It was reported today that cell phone sales in the US plummeted some 22 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same quarter in 2007, likely as a result of the economic downturn. Much of the the decline was among lower income customers using prepaid plans and also among households earning between $75,000 and $99,000 a year.

The economic difficulties in the US could be having an even stronger impact on people with disabilities, who generally have fewer employment opportunities, yet face many of the same increases in the cost of living as the rest of the population. We already know from the Wireless RERC's Survey of User Needs that the cost of wireless devices and services is a major concern among people with disabilities. It would be interesting to know how much the economic downturn has affected the wireless purchase decisions of those with disabilities.

Here's the link to the news story on Yahoo.com: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/93803.