Free Special Phone Program
If you have trouble using a regular telephone, you may be able to get free special equipment.
Who are Free Special Phones for?
Free Special Phones are for people who have difficulty hearing, talking, seeing, thinking or moving.
Some people start having trouble as they get older or after an accident. Other people have always had a disability.
Disabilities include:
- Deafness
- Hearing loss
- Speech impairment
- Blindness
- Visual problems
- Physical or intellectual disabilities
N.W. of Westmoreland County is elated to be using a smartphone to make phones and text message friends using the accessibility features for vision.
N.W.’s device was provided by TechOWL’s Free Special Phone Program, which provides equipment for distance communication to Pennsylvanians who can’t use a regular phone.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must:
- Be a Pennsylvania resident with a disability or disabilities that prevent you from making and/or receiving phone calls independently;
- Be six years of age or older;
- Have an individual gross income of 200% of the federal poverty level or less;
- Have a current home or mobile telephone service (or the ability to get mobile phone service); and
- Have the ability to learn how to use the requested device(s).
If you can answer YES to ALL of the above questions, you may be eligible for free equipment.
If You Don’t Qualify
Please contact your resource center and maybe we can work with you to find the phone you need.
Cost
Equipment is FREE for qualified people. Please contact us to find out if you are eligible for this service. This program is paid for by a small surcharge on everyone’s home phone bill through the public utilities commission.
Financial Eligibility Guidelines as of January 15, 2026
Size of Family Unit | Gross Yearly Income (200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines)
- $31,920
- $43,280
- $54,640
- $66,000
- $77,360
- $88,720
- $100,080
- $111,440
Before you start the application please make sure to have all of this information:
- Proof of Residence –
ONE of the following:
– Copy of current driver’s license,
– Non-driver ID,
utility bill,
– School report card, or
– Anything pre-printed with the applicant’s name and current street address. - Proof of Telephone Service –
ONE page of your most recent telephone bill with your telephone number on it. If phone service is shared in a residential facility, please submit a statement about your access to phone service on facility letterhead and signed by a facility staff member. - Proof of applicant’s income –
Your most recent information is required. Examples include: w-2, 1099, award letters from retirement and/or social security.) - Signed Certificate of Disability
- Your equipment choice(s)
- CILNCPA – CIL of North Central PA
- CLASS – Community Living and Support Services
- CRI – Community Resources for Independence
- LIFT – Life and Independence for Today
- LVCIL – Lehigh Valley CIL
- PIAT (TechOWL) – PA’s Initiative on Assistive Technology
- UCPCP – United Cerebral Palsy of Central PA
- UCPNE – United Cerebral Palsy of Northeastern PA
- Voices for Freedom – Washington
The long name for this free program is Pennsylvania’s Telecommunication Device Distribution Program (TDDP). The program uses a small surcharge on traditional phone bills to give special phones to people in our state with disabilities.
Created through PA ACT 34-1995, the TDDP is implemented by Pennsylvania’s Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT), a program of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, in conjunction with the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and the PA Public Utility Commission (PUC).
Some additional resources:
- Lending Library: Borrow Special Equipment
- PA Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)
- PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR)
- PA Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF)
Need more resources? Please email TDDP@temple.edu for additional information and resources.
Contact Us to Learn More
Email TDDP@temple.edu or call us at 800-204-7428 if you have any questions about the Free Special Phone Program.
Select Equipment
If you are eligible, you get to choose your equipment from our catalog.
Before you choose equipment, learn about your choices in order to make the best decision.
We STRONGLY suggest that you either borrow equipment from our lending library or meet with us and see all of the possible choices you have. We cannot lend cell phones.
Once you choose your equipment, your decision is final and it cannot be exchanged.
Home/Mobile Phone Catalog and Selection Sheet
Catalog is temporarily unavailable.
Apply
Please email TDDP@temple.edu if you need an application in any other language other than English.