Something that occured to me reading the SMS node, and not already mentioned.
SMS has been a tremendous revolution for the deaf people. Just think about it. The phone and every advance surrounding it, cell phones and everything, were completely useless to this grand category of people who either by accident became deaf, either were born deaf.
With SMS at last they could have access to something that we have for decades.
Just think about a day or two of yours without a telephone. Ooops...