Apple’s iPhone is now even more accessible for Americans who are deaf or have a hearing or speech disability. Today, AT&T Inc. announced a new Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) for iPhone, designed to give iPhone customers with disabilities the choice of unlimited text messaging, Web browsing and easy access to e-mail for $40 a month.
“Our Text Accessibility Plan allows customers who are deaf or have hearing or speech disabilities to literally tap out their communications on the go,” said Carlton Hill, vice president of Product Management, Voice Products and Affiliate Marketing for AT&T’s wireless unit, in a statement. “Now with TAP for iPhone, users can tap, flick and pinch the innovative Multi-Touch touch screen for a completely new world of functionality.”
This new plan is available to new and current iPhone users with qualifying disabilities through AT&T’s National Center for Customers with Disabilities (NCCD). To qualify for the iPhone TAP, customers must complete an application for eligibility. The form is available for download here.
During the iPhone activation process, customers sign up for a standard iPhone voice and data plan. After the iPhone is activated, customers can e-mail, fax or mail the eligibility form back to the NCCD to change their rate plan to the TAP for iPhone.
Current iPhone customers who qualify may also submit the NCCD application to request the TAP for iPhone. Customers can contact the AT&T NCCD with questions at 866-241-6568 for voice calls or 866-241-6567 for TTY calls.
AT&T offers TAP plans to qualifying customers for use with most handsets across AT&T’s portfolio. The NCCD also helps AT&T customers with disabilities with a variety of applications that aid in wireless communications. These include Mobile Magnifier, which enables individuals who have low vision or are blind to zoom in on the screen and Mobile Speak, which reads aloud menu options.
More information about AT&T’s NCCD or other offerings for customers with disabilities here.
wha?
I guess this is good.
I had to get a new phone last week (I guess dropping it an average of 1.8 times per day isn’t very good on your phone). I thought about paying to get out of my Verizon contract and get an iPhone, but with almost a year left on it – I didn’t. (I got my new phone for $21 after all the discounts)
My new phone looks nicer and prettier, but the software absolutely sucks @$$!!! It’s amazing how much more difficult it is to do anything on this phone vs. my last one – numerous extra clicks for everything!
This is really good news. How many of the iPhone competitors can brag about such ease of use? This should go over big in the hearing % speech disabled community.
An Apple a day keeps the doctor away!!!
Wouldn’t that cover everyone that purchased the original iPhone?
I’m just saying… the device shipped with very few abilities, comparatively speaking.
Heh.
Oh no! He said the “d” word! You can’t say the “d” word!
This, on the same day they announce the iPhone is coming to Canada.
Coincidence? I think not!
Everyday I read so many depressing and discouraging stories about so many places in the world. The European Union, Russia, Eastern Europe, India, Pakistan, Israel and The Middle East, Mexico, Latin Americas, Cuba, China, Korea, Tibet, and on and on and on…
but Canada… not a peep.
It’s either paradise up there, or those Canadians are up to something. It’s always the quiet ones…
This is NOT ‘good’. Good is not agreeing to a expensive 2 year plan for voice+data, then having to ask [and hope it is approved] to get switched to a cheaper data-only plan. Heck, even if iTunes activation doesn’t currently have any way to directly sign up for this plan, it would be way better for customers if they could at least get pre-approved by AT&T;for the data-only plan BEFORE activating using the more expensive plan.
Oh yeah, here in Canada, we’re all busy pirating American CD’s and DVD’s. That’s why you aren’t hearing anything from Canada…
“It’s either paradise up there, or those Canadians are up to something. It’s always the quiet ones…”
Dumb movie but a funny premise:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109370/
Why not just give everyone the option to sign up for data-only during activation? Are there really that many people who aren’t deaf who would sign up for it, and if so doesn’t that mean AT&T;may be losing them as customers anyway? It seems like a hassle to avoid the obviousness of just selling the data-only plan for what it’s worth to sell.
This comment is sponsored by L’ Chepeau Organic Soy Sauce
I’d sign up for data only. Then you just jailbreak the iPhone, and put a VoiP program on there that will run over EDGE (which technically doesn’t exist yet, but shhh)…-