The Illinois Telecommunications Access Corporation (ITAC) is offering a new amplified telephone at no cost to seniors and others with hearing loss living in Madison County.
ITAC is a non-profit state distributor of specialized telecommunications equipment for people with hearing loss and speech disabilities.
The state of Illinois estimates there are more than two million residents living with some degree of hearing loss.
The amplified phone, called the XLC3.4, is designed specifically to accommodate the needs of those with varying degrees of hearing loss. It is an easy-to-use cordless phone with talking Caller ID. It amplifies incoming sounds up to 50 decibels and is developed by Clarity, a division of Plantronics.
“ITAC is dedicated to providing people in our community with hearing loss access to communication solutions so they can stay in touch and engaged with their loved ones,” Trudy Snell, executive director at ITAC, stated in a press release. “The XLC3.4 is an amplified phone that meets the needs of Illinois residents with hearing issues and opens doors for people with hearing loss across our state. We are excited to offer this new phone to Madison County residnets.”
Permanent Illinois residents who are certified as having a hearing loss can obtain the new phone at no cost by completing an application found on the foundation’s website, www.itactty.org.
Those who qualify may also test the phone or pick up an application in person at the IMPACT Center for Independent Living located at 2735 E. Broadway in Alton or at Programs and Services for Older Persons located at 201 N. Church St. in Belleville.