Telecommunications Access Iowa is a program of the Iowa Utilities Commission. We exist to provide specialized telecommunications devices to Iowans who are Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or have speech difficulties. In short, we exist to make connections easier and more accessible. 

We assist hundreds of Iowans every year in gaining access to these devices to support their communication. One of these Iowans is Mary Jo. Mary Jo often struggled with clearly understanding phone calls due to hearing issues from her Meniere’s Disease. With the help of TAI, her new device is solving this problem. Read below for her full impact story! 

Mary Jo, pictured below with her husband Christopher and her sister Theresa explained her Meniere’s Disease is a disease of the inner ear that “can cause a person to have vertigo spells and often have issues with hearing.” She shared one experience with her hearing issues as “on one day I had to have my husband help me call to get an oil change. I could not hear the customer service representative on the phone at all. I called them and had my ‘husband relay everything she discussed. I couldn’t even make out her opening line of, “how may I assist you today?’ This was truly a scary experience.” 

While loss of hearing can bring the loss of independence hand-in-hand for many, we exist at TAI so it doesn’t have to. Mary Jo shared, “I am only 55 and I love my independence. I felt like I lost some of my independence that day and thought this would really be bad if this were how I would have to live from now on. I told my sister about my phone call experience, and she referred me to TAI.” She went on to share, “thank goodness. I received a brand-new telephone (with a case, cord and outlet to plug into the wall) within a week of filling out an application. Once I set the phone up at my cell phone company, I was set. I had no idea truly what to expect. Once I turned the applications on the phone and made a phone call to set up a doctor’s appointment, I freaked out. Oh. My. God. I was able to hear the person on the other end of the phone through my hearing aid…  

I could not stop telling people about how I could hear again.” 

 

Mary Jo reflected on the drastic shift from her previous call experiences sharing, “I don’t have to ask anyone to help me with making a phone call… 

I got my independence back! Wooh hoo!”  

She reflected on some of her device features most useful to her explaining, “there is also a “live subscribe” application on the phone that I can click on and it types what people around me are saying. It’s not 100% accurate, and some of the words come out jumbled, but I am so grateful that I don’t have to keep asking people to repeat themselves repeatedly… I was also able to record a phone call. I am still learning how to use the ‘phone assist’ and other applications on the phone.” 

More than clarity, Mary Jo shared her device works directly through her hearing aid via blue tooth leaving her no longer reliant on a speaker between her hearing aid and ear. Additionally, Mary Jo pursued alternate assistive devices TAI offers! After scheduling a visit to the TAI showroom she shared, “I was curious to see if there were any other devices that I could look at and see if I could qualify for. While I was there, Dylan Heuer was able to help me fill out another application for a vibrating bed alarm. I look forward to receiving that as well. Sometimes, I just don’t want to wake my husband up when I get up for the day.” 

We asked if Mary Jo would recommend TAI to others, and she went on to say, “Yes. I already have been recommending your company to my Miniere’s Disease support group on Facebook. Any way I can help fellow Miniere’s patients to gain just a bit more independence, I am happy (and so are they).” For others considering applying for the program Mary Jo emphasizes, “if you are within the wage guidelines, it’s a Godsend. If you have any questions, they are glad to help. It’s as simple as filling out an application. There are some items on their website that you may also qualify for.” 

Take Mary Jo’s advice and click here to start your application today!