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Affordable Wireless Plans | DeafBlind Citizens Council |
DeafBlind Support Service Providers | Rural Auxiliary Services Advisory Council
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Don't use much data? Affordable Wireless Plans! | |
What if you want to use a smartphone but don’t need all that data? Many people have a smartphone but primarily use it for making calls and texting and don’t often email, surf the internet, use social media, watch streaming videos, etc. What affordable plans are available since so many cellular plans focus on data usage? | |
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There are many affordable options out there for the savvy shopper looking to save money. Below are a few options to choose from without sacrificing quality.
Least expensive options
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If you rarely use your smartphone’s data, the least expensive option may be through Tello. Based on what you need, you can build your own plan. For example, for unlimited minutes and texting, you can also receive 500 MB of data for $9 per month. But what does 500 MB of data get you? For that amount, you can browse the internet for approximately six hours per month, stream 100 songs online, or watch one hour of online video in standard definition. Tello uses the T-Mobile network, and you can bring over your existing phone to this service while keeping your phone number.
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Boost Mobile’s $100 per year, which breaks down to $8.33 per month, would give you unlimited minutes and text, 1 GB of data, and a mobile hotspot. This company also offers other options that provide more data, and it operates on the T-Mobile and AT&T networks.
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Another option is Mint Mobile. Consumer Reports states that this is probably the best value for affordability. For $15 per month, this plan offers unlimited minutes and text and 4 GB of data per month. It also operates under the T-Mobile network.
Lifeline Program
If you qualify, you could apply for the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program. Subscribers receive a discount on qualifying monthly services. Eligible consumers can receive up to $9.25 off their bill per month.
Communications Technology Program
To research all wireless provider options and plans, go to our CTP wireless providers webpage. If you need a wireless device (smartphone or tablet), you may qualify to receive one at no charge through the Communications Technology Program.
For more information
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DeafBlind Citizens Council Meetings | |
June 9 Meeting Summary
The DeafBlind Citizens Council (DBCC) met on June 9. Ryan Hawkins, DeafBlind Services Coordinator, presented on the Support Service Provider (SSP) program. Ryan answered questions and outlined the growth of the program over the first six years. Notable milestones include:
- The budget has almost tripled from $45,000 to $130,000.
- There are now 60 consumers compared to the 24 the program started with.
- Requests have increased from 692 to 1,244 requests or 1973 hours to 4,400.5 hours.
- The number of SSPs has increased from 12 to 20.
- Each consumer has 24 hours of SSP services allocated.
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Meeting questions
Question: Are DBCC Meetings open to the public?
Answer: YES. Deafblind community members, professionals that work with them, and other stakeholders are encouraged to attend.
Question: Are in-person DBCC meetings an option?
Answer: YES.
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Announcements
The commission is seeking a DeafBlind representative for the grant program subcommittee. The council is also still seeking a person to fill the Deaf + Blind position. The commission’s Outreach DeafBlind Specialist position closed. Applications are being reviewed.
Jonathan Pringle is the new representative for the Rocky Mountain Region at the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC). He announced that Region 8 and 10 structures are reorganizing. Region 8 now includes Arizona (new to Region 8), Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah. Montana and Wyoming moved to Region 10.
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Next DBCC meeting: Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022 from 4-5:30 p.m. MST. | |
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Council meeting Zoom links now require registration for public accessibility. After completing the registration you will receive an email with the meeting link and information.
Contact
Email outreach.ccdhhdb@state.co.us with questions.
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DeafBlind Support Service Providers | |
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Support Service Provider (SSP) training is available in Colorado. The Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) provided training with support from the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind.
This training was originally put on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions. The training was a two-part hybrid course. Part I consisted of online/asynchronous training offered from May 23-June 3. Part II consisted of on-site training offered in Denver from June 10-11.
Ellie Carlson and Maricar Marquez presented the training. They provided course information to improve SSP skills and experience with consumers. We look forward to hosting more training opportunities in the future.
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Contact
For information on becoming an SSP in Colorado contact Deafblind Services Coordinator
Ryan Hawkins at ryan.hawkins@state.co.us
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SEEKING MEMBERS:
Rural Auxiliary Services Advisory Council
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The Rural Auxiliary Services program provides assistive services to rural areas of the state. The program's services are free of charge. Services include:
- Sign language interpreting.
- Communication Access Realtime Translation or CART (human-generated captioning).
- The program also provides training for certified interpreters living or working in these rural areas.
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The commission is looking for people to serve on an advisory council to make recommendations on running the program. Recommendations and input:
- Defining “rural area.”
- Deciding who is eligible to use the interpreting and CART services.
- Determining how best to award training and certification testing scholarships.
- Developing and implementing strategies to increase capacity for auxiliary services in rural areas.
Members of the advisory council should reflect diverse stakeholders:
- Rural deaf consumers.
- Hard of hearing consumers.
- Deafblind consumers.
- Hearing consumers.
- Sign language interpreters who live in or work in rural areas of the state.
- CART providers who live in or work in rural areas of the state.
- Professionals involved in serving the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind community.
Meetings will likely be virtual and start in the fall of 2022.
Contact us to participate
720-457-3679 | ras.ccdhhdb@state.co.us
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SUBSCRIBE
This is The Navigator newsletter, a monthly report of news and updates from the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind. You can subscribe to related topics and other newsletters using our sign-up form. Contact us via email at
outreach.ccdhhdb@state.co.us
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