Deaf Lion

If I want to include internet in my AT&T plan with 450 minutes is $69.99, then if I want to add unlimited text message and the total will be $99.99? No, that’s not for me if the total is $99.99 because I only pay $50 for T-Mobile plan.

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you can apply for text access plan which is a only data plan from ATT that work for iphone and few other phone. you have to fill application and send to disability office. once they approve it. for iphone, 50 dollars monthly and other rest is between from 30 to 50 dollar monthly depend on kind of phone.

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tmobile sidekick unlimited data should be $29. not 44.99
You quotes: As for me, I’d choose Sidekick based on functionality and cost.
I am total agreed with you. Iphone is cool but overpriced. I still have 2nd model Sidekick now and want to switch to newer sidekick maybe blackberry, I am not sure but still shopping around.

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@Ben: That’s great! It’s a good information to know, thanks.

@bgmaron8: Actually $44.99 is unlimited data AND 300 texts. Those two features together cost $44.99. Thanks for the information about the data plan itself.

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What about the G1?

I’m curious about the G1. It’s available from T-Mobile.

And the plan I have is unlimited data for $30 a month from T-Mobile, unlimited texts, too. Well, I’ve been with T-Mobile a LONG time. Maybe that’s why you’re getting a different price? No voice. Well, voice is 20 cents per minute.

I’d like an iPhone, but don’t think it’d serve my needs… Though iPhone is handy as I have MacBook at home… And more compatible than say, Blackberry…

I’m more curious about the G1. A great iPhone “imitation” for non-AT&T people. AT&T is a rip-off.

Whenever my Sidekick 2 kicks the bucket, I might look into getting the G1…

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Non, iPhone isn’t really for Deaf. During the virtually keyboard, it’s difficult to typing until you get use with it. Neverless, you don’t get that quick enough as phsyical. However, it come with many useful app to download and use than other mobile phone I ever know. That’s win-lose

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@ Sam,
I agree with you. Before I thought about it and iPhone is more like for fun. It is not that easy to type a text message to send it quickly. I have Blackberry Curve and it’s wonderful because it is so fast and easy type words on it. I don’t have problem with my Blackberry for a year. I don’t complain about it and I love it as T-Mobile has cheap plans.

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I ordered the G1 when it first came out, and loved it. however, when I learned that the monthly plan was going to be $64 a month, I returned it. When I contacted T-Mobile about the rate and asked for a data-only plan, they told me they do not offer this type of plan, even if you are deaf and would never use any type of voice plan. The T-Mobile G1 has to have a voice plan AND a data plan, which puts the price too high for me. Otherwise, it’s a nice gadget with tons of potential due to the Google Android operating system. It’s supposed to have 3G access, but it was not all that much faster than my T-Mobile MDA without 3G.

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… I do think my next smartphone will be an iPhone, but have to wait til the price of the newest device comes down a bit, or someone makes an iPhone-killer. AT&T does offer a cheaper data-only plan to deaf customers. You have to fill out quite a bit of paperwork, though, including a signed statement from an audiologist or a doctor. You also have to buy the phone from an AT&T store or an Apple store and get the cheapest available voice/text plan, then switch (hopefully) to the data-only plan after AT&T approves your application.

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@ Curious Eyes
If I want to get AT&T and fill out some of paper works to get discount because I am hard of hearing, will I be able to have voice plan for my cell phone? Or internet, email and text messages only?

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I’m seeing smartphones are having touch-screen like iPhone but they still have QWERTY keyboard underneath. I personally don’t like touch screen keyboard because I want to feel that I’m actually typing the keys. I know that regular phones are becoming more like smartphones, too.

@Jenny: The unlimited data plan from T-Mobile is $29 or $30. The chart shown above is the data plan AND texting plan TOGETHER. I have hearing friends that only have texting plan (besides voice plan) so that’s why I included texting plan.

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I paid 50 dollars a month for my iphone after providing my audiogram. 150 dollars a month is not true.

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Kathy, you got the special rate from AT&T for deaf consumers, correct? My hearing friend has an iPhone and she pays $70 a month for a voice and data plan. Maybe it costs $150/mo if you have more bells and whistles, like streaming video or something.

Reza, I was told that how it works is: first you buy your iPhone from the store (AT&T or Apple). Then you buy the cheapest possible voice plan (with or without data) at the store. THEN you submit the forms to AT&T and ask for a data-only (text, email, and internet, but no voice) as a deaf/HH customer. *After* AT&T approves your application, you are eligible for the data-only special rate plan. (Others, please correct me if that’s wrong — it’s what AT&T customer rep told me.) BTW, the contact email is NCCDSupport@cingular.com.

There are two forms that you request from the AT&T Customer service page. one is a Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) Application Form, and the other is an AT&T Certification of Disability. the certifying person can be anyone from a doctor, an audiologist, or a teacher, to local, state, or national chapter presidents of associations for DHH people, including NAD, HLAA, AG Bell, ALDA, or TDI. sounds pretty easy!

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First of all, when I wrote this post, I was looking at readily available information online provided by the service providers’ websites. Second of all, I did not know there was discount for hearing disabilities . Third of all, I’m hard of hearing but I can hear fine on the phone without any help. That is why I asked you readers a question.

We want to encourage the two-way communication between us writers and you readers. We are a very small group of writers; our time and resources are limited. We also encourage you to give us any more valuable information that we need to know.

So far, we got really good information from you guys and we thank you for that. Because from your response, we really learned a lot. Thanks to you, we and other readers can use these valuable information to help all of us in the future. So keep it up!

Thanks for checking us out!

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hmm, federal employee discount makes a difference. for those of us who don’t suck at the government teat, it’d be $50.

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From the get go the larger companies like AT@T and then Verizon have resented the whole concept of their having to support the relay program even though I believe they received government money for doing their former good deed.

I frankly am disgusted that not a single politician I can think of cares at all about the ever growing number of hearing impaired and/or deaf folks in this nation. Medicare and corporate health insurance plans have never covered hearing aids at all and now they are running at $5000 a pair for some of us. So I am not shocked really that now they want to squeeze even more out of the deaf who for the most part find it very dificult to find high paying jobs. The internet relay was just too easy and if crooks were taking over, all they had to do was have us fill out a form and attach a note from whomever and then assign US – not all of our friends – a ten digit number which of course tells the world we are disabled (their term) and with electronics those same crooks will be able to find out where all the houses of silence are. Get good, new locks and just keep shopping – and screaming.

No one with any “defect” should have to purchase a smart phone and pay these outrageous rates and yet the notion that we are by choice “unproductive” in the sense of tossing in tax money seems to jusitfy not wasting time on us. Do remind your representatives that at the moment at least, deaf people are permitted to vote and are sick and tired of being targeted as sources of income for the government and the businesses that “support” the deaf. I stepped on a hearing aid once and found one small chip and a few wires in a pink plastic case and wondered …… why so much when so much of the work on sound is done in universities and by the government itself?

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I can’t hear my mobile phone ring so I don’t think an iphone would work well for me.

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Thanks for the information. I was concerned about purchasing iphone however I would rather to wait a bit longer for the latest suitable mobile phone with sufficient text with a reasonable price per month rather than spending $150 per month with voice plan is such a waste!

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I love my blackberry curve. Paid only 40.00 a month. I used to have a sidekick pager. Never again with tmobile! I have no problem with sprint.

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EVERYONE: Walmart now has STRAIGHTTALK WIRELESS, which works on the verizon wireless network, offers unlimited texting, unlimited web and unlimited calling (if you have limited hearing) for $45.00. This includes all government taxes. They offer the Samsung keyboard phone which allows you to text very easily. And its all for $45.00 (including taxes).

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alot of misinformation on here.

it depends on your credit. if you have good credit it should be only 80 a month for you if you’re hearing and 50 if you’re deaf (they have a discount program for deaf people)

if you have ‘ok’ credit they raise the monthly fee depending on how ‘ok’ your credit is plus you have to pay a deposit

if you have bad credit they wont let you pay monthly

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I hope to have IP phone text as next item to buy if it is at a reasonable price. It looked cool and easier to use in a jiffy moment. It takes time to practice to become fluent with it. Keep it up!

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Sprint Wireless is definitely the best of the special data only price for D/HH than other wireless co. It is the cost $29.99 monthly all unlimited without voice. Verizon Wireless is callousness toward to D/HH. They won’t provide the special prices. We had bad exprience with them, blah.

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