AT&T TAPs Into iPhone Users with Disabilities

On Tuesday AT&T announced a new rate program for iPhone users with hearing and speech disabilities. The program, known as Text Accessibility Plan or TAP, is $40 / month and offers the following:

• Unlimited SMS messages
• Unlimited data usage (email and web)
• $.40 per minute pay-per-use voice
• Visual VoiceMail

While I blanched when seeing the $.40 / minute voice portion of the plan, that was because I initially forgot just who this plan is designed for.

Applicants will have to qualify for this plan by completing disability certification forms (.PDF). The iPhone has to be activated in the normal manner, after which the customer can contact AT&T's National Center for Customers with Disabilities to change the plan to the TAP plan for iPhone.