Get a free phone! If you have a Disability and live in California you can get one too!

This is a great program that has been around forever. It gives people with disabilities specialized telecommunications products that allow them to use a phone. Whether you are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, and all other groups of disabilities are covered by their products.

All you have to do is print out the application, fill it out and have a doctor sign off on it. Then send it in to them and they will contact you and provide you with an appropriate totally free phone. They have hands free phones, phones with pictures for Alzheimers, and a wide variety of others.

I have used this program myself, so I can tell you it is legitamate and super easy to do.

http://ddtp.org/

If you do not live in California I would suggest calling their 800# and ask about other states.

Free Diabetes Testing Meters and Other Great Stuff for Diabetics!

Not everyone realizes that the way most companies make money from diabetics is charging their insurance company for the test strips that they use. You can usually get the meters for free and other related freebies. The companies all want your repeated business because they figure that once you get a meter that works well for you, they will have a customer for life.

Here are several free meters that you can sign up for. You can also often get a free meter from your doctor's office if you just ask! They also will often offer other freebies that are given to them by the drug reps.

Another resource for free meters is the drug store. So many times they offer free meters with a rebate. If you opt to do the free with rebate, make sure you send in your rebate form. A lot of people have good intentions to complete the rebate option and often forget or do it too late. Don't be one of those consumers.

Here are a few places to get free meters, remember to also use your insurance at the pharmacy if you have it. Also make sure to have your doctor do a proper prescription for an appropriate number of strips, a good doctor will have their office advocate on your behalf to get the necessary medical supplies covered by your insurance whether it is private or government based.

Fianally, remember that a lot of companies offer freebies to people without insurance whether it be for a prescription drug or related item like diabetic supplies. Usually the company will list an 800 phone number and if you call that number you can apply right over the phone. This service is subsidized by their other sales. So if you are in need take them up on the free offers.

Here are a few links to look at to find out if you qualify for a free meter, what the heck it is always nice to also have a backup meter if you already have one. Too, remember that they are always improving these devices so try a few and see which one works best for you!




Freestyle Freebie

One Touch Freebie

CDC Web Site with Information on Diabetes

PSA-IMPORTANT HEARING REMINDER

"Did you know that when MP3 players are purchased as gifts, the majority of purchasers are moms? That finding emerged at the Mommy Tech summit at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show.

But do you know about the potential risks? Kids often don't know how to use audio technology safely and they can harm their hearing as a result. In fact, hearing loss among young people is reported to be on the rise and there are strong concerns that a generation of young people could end up with prevalent hearing loss.

"For some time, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has warned that hearing loss in the United States could rise significantly due to the misuse of personal audio technology," ASHA President Tommie L. Robinson, Jr. explains. "Unfortunately, a report released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation cites some alarming trends about excessive entertainment media consumption among our nation's children, indirectly supporting ASHA's concerns. This should be a warning to parents that they must regulate children's exposure and fully understand the potential health threats associated with misuse and over exposure to such technologies."

"ASHA will continue to bring these issues to the forefront and appreciates the Kaiser Family Foundation's contributions to the national dialogue," Robinson adds.

According to a 2004 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children were reported as being exposed to 6 hours and 21 minutes of media (TV, music, internet, etc) per day. By 2009, this statistic had increased dramatically to 7 hours and 38 minutes per day. When media multitasking is taken into account, this leaps to 10 hours and 45 minutes per day. This massive consumption of media has led to decreased grades in school and ASHA contends it puts kids at an increased risk of hearing loss.

One thing that is clear from the study is that parents can be very positive influencers on how their children use entertainment media.

How You Can Help - Spread the Following Message

Whether your child received an MP3 player, gaming device, cell phone, laptop, or any other device with headphones, don't overlook the important health threat of hearing loss. Now is the time to reach out to other parents about the importance of hearing loss prevention, the damaging effects of excessive media consumption, and the resources available to them through ASHA.
Here are two simple ways to protect your children's - and your own - hearing.

· Keep the volume down. A good guide is half volume.
· Limit listening time. Give your hearing 'quiet breaks'.

Find more information and statistics at ASHA's website. You can also follow their Twitter feed or fan them on Facebook to get real time updates on their work."
-Amy Lupold Bair

Microwave On Clearance at Walmart that Talks!

The talking microwave is great for the blind and visually impaired. It is something that you would normally pay a premium price on, right now Walmart has it on clearance for $79.
Talking Microwave Link

According to the site,
"The Cook Magic talking microwave verbally guides you through your cooking with just the touch of a button. Ideal for the sight-impaired, you can program the voice to speak in English or Spanish. The ten power levels, eight preset functions for common foods and five memory setting buttons save time and make cooking easy.


Cook Magic 0.9 cu. ft. Talking Microwave, Silver:

0.9 cu. ft.
900 watts
Easy to use instructive talking feature in English or Spanish
Ideal for the sight-impaired
Ten power levels
Eight preset functions for common foods
Five express cook one-touch settings
Five memory setting buttons
Digital display with clock
Turntable
Time cook
Time and weight defrost
Remind signal
Kitchen timer"

Finding great off the shelf deals like this are ideal for people with disabilies. Why not take advantage of it?