So what about those of us with less common needs? No, not my “need” to be able to stream Pandora smoothly to my phone—I mean how some people need, or don’t need, certain services because of real physical disabilities.

In the world of businesses selling services, different means difficult. Sure, companies diversify their services all the time to reach broader audiences but when it comes to differences in actual needs—not differences in taste, desire, want—service providers are slow to respond.

We’re talking about meeting the needs of the disabled here, not our own personal “need” for faster cell data networks.

Did you know that some cellular carriers do not offer data-only plans, even in 2010? And the carriers that do offer data without voice plans don’t exactly go out of their way to advertise them, either.

Back in November, Android and Me ran an article about the problems T-Mobile customers were having with getting a data only plan for their G1 or MyTouch3G phones. I’m sorry to say that the situation has not improved much since then. In fact, T-Mobile is, based on my amateur research, the most expensive of the four biggest U.S. carriers if you want a data only plan. BlackBerry users can have a fairly cheap data only plan, but users of other smartphones are required to have a voice plan as well.

In the pricing layout, T-Mobile is followed by Verizon, then AT&T, and winning the fight, Sprint. Sprint allows its customers to purchase a fully subsidized HTC Hero or Samsung Moment with this plan, too. The only downside here is that the plan must be ordered online.

Here is a breakdown of those plans, based on my own amateur research. (By research I mean that I called each company and scoured their web sites until I found this information.)

T-Mobile

• Price: $59.99 for “Even More Talk 500 Minutes”
• Addons: $20 for unlimited data and messaging
• Total: $79.99
• Where to buy: Call in to T-Mobile sales line or ask nicely at a corporate store

This is really disappointing. T-Mobile has been such a big proponent of Android handsets since day one, but they only offer data-only plans to BlackBerry users. Apparently you can still upgrade from a SideKick plan to a G1, possibly a MyTouch3G, without being forced into a voice plan, but that’s definitely the exception, not the rule. T-Mobile gets an F on my grading scale.

Update: T-Mobile also offers an Even More Plus plan for $59 that includes 500 minutes, unlimited text, and unlimited web. This is a non-contract plan so customers must pay full price for their handset.

Verizon

• Price: $54.99 for “Nationwide Messaging with No Voice Minutes”
• Addons: None needed. Comes with unlimited data and messaging.
• Total: $54.99
• Where to buy: Online at VZW.com, possibly in a Verizon Wireless store.

I have to say I was really surprised to find this plan on the Verizon web site. It’s reasonably priced, works with any smartphone that VZW offers, and was fairly easy to find. Overall I’d give say this warrants a B- considering the coverage you’d get with it.

AT&T

• Price: $30.00 for unlimited data only plan
• Addons: $20.00 for unlimited messaging.
• Total: $50.00
• Where to buy: In an AT&T corporate store. Apparently not available through AT&T sales toll free line.

This one was harder to find. I had to call the toll free sales number, ask two people, and then call the local corporate sales store. The good news is that you can have any smartphone you want with a data-only plan for just $30 per month. To get messaging just pay another $20. Not a bad deal, considering that AT&T does have very decent coverage. I’d give this plan a B.

Sprint

• Price: $29.99 for “Sprint Relay Data Only” or SRDO
• Addons: None needed. Plan comes with unlimited data and messaging, as well as 5GB of PAM (Phone As Modem, aka tethering)
• Total: $29.99
• Where to buy: Online only at Sprint Relay Store.

I was very pleasantly surprised to see that Sprint not only offers a full suite of relay (text, audio, video) services for deaf customers, but they also have an online store with products and services targeted specifically toward the deaf. (True, AT&T also offers a wide array of relay services, but Sprint has more information and better pricing on their data only plans.) Considering that you’re taking a downgrade in coverage but an upgrade in price, I’d give this plan an A- and call it a day.

So we know that if more carriers can follow Sprint’s example, they can step up their game and improve their offerings, targeting the deaf and hearing impaired market segment. But what about app developers and Android hackers? Android is a very full-featured platform and is possibly the closest thing to a full-fledged desktop operating system within the mobile phone market. What can be added to make it more deaf-friendly? Or will better data-only plans sufficiently meet the needs of the deaf Android user community?

Here is my challenge for app developers, operating system hackers, customization tinkerers, all of us—spend a bit of time thinking about what you can do to make or keep Android a platform that is easily used by the handicapped and disabled.

And here’s another challenge, one for cell carriers: step up and be fair to those who already have a hard enough time communicating. Do your part. Don’t be evil.

Challenge for AAM readers: What can we do, as a community, to increase the usability of Android for people with all sorts of disabilities?

There is a great thread over at the official T-Mobile forums that explains this issue.

My name is Ian MacGregor and I am deaf. I currently have a G1 mobile phone. This phone is quite awesome and I am very happy with it. The one thing I am not happy about is that T-Mobile requires everyone who gets the G1 to also have a voice plan – which increases our monthly bill. Deaf users cannot use a voice plan because most cannot hear well enough and some cannot speak well enough so the voice plan amounts to wasted money every month.

I just got off the phone with a T-Mobile customer care representative who helped me file a formal complaint. My complaint was as follows:

1) Deaf users are required to pay for a voice plan on the g1, but they cannot use the voice plan due to being deaf.
2) Making the voice plan optional for g1 users (similar to the Sidekick data plan) would likely increase T-Mobile’s customer base by making the g1 more attractive to deaf users.
3) Requiring deaf users to pay for a voice plan that they cannot use may be a violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
4) Current deaf Sidekick users may migrate to other carriers when switching devices due to the voice plan requirement for the G1 – this would cause T-Mobile to lose customers.

I filed my complaint as a deaf G1 user for the sole purpose of making my voice heard in support of the deaf community. This T-Mobile customer care representative told me that the T-Mobile TTY operators have also been making the same request (no required voice plan) from day one. This rep also told me that other deaf users have filed the same complaint and T-Mobile might make some changes if enough customers speak up.

So, if you have time and you agree that this is a valid issue for deaf g1 users, please call the TTY T-Mobile operators and file a similar complaint. The T-Mobile TTY customer care phone number is: 1-877-296-1018

We asked T-Mobile USA to clarify their policy for deaf customers with Android phones and received the following response.

At this time, T-Mobile does not offer a data only plan for Android-powered handsets; however, we offer such plans for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and T-Mobile Sidekick devices. We will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.

It is unfortunate that T-Mobile allows data only plans for other phones, but not Android devices. Hopefully if enough people speak out on this issue, T-Mobile might reconsider their policy.

If you would like to express your feelings towards this issue:

• Be polite.
• Contact the T-Mobile TTY customer care phone (1-877-296-1018) and file a formal complaint.
• Post on the official T-Mobile forums thread.
• Retweet this post to help spread the message (use the greet Tweetmeme button at the top of this post).

I truly believe that if enough people speak out (in a positive way), something will be done to help our friends in the deaf community. It is odd that data only plans are offered for other smartphones, but not Android.

If we receive any new information, we will update this post.