager, or other person having control of a shopping facility shall acquire and install at least one specialized communications device designed to enable customers with hearing or speech disabilities to access a telephone or wireless service providers network.

provide a system for eligible program participants to obtain equipment, but no single eligible participant shall receive more than $6,000;

provide a system for eligible program participants who cannot access telecommunications relay services in a traditional manner to obtain communication facilitators or related support services;

establish an information and referral service, including the toll–free numbers for the various access modes for the Maryland relay service and provide information about the availability of the equipment;

contract with private vendors or nonprofit organizations to provide the information and referral service and other auxiliary services;

as necessary, establish interagency agreements with other State agencies that provide technical assistance for disabled individuals to prevent duplicative programs; and

appoint appropriate staff to assist the Board in carrying out its activities under this subtitle.

develop regulations;

develop and implement educational outreach programs; and

review and monitor the program.