The iPhone has been a hot topic among deaf and hard of hearing users lately. On DeafMac.org, there was a “special” iPhone plan announced for the deaf, which would have been offered through an AT&T store in Colorado. Apparently the store manager was sympathetic to the fact that there was no official data-only plan for the iPhone. However this special offer never really saw the light of day, after AT&T Corporate got wind of this plan, and shut it down. TUAW.com also got wind of this and posted about it, bringing this issue to the attention of their regular readers.

TUAW.com also posted earlier about the fact that it was possible for some iPhone users to REMOVE the DATA plan to save money. It seemed like it was not fair, being able to get voice only plans on the iPhone, and not data only plans. However, this was too, short lived. The ability to remove data plans from the iPhone is now gone.

There seems to be a silver lining to the issue of having a TAP/data-only plan for the iPhone - TUAW was able to get what seems to be a promise from AT&T that they are working on a TAP/data-only plan for the iPhone. Hopefully this won’t take too long to come to fruition.

On the hard of hearing side of iPhone matters, you may remember that I originally reported that the iPhone apparently was undergoing HAC testing. Unfortunately, it appears that the iPhone has gained an exemption from the FCC from being required to be HAC compatible. Strangely enough, the Apple document linked in my earlier article still says “Testing is in progress”! This development is quite unfortunate. I can understand a small company with a single cell phone getting exempted, but this is Apple - surely they can afford to get the iPhone tested, and it’d be another thing that they can point out, that the iPhone is accessible to those who depend on hearing aids.

Hopefully these issues will be only temporary, and sooner or later, Apple will do the right thing in both cases! If you are an Apple shareholder, you can always contact management and express your displeasure and encourage them to do right by us deaf and hard of hearing people!