Disability right with cell phone company?

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PCDeaf

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Hi, first post here :)

I'm just wondering if anybody knows of any particular disability right on cell phone because I've been trying to figure out how these carriers can offer a voice only plan for the hearing but if you want to have data only plan, you are limited on just a few phones without having to pay for voice plan.

I really really want to get a G1 but they said that there is no way I can get it without a voice plan. WHY? I know that data cost more for carriers to provide but just offer a data only plan at a slightly higher cost like the Blackberry Internet Plan do. I don't want to waste like $720 over the 2 years contract just for something I absolutely can't use.

I'm still just researching on this but right now but I'm hoping to be able to use whatever info I have to convince the store around here to be able to let me get the G1 without the voice plan. I know that there are sidekick and blackberry but I still think that we should have equal access to these other phones cause I can't find any proof that data plan needs voice plan to be cheaper or profitable for the carrier. the G1 have 2 data plan that must have voice plan and they go for $25 and $35. I wouldn't mind paying an extra $10 or $15 for the data only plan.

So I hope that somebody here knows about these disability laws for cell phone.
 
I've added a Facebook group a few weeks ago to help figure this out but I've only really gotten more busy just now. So a Blogger saw a comment I left on one of her article, Help Improve Cell Phones for Deaf People! (And also for Deaf-Blind People) « ReunifyGally. now she have posted another article to help spread the fact that cell phone company should accomodate deaf peoples with data-only plan.

click here to see the article and link to the facebook group :)

Cell Phone Companies Should Accommodate Deaf People with Data-Only Plans! « ReunifyGally
 
I have no idea what our rights are when it comes to communications device and services. The way i see it is that we pay for the devices not the service provider. once we own the equipment, they are making money by us paying for data only services. i want to see hard data ,that it really costing service providers just to provide data only. I don't think so. If anything- we deaf/hard of hearing are actually relieving the airwaves being used for voice. For gosh sakes, how else are we going to communicate ? To make a comparison - If i bought a Ferrari as a daily driver to work in the city??- is this smart ? do i really need a fast car in a 30 MPH zone ? Buying everything voice and data is unnecessary since we cant even HEAR the darn phone. So far we have to go through specialized sellers of providers like sprint for deaf/ hard of hearing. We should be able to walk up to any cellular store and buy a texting phone/smart phones and get data only plan. We shouldn't have to go to deaf meets or deaf expos or go online to certain providers to get this. It feels so discriminating and barbaric.
 
I have a data only plan with Sprint. Incoming calls are blocked, but if I need to make a call, it costs me so much a minute for each call but..I can't use a phone, so no extra charges. I pay $29.95 a month for this and have had no problems in the three months I have had it. Unlimited texting, unlimited IM and internet.
 
etalton said:
I have a data only plan with Sprint. Incoming calls are blocked, but if I need to make a call, it costs me so much a minute for each call but..I can't use a phone, so no extra charges. I pay $29.95 a month for this and have had no problems in the three months I have had it. Unlimited texting, unlimited IM and internet.
Click to expand...

Blackberry Curve?
 
Well I think Sprint and T-Mobile are the only company that provider carrier that meet deaf expectation. They both offer the same unlimited data plan.
 
Verizon Wireless has one that some consider is deaf-friendly.

Choose the messaging one. It includes unlimited text, websurfing, voice plan, but you will have to pay 0.40 for every call you make. All costing you 34.99 or so.
 
Nathan said:
I think they will go for T-mobile data plan. Who would want to pay 50 for a data plan from ATT? I will go for T-Mobile, thanks.

T-Mobile Sidekick
T-Mobile Sidekick- LX

The Data only Plan:
SideKick Data Plan
Click to expand...


50 dollar TAP deaf plan is for the iPhone data plan only .. still cheaper than hearing plan.


I pay 30 dollar TAP deaf plan for data only plan with AT&T on my 8525 and soon hope to switch to Fuze Touch Pro ..



You still can get 30 dollar data TAP deaf plan with AT&T on any other PDA or phone just not on iPhone or Blackberry.

http://www.wireless.att.com/about/disability-resources/hearing-aid-compatibility.jsp#tap

.
 
From T-Mobile to Verizon Wireless

I was with T-Mobile and had a Hearing (voice) plan. I could not hear on my phone. I switched to VZW. I got T-Mobile to drop the $200.00 early termination fee. Don't try to do it by voice on the customer care line if you are hard-of-hearing or even sometimes in person if there is a lot of background noise or people talk too fast. Always ask lots of questions and try to find a store location where they have someone who signs REALLY well. VZW have just either Voice or Data plans but someone offered me a "custom" deal since I am sort of "in the middle." I am paying a lot for my phone bill right now! (Maybe I should take them up on the custom plan.) But I have a GREAT phone. It is a NOKIA phone that has an M4/T4 HAC rating. It just came out. I can tether it to my computer and have a broadband connection. It is somewhat slow, though. Sure beats dial-up. But I have no land-line. Just phone and DSL and texting, etc. I wonder if I could hook this up to VP equipment. Anybody know how or if I could? I also know I can make free calls on the computer through the relay websites. A local Deaf Center has been very helpful. The people at VZW at the store are very patient.
 
not trying to hijack this thread - but like to add a little rant. I currently have sprint data only plan along with my wife too. It worked great for our needs but now we are at a crossroads where our oldest son, may need a phone to contact us. He is involved with so many afterschool activities, that when the needs arise, he had to borrow a phone from a freind to call us at home to our VP. He has no way of reaching us via messenging to our pagers if we are outside or away from the VP. There is NO family plan at this moment with data only plan and i cant envision paying for 3 pagers and possibly pay for vioce calls at 25 cents a min on one of them due to the contract sprint has.:mad: Oh, did i mention he has a younger brother who seems to follow his footsteps in afterschool activities so they both sometimes are in same activies together ? so a data only plan pager with a better voice plan ass part of a family plan would be ideal for our needs. He doesnt need the phone for hours and hours accumulating the mins at end of the month, but 25 cents is toooooo much IMHO!!
 
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