A new DVD was recently produced by the Baltimore County Fire Department that gives insight into the needs and concerns of those who have disabilities and who may require emergency assistance. The DVD is entitled 'Working With People With Disabilities,' and is a guide for firefighters, police, emergency medical personnel and other first responders on how to respond to and treat persons who have disabilities. Developed as a 26-minute training resource, the DVD is a valuable tool providing thoughtful advice to enable emergency personnel to efficiently and mindfully assist people with various disabilities, including:

• Blindness
• Deafness
• Cognitive Disabilities
• Mental Illness
• Mobility Problems

Participation in the filming of the DVD included persons who have disabilities and are not actors. These individuals give 'first person' accounts and genuinely describe their challenges and concerns regarding assistance or treatment by emergency personnel.

Produced in cooperation with the Baltimore County Commission on Disabilities, the DVD is fully captioned, courtesy of Maryland Relay. As part of this partnership of local and state efforts, Maryland Relay also financed the duplication and distribution of the DVD to more than 1,700 agencies and organizations nationwide, including Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam and Africa. Among those now using this new resource are professionals in the fields of fire and rescue, emergency management, law enforcement, park services, health and education, as well as advocacy and volunteer groups.

'Working With People With Disabilities' is endorsed by Maryland Relay, Maryland Department of Disabilities, Maryland Governor's Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS), Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI), Maryland State Firemen's Association (MSFA) and the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions.

Copies of the DVD are available at no charge from the Baltimore County Fire Department. To obtain a copy, contact Fire Director James M. Korn, 410-887-4860, jkorn@baltimorecountymd.gov.

The grand opening of the new relay communications center at One Science Park in Frostburg was heralded with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house on July 11, 2007. Hamilton Telecommunications, which was awarded the contract to provide Telecommunications Relay Service to the State of Maryland, selected Frostburg as the site of its call center, and began processing Maryland relay calls on May 31, 2007.

The significance of the date of the event, July 11th, is symbolic of the State’s public service relay access number 7-1-1. Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Speech Disabled individuals, as well as, those who wish to communicate with such individuals, can simply dial 7-1-1 to use the Maryland Relay Service.

The public was invited to join in the celebration and was attended by representatives of community groups and businesses as well as state and local dignitaries. “We were thrilled that the public could join us in celebrating the grand opening of the Frostburg center,” says Brenda Kelly-Frey, Director of Maryland Relay within the Maryland Dept. of Information Technology. The ceremony began at 3:00 p.m. with a program, followed by entertainment by Deaf performers, ribbon cutting, food, refreshments and tours of the facility. “It was an excellent opportunity for people to learn more about the type of communication services that are available through Maryland Relay.”

Every day, individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled use the relay to place phone calls through the use of a Text Telephone (TTY) or similar devices. Standard phone users also initiate calls through the relay. There is no charge to access and use Maryland Relay; however, standard long distance charges apply for calls placed out of a user’s local calling area.

Ellis Kitchen, State of Maryland Chief of Information Technology, stated that, “We are pleased to celebrate the grand opening of Hamilton’s communications center in Frostburg as the recently appointed provider of relay service for Maryland residents who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled. The State of Maryland selected Hamilton based on the high level of service they provide to individual relay users and because of their technologically advanced relay services. Maryland Relay has high performance standards and we have been pleased with the quality of service and the smooth transition to Hamilton as our new provider.”