CT-DAC Critical Resources

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Enhancing the effectiveness of disability activism in Connecticut by organizing and empowering individuals, families, groups, and organizations.

Critical Resources

9-1-1
Many communities have been using 9-1-1 since 1989. All of Connecticut is now connected with the ENHANCED 9-1-1 system: When 911 is dialed by someone who has signed on to have information about their disabilities listed, the emergency operator will see on a computer screen the name, address, telephone/TDD number and information about any disabilities individuals living at that address may have. TDD use, and hearing or speech impairment are among the disabilities that can be listed. Any person who wants a disability listed with the 911 operator has to fill out and sign an Enhanced 9-1-1 Physical Disability Information - Individual Record. This form is available from several distribution centers when the service is ready to go into effect in that area. For the distribution center nearest you, call INFO LINE at 2-1-1.
2-1-1
2-1-1 is the 3 digit number in Connecticut to call when you want to obtain information about services and supports that might be available to you and your family. 2-1-1 is a single source for information about community services, referrals to human services agencies and crisis intervention. Multilingual 2-1-1 Specialists will answer your call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A call to 2-1-1 is free, confidential and TDD accessible. (There are also resources available on the Infoline website – http://www.infoline.org).

7-1-1

People with disabilities who cannot use regular telephone services and require relay services to communicate with others can go to 7-1-1, 1-800-735-2905 for intrastate (in state) calling or 1-800-877-8973 for interstate (out of state) calling. Relay Connecticut (RCT) provides full telephone accessibility to individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or people with a speech disability. Individuals can call anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with no restrictions on the number, length, or type of call. All calls are strictly confidential and no records of any calls are maintained. Anyone who wishes to use RCT simply dials the toll free relay numbers listed above to connect with a communication specialist who will dial the requested number and relay the conversation between the two callers. Converse Communication Corporation (CCC) also distributes TTYs to people who are deaf and hard-of hearing or people with speech disabilities in Connecticut. For more information please go to http://www.relayconnecticut.com. For those who want to use the relay service go to http://www.sprintrelay.com.
CRIS Radio
The Connecticut Radio Information System is Connecticut's Talking Newsstand for people with visual disabilities or who have a print disability. To view their schedule or to learn more about their services go to their website at http://www.cslib.org/cris, call 860-527-8000 or e-mail them at crisradio@snet.net. A new service CRIS is providing is a telephone reader. Using a touch-tone telephone, individuals can access CRIS radio shows, free of charge, at any time from the privacy of their homes. Individuals interested in using this new service should call the CRIS Listener Line at 1-800-708-0004.

DISCLAIMER: Inclusion of an event, article or legislative initiative does not imply endorsement by CDAC, nor can CDAC guarantee that all information provided is accurate or current.

The Collaborative is supported by a grant the CT Disability Advocacy Collaborative received from the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities. In addition, in-kind support is being provided by the UConn Center on Disability, and Communitas, Inc. serves as the project’s fiscal agent. To all three we extend our appreciation.