


  +----------------------------------------------------------------------+
  |                                                                      |
  |                                                                      |
  |                              ADAnews                                 |
  |                                                                      |
  |                        The Journal of the                            |
  |                  American Disability Association                     |
  |                                                                      |
  |                       in partnership with the                        |
  |                      Disability Law Foundation                       |
  |                                                                      |
  |                                                                      |
  |                            March 1992                                |
  |                                                                      |
  |                       Volume One/Issue One                           |
  |                                                                      |
  |                                                                      |
  +----------------------------------------------------------------------+

  Published monthly by and for the Members of ADAnet, the International
  Disability Network.  Copyright 1991, Americans Disability Association.
  All rights reserved.  Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
  non-commercial purposes  only. For use in other circumstances, please
  contact ADAnews.

  Paper single copy price: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00US
  Electronic Price:  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  free!
  Paper printed version free with Membership in the Americans Disability
  Association.  See details and membership form elsewhere in the ADAnews.

  For more information about ADAnews refer to the end of this file.
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

                             Table of Contents

  First Word......................................................Page  1
  Thanks!.........................................................Page  1
  On the Fly......................................................Page  2
  Articles
     Ma Bell vs. The BBS..........................................Page  3
     From Alabama with Love.......................................Page  5
     People with Disabilities Network with Adanet.................Page  8
     Computer Network Unites Disabled.............................Page  8
  What's on ADAnet - An ADAnet Echo List..........................Page 10
  Messages Worth Repeating........................................Page 12
  ADAnet Hub List.................................................Page 30
  Who are They?...................................................Page 31
  Assoc. of Disabled Americans Membership Form....................Page 33
  Sample Letter...................................................Page 33
  Americans Disability Act Requirements...........................Page 34
  Americans Disability Act Requirements in Accommodation..........Page 36
  Americans Disability Act Time Table.............................Page 39
  Indica..........................................................Page 40










 ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 1


  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  First Word

  One of the advantages of volunteering to head a project like the ADAnews
  is that you can have the first and last word on the subject.  Other
  advantages, more important advantages, include being able to work with
  such excellent people as Linda Cummings and Cindy Barnes, without whose
  able assistance this newsletter might not exist, and certainly would not
  cover as much ground.  Also, much thanks to those whose words are
  included in this publication for allowing us to make use of your words.

  Those of you who have been keeping close watch already know that this is
  the second issue of the ADAnews.  It's much larger that issue # 1, but
  then it's had much longer to gather together.  Hopefully you will be
  seeing issue # 3 in about thirty days.  If you have something you'd like
  to see included in ADAnews, see the list of contact information on the
  last page.

  Marlin Johnson
  Editor in Chief

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

                         - - - Special Thanks - - -

  Our special thanks to these companies for their support with hardware,
  software, and guidance:

  Roebuck Typewriter and Computer, Inc., Birmingham, AL

  Randy's Computers, Inc., Birmingham, AL

  ArtiSoft, Inc., Tucson, AR

  HyperWare, Inc., Pall Mall, TN

  South Central Bell (Barry Copeland and Gary Patterson)

  US Robotics, Inc., Skokie, IL

  Southern Poverty Law Center, Inc., Montgomery, AL

  And special thanks to the following individuals for their support and
  encouragement:

  Senator Richard Shelby, U.S. Senate (AL)
  Paige Quinney, Aide to Senator Shelby
  Mr. Jim Winchester, Bethesda, MD
  Mr. Dave Whipp, Dunbar WV
  Mr. John Reading, Pensacola, FL
  Mr. and Mrs. David Carter, Panama City Beach, FL
  Joyce Ianuzzi, UAB, Birmingham, AL
  Gerald Baxter, BSC, Birmingham, AL
  Sean Sweeney, Washington, DC

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------






  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 2


  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  ON THE FLY...
  by Bill Freeman


     Linda, our kind editor, tells me that the 11th hour is once again
  upon us.  It seems like only yesterday that we were treading on the
  newest of ground, and very unsure about what to do next in developing a
  network of international proportion devoted to meeting the needs of
  people with disabilities.

     I think a very good argument might be made that we've come a great
  distance toward meeting our initial goals of getting established as both
  a respected resource and advocacy leader within the community of people
  with disabilities.  We have quite a way to go yet, and we are still in
  the beginnings of many ADAnet projects.

     Over the coming weeks and months, we will be working to refine both
  a mission statement and a plan of implementation for our mission.

     Our conference list have grown rapidly.  We now have over 80
  disability-related conferences that are distributed by ADAnet, roughly
  half of which were actually established by ADAnet itself.  We are
  constantly looking for existing resources that serve a need of people
  with disabilities.  If you know of such a resource, please bring it to
  our attention so we can try to include it within the ADAnet consort of
  disability conferences.

     Funding.  Doesn't sound like a difficult thing to do...  its a
  simple word.  Those are my words from December.  Since then many
  organizations have both approached and been approached by the foundation
  for funding assistance.  We've even gotten a few promises of support -
  but the checks haven't been written yet.  Of course we continue to fund
  ADAnet, and its related projects, from contributions from our small (and
  poor) Board of Directors.

     Membership.  We've had a group of people join the ADA, and we are
  looking for more new members.  People have a way of bringing tears to
  your eyes with their stories of isolation, and how the association (and
  especially ADAnet) have brought them access to a world of friends and
  conversation relevant to them.

     Politics.  The race for the American Presidency is well underway
  now, and ADAnet has taken (through the efforts of Mr.  John Desantes) to
  the fore in helping identify the candidates positions on issues that
  affect people with disabilities.  At this point, both Jerry Brown and
  Tom Harkin has responded to our requests, and both have promised to help
  us understand their views on disability issues.  The Association is
  pleased to offer this service to our members.

     Cooperation.  Our primary goal has been to exclude no one, and
  welcome all.  It continues to help us meet with success in bridging
  disability resources.  Over the past weeks, our affiliates in
  Philadelphia and Ohio has actively been pursuing parallel programs
  within their communities for people with disabilities.  They have been
  successful so far, and their success will surely breed future successes
  in helping remove the "dis" from disABILITY.





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 3


     Friendship.  Since we last talked, we've made many new friends all
  over the world.  Colin Lean in Sydney, George Cordner in the UK, Leslie
  Scofield of Brasilnet, and H.K.  Kang of Hong Kong have all expressed an
  interest in joining ADAnet.  All except for Mr.  Kang have already been
  able to successfully send and receive mail from ADAnet.  In the future,
  we plan to expand to continental Europe, and through the efforts of
  Daniel Coulombe of Synapse BBS, have instituted our first multi-lingual
  echo, called Franco_Handicap.  We hope this echo serves the needs of
  French-speaking people with disabilities all over the world.  We plan to
  install a Spanish echo in the next several weeks.

     Growth.  We want to continue to spread the word about ADAnet far
  and wide.  Over the next month, we'll be concentrating on opening new
  doors of disability telecommunications to the East and the West, with
  new nodes in Australia, the Pacific Rim and Europe.

     All of these areas have made the past months both exciting and tons
  of work.  It has often been the case that just as soon as a problem pops
  up in the Midwest, an answer comes from the North.  Our progress has
  been wholly the work of a dedicated and stalwart group of volunteers who
  realize two simple truths:

     1) Disabled people can solve most, if not all of their own problems.

     2) A key ingredient in solving problems is to encourage people to
        talk about them.

     Many thanks to everyone that has worked so very hard in making the
  network flourish over the past months.  Together we insure that ADAnet
  (and the ADA) will benefit from a brilliant future, and hope to share
  that future with everyone, one day at a time, and struggle by struggle.


     Keep your chin up and keep knocking those barriers down.


     Bill Freeman

  =======================================================================

  Articles

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Ma Bell vs. The BBS
  by Warren King


     Computer bulletin board systems may be in a fight for their very
  lives.  Networks like ADAnet and FidoNet may soon be extinct.  How can
  this come to pass you may ask.  Surely the 14,000 systems in the FidoNet
  can withstand any problem that may come up.  ADAnet is spreading from
  coast to coast so rapidly it makes the head spin.  So where is the
  problem?









  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 4


     The problem is in the form of big business vs the "little guy".  The
  opening shots in this battle were fired in Texas, then spread to
  Missouri, and is now expanding into Virginia.  It is a battle for the
  "information war" between the Bell Telephone systems and others who
  provide information, including BBSes.  To understand what the true
  dangers and implications are, it is necessary to view the situation like
  a chess match.  A good chess player is going to pay close attention to
  every move made on the board and to also see what is going to happen 5
  and 6 moves ahead.

     C&P Telephone Company of Virginia just made a move.  It is just one
  move in the grand strategy of the Bell's.  They wrote a letter to 14
  sysops in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area of the state instructing them
  to contact the business office to upgrade from residential service to
  business service because the sysops were running a BBS.

      What is behind C&P's ruling that BBSes are businesses?  Do they
  really realize that they are going to lose money if sysops closed down
  their boards and cancel their lines, or upgrade their lines to measured
  service?  The answer to the last question is, of course!  And it is not
  going to bother them one little bit.  The why is a direct result of the
  first question.

     The July ruling allowing the baby bells, of which Atlantic Bell is
  one (C&P is an Atlantic Bell Company), to enter the electronic
  information services industry is the bottom line answer.  There are
  millions of dollars to be made by Atlantic Bell in this new and evolving
  industry.

  To make electronic information a business commodity to the general
  market there must be some mass education to lay the ground work.  There
  are two goals that Atlantic Bell must achieve. The very first thing
  needed is to convince the public that electronic information MUST cost
  money.  The second is to ensure that all avenues of FREE electronic
  information are eliminated.

     Step 1 is this C&P ruling.  The result will be that many sysops will
     be forced to close down their systems because either they can not
     afford the business rates, or they just don't want to go through the
     red tape involved with establishing and maintaining a business.

     Step 2 will come when those hardy sysops who continue switch their
     systems to a pay service.  This will be necessary for the majority
     because not many are in the position to absorb all the expenses of
     running a business out of their own pockets.  There are a lot of
     hidden costs in addition to just the business rates with the telco,
     such as city business licenses, zoning variance to run a business
     from a residential neighborhood, tax preparation and filing, etc.

     Step 3 is when these pay services pass their costs on to their users,
     probably with a profit tagged on, (why not, they ARE a business,
     aren't they?)  Step 4 will be the transition of the term "user" to
     "customer".  This one is an extremely important concept for the
     Atlantic Bell, because for their service to be profitable, must
     "prepare" the market.

     Step 5 will be the competition among the pay services for customers.
     This is another important "conditioning".  People have limited
     discretionary money and will have to make decisions as to which pay
     services and how many they can afford to participate in.



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 5


     Step 6 will be the actual entry of Atlantic Bell into the "market"
     that has now been created for bigger and better "service".

     Step 7 will be when the "customer" switches from the amateur pay
     service to the highly professionally done Bell Atlantic electronic
     information service.

     Realizing all of this now, does C&P really care whether they lose
  money when the sysops shut down their boards?  With the millions of
  dollars to be made by Bell Atlantic, do you think they mind losing a few
  thousand now?  It is, in their eyes, simply a cost of doing business
  expense!

     Now how does this relate to ADAnet?  It is probably pretty evident to
  all that ADAnet is dependent on the hobbyist sysop who has a board up to
  share with his friends and neighbors.  When he/she is forced to go down,
  who is going to make ADAnet available?  Commercial boards?  Hardly
  likely!  There is no money to be made in what ADAnet does that can
  profit a company.  Take a look at what the HOME OFFICE COMPUTING
  magazine had to say in their December 1991 issue when asked why they had
  not column devoted to the needs of disabled business people.
  "Unfortunately, our editorial research indicated a low interest in the
  column, so we discontinued it."  Of course, they meant that none of the
  advertisers wanted to sponsor it!

     If the potential loss of areas like the ADAnet or the K12net or even
  FidoNet bother you.  If this anti-competitive stance by Atlantic Bell
  sounds unfair to you,  write to your congressman TODAY and let him/her
  know your feelings.  Also write to the Virginia State Corporation
  Commission and protest.  The VaSCC is supposed to be representing the
  interests of the citizens of Virginia against monopolies like C&P.  We
  cannot afford to adopt a passe' attitude and say "this doesn't affect
  me, why should I get involved".  Look past the opening moves and try to
  see the entire board.  Virginia is but one square on the chess board,
  your state may be next.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  From Alabama With Love:
  Computer Network For The Disabled Comes To Atlanta
  by Rick Robinson
  for Atlanta Computer Currents
  January 1992


  CALL ADAnet A NERVE CENTER

     The computers in Bill Freeman's home office in Birmingham, Ala. are
  the core of a growing 25 state network that allows people around the
  United States and Canada to exchange information and messages and to
  locate important data.

     Nothing new about that.  But there's a difference between Freeman's
  network and other bulletin board networks: ADAnet fosters communications
  and acts as an information clearinghouse for people with disabilities
  and/or health problems - from blindness and paralysis to diabetes and
  AIDS.

     [For the first time ever, the disabled community is beginning to
  realize its role in society.]



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 6



     "If something works for folks in Maryland, chances are it'll work for
  folks in Georgia and Alabama too," says Freeman. "But not if they don't
  know about it."

     And there's good news for Atlanta area residents who would like to
  log their computers in to such a service. Chris Bradford, sysop of the
  Morrow, Georgia-based bulletin board system (BBS) The Southern Crescent,
  is in the process of becoming ADAnet's metro-area node.  Freeman and
  Bradford say that operation should be up and running by the time readers
  receive this issue of Atlanta Computer Currents (for data telephone
  numbers, see below).

     Freeman founded ADAnet, the Association of Disabled Americans
  National Electronic Bulletin Board, about nine months ago and currently
  comprises more than 50 individual BBS's in some 25-plus states - and
  also north of the border in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario.

     Freeman, a lawyer who's also a computer expert, got the idea for
  ADAnet after seeing an article on why law schools have few disabled
  students.  He realized that many disabled people were being shut out
  from opportunity and aid because they lacked a way to communicate with
  each other and learn about the outside world.


  DOUBLING EVERY TWO MONTHS

     "We're doubling in size about every two months," says  Freeman, who
  has mild cerebral palsy. "We started out with three or four good
  conferences" - and now ADAnet has about 50 conferences on a staggeringly
  wide variety of needs and interests (see list below).

     The system, which runs on PCBoard, can echo to Wildcat and other
  types of BBS systems via Fidonetland and QWK.  Any message received
  anywhere on the system can be distributed automatically throughout the
  entire network within 24 hours.

     "It's just magic," says Freeman, who helped to put himself through
  law school using his computer expertise.  "But it was total hell setting
  it up the first time." He adds that "I don't want to make it sound like
  this is all me. Lots and lots of people have helped."  Freeman figures
  ADAnet is reaching between 10,000 to 20,000 disabled people and those
  who work in related fields.  The service is free to users and aims to
  remain so.

     "A lot of people just read the mail," he says, "so its hard to guess
  how many people we're reaching."


  THE FUNDING DILEMMA

     ADAnet is part of the Disability Law Foundation, a non-profit
  organization started by Freeman to meet a number of goals.

     "We want to provide a forum...to help the disabled community
  protect its new rights" created by the federal Americans with
  Disabilities Act.  "For the first time ever, the disabled community is
  beginning to realize its role in society."





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 7


     Freeman's group recently went to Washington to lobby for funding,
  making about 25 calls on public and private agencies and/or political
  representatives - from the National Institute of Disability
  Rehabilitation and Research to the Equal Employment Opportunity
  Commission.

     "We were trying to get funding for an actual administrative staff
  here to deal with what we've got" - especially to handle the questions
  that have flooded in from people throughout the United States (A sample
  question: "How do deaf people get help when they're on the street and
  they see someone who needs help?")

     But so far, says Freeman, "The total funding we're receiving is
  coming out of our own pockets."  The Washington junket, he says,
  produced "a lot of interest, but no promises of support."

     That may hold up one goal of the group: establishment of an 800
  telephone number for the underemployed and unemployed disabled.  The
  group will also push to correct problems that plague disabled people,
  says Freeman, such as what he calls built-in "disincentives" for
  disabled to take jobs.

     "A (disabled) person could have $25,000 in medical benefits coming
  in.  If they get a minimum wage job, they're going to lose those
  benefits."


  THE ATLANTA CONNECTION

     Southern Crescent sysop Chris Bradford, ADAnet's new man in
  Atlanta, has been operating an on-line BBS since April 1989. What
  started as a one-line operation on an XT now comprises a LAN of two
  386SX's and a 286 running Wildcat BBS software with three phone lines.

     Bradford, who is not disabled, says somebody uploaded a file
  concerning ADAnet to the Southern Crescent board.  "It struck me that it
  would be a good thing to do," he says. "Computers are a medium where you
  don't see the person on the other end, so you don't know if they're in a
  wheelchair or not - everybody's treated on an equal basis."

     Among the 50 or so conferences available on ADAnet are: disability,
  disability law, independent living, mobility impairment, learning
  disabilities, philosophy of disability, job accommodation network
  medical, epilepsy, spinal injury, chronic pain, DataTalk (for the
  visually-impaired), SilentTalk (for the hearing impaired), employment of
  the disabled, cerebral palsy, AIDS-HIV, retardation, substance abuse,
  Alzheimers, amputee, anxiety, cancer, multiple sclerosis, personality
  disorder, optometry, public   psychology, terminal illness, brain
  injury, rare diseases, disabled athletes, dwarfism, home-office
  management, nurses network, golden years (geriatric disability),
  arthritis, disabled children, respiratory difficulties, occupational
  disability and post-polio.

     For information, call 205-856-1538 or 205-856-0738. For ADAnet access
  in the Atlanta metro area, call 404-366-1436, 404-362-1226 or
  404-363-0194.



  ------------------------------------------------------------------------



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 8


  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  People with disabilities help each other via network
  by Bill Freeman 1:3602/24
  for FidoNews
  January 6, 1992

  Disability Law Foundation, Inc.
  Post Office Box 374
  Pinson, Alabama 35126
  Voice: (205) 856-1538
  FAX  : (205) 520-0603

     People with disabilities often face barriers in the real world, but
  together they are breaking down both electronic and real world barriers
  and have formed a "network" of, by and for people with disabilities.

     ADAnet, which stands for Association of Disabled Americans Network,
  was formed by the Disability Law Foundation of Birmingham in an effort
  to unify and unite people with disabilities. At this writing the network
  has 65 affiliates and extends to 27 states, Ontario, Quebec and British
  Columbia.  We are looking for affiliates both at home and in other
  countries which share our interest in information that is useful to
  people with disabilities.

     To be an ADAnet node, you only have to have an interest in
  disability and help to provide people with information that can really
  make a difference in all our lives.

     We are trying to help establish new disability-related echos such as
  Post Polio and Employment, as well as Advocacy and Special Education,
  while at the same time making existing resources available across
  network boundaries. We are making these resources available to non-Fido
  systems as an authorized gateway to the world.

     If you'd like more information regarding ADAnet, please file request
  the magic name ADANET from 1:3602/24, or download the file from our
  bulletin board system at the numbers listed below.

     We are very interested in new resources to make available to our
  affiliates. If you have an interest in disability, or have developed a
  resource for people with disabilities, please drop us a line.

     I have appended the text of the Birmingham News article that has been
  printed all over the United States (it was distributed by API).

  [See next article]

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Computer network unites disabled
  By Amy Neff, Courier Times Staff Writer
  for The Courier Times
  Bucks County, Pennsylvania
  February 4, 1992

     Cancer and chronic pain and dwarfism. That's the stuff of everyday
  life for Dr. Richard Press of Yardley.





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 9


     Press, a physician and the medical director at SEPTA, has an
  unusually helpful hobby. He operates the local computer node of ADAnet,
  a computer bulletin board system (BBS) for the disabled.  The network's
  name comes from the American's with Disabilities Act.

     Anyone using a computer modem may call an ADAnet-linked computer and
  read messages on dozens of subjects of interest to the disabled, such as
  multiple sclerosis, retardation, disability law and help for disabled
  children. Callers also may respond to these messages or leave messages
  of their own. In this sense, the network functions like a traditional
  bulletin board.

     But in its effect on users' lives, ADAnet serves as a sort of
  computerized support group. Users share their problems and their fears,
  and receive advice and support in return.

     Some of the help comes from professionals - doctors, counselors,
  physical therapists, hypnotists or biomedical engineers. Much of it
  comes from peers, people who have suffered or do suffer from the same
  illness', disabilities and pain, but have found ways of overcoming, or
  at least coping with their problems.

     Press has been involved with computer networks for more than 10 years
  and still carries some of the medical topics from a bulletin board
  system called Fidonet. His involvement with ADAnet, however, began only
  about two months ago when he read a message about ADAnet in Fidonet.

     It's medical and it's communications," says Press. "It's helping.
  It's something I could do well and help a lot of people in the process.
  It's sort of doing my hobby to help everyone."

     Press uses his own state-of-the-art computer equipment and pays the
  phone bills for transferring the messages to and from a regional
  computer that serves as the communications hub. ADAnet has no funding
  source and is free to its users (except for their phone bills).

     Press also invests a lot of time in the bulletin boards. He's not
  sure just how many hours a day he devotes to them, but he refers to his
  wife, Geri, as a "computer widow."

     Press' big regret is that he hasn't been able to convince more
  doctors to use ADAnet.

     "The doctors couldn't be bothered," he says. "They're unwilling or
  unable to understand the utility of this thing."

     Those who can be bothered seem to understand ADAnet's utility.  In
  messages ranging from idle chitchat to matter-of-fact questions and
  advice and outpourings of emotion, disabled users have found emotional
  support through periods of extreme depression, learned of new
  medications, treatments and assisting devices, discovered their legal
  recourse in cases of discrimination and created a forum
  for disabled issues.

     Businesses have expanded their knowledge of disabled issues,
  particularly the new ADA, the employment provisions of which will go
  into effect on July 26. Medical professionals, like Press, derive the
  satisfaction of helping others.





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 10


     Perhaps most significantly, ADAnet gives people who might
  otherwise be cut off from the world, through hearing impairments,
  blindness or severe disabilities, a chance to communicate with the
  outside world.

     "Electronically, they're together in the same room through what we
  do," says ADAnet founder, Bill Freeman.

     Freeman, who suffers from mild cerebral palsy, founded the
  bulletin board in March of last year after graduating from law school
  and observing that few disabled people attend law school, or any
  graduate school. He decided to do something to help the disabled, but
  had nothing to work with other than a computer.

     Freeman, who put himself through law school as a computer
  consultant, generally spends 8 to 10 hours a day doing
  administrative work for ADAnet, but continues to work as a computer
  consultant for a few days a week to support himself and the network.

     Freeman's efforts have resulted in a network of nearly 90 nodes,
  computers that allow the public to call in to read and write messages,
  and more than 20 regionals. ADAnet reaches 34 states, three Canadian
  provinces and several foreign countries. And it keeps expanding.

     Press maintains that, through his involvement in ADAnet, he simply
  provides a vehicle for communication. "I'm the little guy behind the
  screen," he says. Maybe so, but the screen itself may soon be seen
  around the world.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  What's on ADAnet? - An ADAnet Echolist


  The body of ADAnet is comprised of a number of echomail areas and a file
  distribution area that are updated daily.  Through the wonders of modern
  telecommunications these "echoes" can be received by anyone with a
  computer,  modem, a phone line, and appropriate software.  Once "logged
  on" to the host computer system, the user can enter a "Conference" or
  "echomail area" to read messages already in place or enter messages of
  their own.  There are also files of interest usually associated with
  each conference.  These files can be either informative text files or
  executable program files which might perform any one of a very wide
  range of functions.  The conferences that are currently are arranged in
  three primary collections or groups.  A brief description is as follows:


  Group A conferences

  These conferences originate in ADAnet.  While some of these echos have a
  certain similarity to some echos in other networks, these conferences
  have a narrower focus, as specifically relates to disabilities, than
  their othernet cousins.  I.E., ADAJOBS would not be an appropriate
  conference for those looking for a job as a logger in the logging
  industry.

  ACCOMMODATION       Job Accommodation Information
  ADACHILD            Disabled Children - A place for help
  ADAJOBS             International Employment for Disabled
  ADANET              ADAnet International Topics Forum



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 11


  ADAPTIVE            Adaptive Technology Discussion
  ADARIGHTS           Disability Rights and Political Forum
  ADASYSOP            A forum for ADAnet SysOps only
  ADATECH             ADAnet Technical Forum (Private Conf)
  ADA_FAMILY          Disability and the Family Discussions
  ADA_OUTDOORS        Disabled Outdoors Conference
  ADA_RC              ADAnet Mail Movers Conference
  ADVOCACY            Advocacy for Disability Issues
  ALLERGIES           Conference on Allergies
  ARTHRITIS           Arthritis Discussion Group
  BARRIERS            Architectural Barriers Conference
  DIALYSIS            Conference on Dialysis/Renal Disease
  DIGEST              Handicap Digest Issues and Indices
  DWARFISM            Dwarfism Conference
  EDUTEL              Special Education Conference
  GOLDEN_YEARS        Elderly and Geriatric Issues
  HANDILAW            General Discussion on Disability Law
  INDEP               Discussions on Independent Living
  LEARNING            On-line Learning and Disability
  MEDICAL             General Medical Information Echo
  MOBILITY            Mobility-impairment and coping
  MUSCULAR_DYST       Muscular Dystrophy Conference
  OCC_INJURY          Topics regarding Occupational Injury
  PHILO               The Philosophy of Disability Issues
  README.ADA          Beginner's Help Corner
  RESPIRATORY         Respiratory Disease Discussion/Therapy
  RETARDATION         Discussion of Retardation


  Group B conferences (Private Distribution)

  These conferences do not originate in ADAnet or Fidonet.  They are
  available to all ADAnet systems, and are provided as a service to the
  disability community and to the respective conference moderators.

  ABLE.EUR            disABILITY Echo from Europe
  ABLED_ART           Literature and Art by and for PwD's
  ABLENEWS            Disability News/Articles & Releases
  ALTLEARN            Alternative Learning Discussion
  ALZHEIMERS          Alzheimer's Discussion Forum
  BICOMPAL            Big Computer Pals (UUCP)
  BLINDTLK            BlindTalk from Nat'l Fed. of Blind
  BODYWORK            Massage and Bodywork Forum
  BRIDGES             Chat with disabled children conference
  CFS                 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Conference
  DATATALK            Adaptive Computing for the Disabled
  ENABLE              Inter-network disability conference
  EPILEPSY            Epilepsy management and coping
  HOLISTIC            Holistic Thinking and Healing
  MULT-SCLEROSIS      Multiple Sclerosis Discussions
  NFB-TALK            Nat'l Fed of Blind Friends/Fellowship
  POST_POLIO          National Post Polio Survivors Forum
  PSYCH               Psychology Discussion and Issues
  SPECIAL_ED          Special Education Conference
  TCM                 Traditional Chinese Medicine
  TERM_ILL            Discussions regarding Terminal Illness
  VHEAL               Vibrational Healing Conference
  WELFARE             Discussion on Welfare





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 12


  Group C conferences

  These conferences originate in Fidonet.  They are available to all
  systems, but Fido systems should attempt to obtain them from their
  normal fido links. You must request that a feed from Group A be "turned
  on" for you before polling for these conferences.

  ABLED               General Disability Discussions
  ABLED_ATHLETE       For Disabled Athletes
  ADHD                Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity
  AIDS/ARC            Support and Information for AIDS/ARC
  AMPUTEE             Amputee Discussions and Conversation
  ANXIETY             Anxiety Disorder Discussion
  BLINKTALK           Visual Impairment Issues and Discussion
  CARCINOMA           Cancer and related disease Conference
  CARE_GIVER          Care Giving and Personal Care Attendant
  CELLULAR            Cellular Phone Conference
  CHRONIC_PAIN        Pain Management and coping conference
  CPALSY              Cerebral Palsy Support Echo
  DIABETES            Diabetes Treatment and Management
  HANDY.SYSOP         For disabled system operators
  HOME_OFFICE         Techniques/Support in Home-Office Mgt.
  MENTAL_HEALTH       Discussions on Mental Health issues
  M_P_D               Multiple Personality Disorders
  NURSES_NETWORK      Discussion group just for Nurses
  OPTOMETRY           Optometry Discussions and Issues
  PROBLEM_CHILD       Behavior modification and children
  PUBLIC_PSYCH        Public Psychology and Discussion Issues
  RARE_CONDITION      Rare Diseases and their Discussion
  SILENTTALK          Conference for Hearing-Impaired People
  SIP_NA              Narcotics Anonymous Discussion Group
  SPINAL_INJURY       Discussions about Spinal Injury
  THI_CVA             Discussions of Brain Injury


  * Look for more features on these conferences in the coming Months.  *

  =======================================================================

    M E S S A G E S    W O R T H    R E P E A T I N G

  [  These are a collection of messages gathered from the many echos     ]
  [  that are carried by ADAnet.  They have been chosen to be reprinted  ]
  [  here on based on the judged potential for wide spread interest,     ]
  [  information of a timely nature, and self-contained brevity.         ]
  [  Where possible we have included author's name, origin line,         ]
  [  echoname, subject, and date.                                        ]

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: President turns away
  By: Bill Freeman
  In: ADANET

     A decision was made today by the President's Committee that its
  information regarding Job Accommodation would not be available directly
  to ADAnet affiliates.






  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 13


     The President's Committee has refused to make the Job Accommodation
  Network feed available to ADAnet, the world's only network directed
  solely to issues concerning disability.

     At the same time the committee is receiving both ADAnet's HANDILAW
  and ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY conferences for its' benefit, the President's
  Committee has flatly refused to make its' resources regarding Job
  Accommodation available to ADAnet.

     We encourage computer users all over America to write their
  President, Congressmen and Senators demanding that disability
  information be made available to all. Please mention that ADAnet had
  been making this information available until the President's Committee
  ordered that the Job Accommodation information should no longer be made
  available to ADAnet.

     We would also encourage disabled people to send their letters of
  protest to the Department of Labor and the Department of Education. If
  the government refuses to take a pro-active stand in disseminating
  information about job accommodation, it effectively emasculates the
  Americans with Disabilities Act.

     How can we expect business leaders to accommodate people with
  disabilities while the President's Committee, charged with disseminating
  information about accommodation refuses to make information about job
  accommodation easily accessible to disabled people?

     It is shocking to the conscience that the "disability President"
  would so blatantly and without regard discriminate against the masses of
  people with disabilities.

     Since the President's Committee has withdrawn the JAN (Job
  Accommodation Network) conference, and in an effort to provide
  accommodation information, ADAnet will support a conference called
  ACCOMMODATION.

     We hope that the President comes to his senses in the near future,
  and that job accommodation information will once again be available from
  the Department of Labor via ADAnet and its affiliates. Until that time
  arrives, we stand ready to serve the disabled community even in the
  absence of the government and the disability president.

   * Origin: ADAnet (tm) NetHub  Birmingham, Alabama  (205) 854-9074
             (1:3602/24)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: Able Aids ["Universal design" improves accessibility.]
  By: Earl Appleby
  In: ABLENEWS
  Date: 9 January 1992

                          ABLE Aids

  Individuals may be challenged by age, disability, or other personal
  circumstances. Ronald Mace, a professor of architecture, has coined the
  phrase "universal design" to describe improvements that increase
  accessibility.  Here are a few of the latest, as reported in The
  Washington Times:




  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 14


  "Design Without Limits" ($14.70, including postage) provides practical
  advice about adapting patterns and ready-to-wear clothes for wheelchair
  users. (Simplicity's Design Without Limits, Dept. 4948, Box 4000, Niles,
  Michigan 49120-4000)

  The Freedom side-entry whirlpool ($5,000) fits into a standard 30-by-60
  inch tub space. Its easy-entry sealed door and molded seat is also
  available without a whirlpool ($4,000). (Plumbing World, 1-301-417-0486)
  Plumbing World carries bath grab bars ($66-178) in 10 sizes, 12 colors.

  Handykey opens doors without the need to twist a key in the lock or grip
  a doorknob because it is electronic. (Handykey, 1-800-626-4448)

  Homestyles Source offers barrier-free blueprints. (1-800-547-5570)

  Jingle-Balls ($25-77) help visually-impaired children have a ball by
  providing auditory feedback. (Sportime, 1-800-283-5700)

  The Next Step Rolling Walker ($430-450) has large polyurethane wheels
  that pivot easily, and at 22 and one-half inches wide can maneuver in
  tight corners. Accessories include an upper tray ($45) and a shopping
  basket ($35). The crossbar model aid those with diminished strength in
  one hand. (1-800-234-WALK)

  The Wheelchair Platform Swing ($488) can be used in or outdoors. It can
  be ordered with a 360-degree swivel floor frame ($978). (PCA Industries,
  1-800-727-8180)

  On the job, Workstations works to fit equipment to people, not people to
  equipment. (Workstations, 1-413-598-8394)

  Thank you, Jennifer Harper, Washington Times, for alerting us to:

  "Do-Able Renewable Home: Making Your Home Fit Your Needs" (free, AARP,
  Consumer Affairs, 1-202-434-2277)

  Enrichments for Better Living catalog featuring imaginative household
  items, from one-handed beaters to no-hands door openers (1-800-932-2120)

  Independence House catalog highlighting household aids (1-800-932-2120)

  And at your local book store:

  "The Accessible Housing Design File" (Van Rostand Reinhold, 1991, $43)

  "The Complete Guide to Barrier-Free Housing (Betterway Publications,
  1991, $15)

  ...For further information, contact CURE, 812 Stephen Street, Berkeley

   * Origin: HandiNet B B S Virginia Beach, VA (804)496-3320 (1:275/429)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------










  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 15


  Re: BOOK
  By: Dale Schneider
  In: ADANET

  After having a rather stimulating conversation with Waddell last
  evening. I've decided to write a book on "PwD" and computers. It will
  include sections on How to start BBSing and other fun stuff like that!
  I'm looking for any and all input for this book!

  I'll post parts of it as I get them done. for your comments and
  suggestions.

   YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED!!!

  I really need some input from our sightless users and sysops about the
  software they use and things of that nature.

  This is going to be a fun project so please help me out and send me some
  input into what you would think is important to a new user who is also
  Disabled.

   * Origin: Mad Doctor's BBS Lincoln, Ne. (402)421-9510 (1:285/201)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: Well Spouse Foundation
  By: Warren King
  In: ?

  The following is from a bulletin on my BBS, maybe you (and others) will
  find it helpful.

                          Well Spouse Foundation

                    "When One Is Sick...Two Need Help."

     Well spouses are husbands and wives of the chronically ill and
  disabled.  There are seven to nine million well spouses in the United
  States.  The Well Spouse Foundation is a national network of well
  spouses who have banded together to offer each other emotional support
  through local self-help groups, to raise consciousness about the usually
  hidden role, and to advocate for change in insurance coverage and new
  programs to help families to deal with chronic illness.

     A well spouse faces emotional and financial loss, a doubled work
  load, daily anxiety and stress, loss of pleasure and leisure, virtually
  inescapable responsibility - all this often for ten or twenty years.  A
  well spouse may be parenting with very little help, and the children
  often lose the precious carefree quality of childhood.


     The Well Spouse Foundation provides local support groups, led by well
  spouses and sometimes assisted by a trained therapist.  It provides
  public education via an information newsletter to well spouses and
  health-care providers.  It is beginning an advocacy campaign for
  national long-term care coverage, affordable drug insurance, and respite
  care.  All of these programs would lessen the emotional and financial
  impoverishment of well spouses and their children.





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 16


     For more information about the Well Spouse Foundation in the Hampton
  Roads area contact Sally Towslee at 424-3393 or Peggy Meisel, Executive
  Director WSF, 163 Spook Rock Road, Suffren, NY 10901.  (914)357-8513.

   * Origin: HandiNet B B S Virginia Beach, VA (804)496-3320 (1:275/429)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: Dwarfism General Information
  By: Betty Jacobsen
  In: DWARFISM

     Five percent of the normal population is below the fifth percentile
  in height.   Most of these people do not have a growth disorder, as
  children they grow at a normal rate and are in the low ranges of
  "normal"

     A person that fails to achieve a height of 4'10" at maturity, usually
  due to a medical condition, is considered a dwarf.  Twenty years ago
  there were only 3 types of dwarfism identified - today over 200
  different types have been identified.  Some vary greatly - others have
  very subtle differences.

  Some causes of dwarfism:

      - nutritional, ie. rickets

      - hereditary - short family background; 2nd & 3rd generation
        chondodystrophies

      - side effects of other medical conditions, ie. kidney diseases

      - hypothyroidism - (thyroid hormone deficiency)

      - constitutional delayed growth

      - hypopituitarism - (growth hormone deficiency)

      - chondodystrophies - bone & cartilage diseases (some are dominant &
        others are recessive)

     Achondroplasia (short limb dwarfism) is the most common type of
  chondodystrophy, it occurs 1:30,000 live births.  Affects all races and
  boys/girls at equal rates.  Achondroplasia is autosomal dominant and
  greater then 80% are new mutations, born to average size parents with no
  family history of dwarfism.  Socially, academically & emotionally
  achondroplasic children are the same as average size children.

     Sometimes little people will have orthopedic problems associated with
  their dwarfism, that will require corrective surgery.  However, their
  most frequent problems are attitude & architecture.

  Common terms - not everyone will be comfortable with them:

  DWARF -  person that fails to achieve a height of 4'10" at maturity
  usually due to a medical condition (technically the term includes
  disproportionate and proportionate types of short stature, but the common
  usage is for disproportionate individuals).





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 17


  SHORT STATURED or LITTLE PERSON - used interchangeable with "dwarf" -
  preferred terms by some dwarfs.

  MIDGET - Short statured person that is proportional.  This term is
  commonly misused to describe disproportionate dwarfs.  Many regard it as
  a derogatory label, related to the stereotype "midget" circus
  performers.

  DISPROPORTIONATE SHORT STATURE -  Short statured person whose arms &/or
  legs are not in "normal" proportion to the torso size.  ie:  When the
  person's arm is put down to their side, their wrist instead of their
  elbow is about at their waist.

  PERCENTILE - The percentile number on growth charts indicates what
  percentage of children the same age & sex are shorter then the child.

   * Origin: Betty's Point (1:105/645.10)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: 1-800 numbers
  By: Terry Mccombs
  In: ADANET

     Some 1-800-numbers that might be of use, not sure which if any
  conferences this should be put in so I am trying here.

  ...................a list of free 800 numbers...............

  Aids Hotline...............................................800 342-AIDS
  Black Aids Hotline.........................................202 775-1770
  Hero Hotline...............................................800 638-6252
  National Institutes of Health..............................800 843-9388
  Alcohol Hotline............................................800 ALCOHOL
  Alcohol Hotline............................................800 BE SOBER
  Alzheimer's Disease and Related Association................800 621-0379
  American Cancer Society....................................800 552-7996
  American Council of Blind..................................800 424-8666
  American Trauma Society....................................800 556-7890
  Arthritis Medical Center...................................800-327-3027
  Association for Retarded...................................800 332-7690
  Better Hearing Institute-Hearing Helpline..................800-424-8576
  Child Abuse................................................800 552-7096
  Child Abuse Help Line......................................800 942-4357
  Child Abuse Hotline IL.....................................800 252-2873
  Child Abuse Hotline-National...............................800 422-4453
  Child Find.................................................800 431-5005
  Cocaine Hotline............................................800 COCAINE
  Covenant House (homeless/runaway children).................800 999-9999
  Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.................................800 638-8815
  Downs Syndrome Society.....................................800 221-4602
  Drug Referral Help Line....................................800 662-HELP
  Epilepsy Information Service...............................800 642-0500
  Health Connection..........................................800 548-8700
  Help Eliminate Lawbreaking Pushers.........................800 392-8011
  Home Run National Runaway Hotline..........................800 647-7968
  Lung Line..................................................800 222-LUNG
  Missing Children...........................................800 235-3535
  Narcotics Anonymous - State of VA..........................800 777-1515
  National Federation Parents................................800 554-KIDS



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 18


  National Council On Compulsive Gambling....................800 522-4700
  National Gay/Lesbian Crisis Line...........................800 221-7044
  National Health Information Clearinghouse..................800 336-4797
  National Inst. Drug Abuse..................................800 638-2045
  National Runaway Hotline...................................800 231-6946
  National Runaway Switchboard...............................800 621-4000
  Parents Anonymous..........................................800 882-1250
  Pet Hotlines...............................................800 282-3511
  Pride Drug Information Line................................800 241-9746
  Runaways...................................................800 231-6946
  UP Front Drug Information..................................800 432-8255
  Vietnam Veterans of America................................800 424-7275
  Woman's Legal Hotline......................................800 221-3247

   * Origin: ADAnet (tm) NetHub  Birmingham, Alabama  (205) 854-9074
             (1:3602/24)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: Spinal Cord Injury Database Available
  By: Tom Freeman
  In: Spinal_Injury

  National Audio-visual Database of Educational Materials on Spinal Cord
  Injury Now On-Line!

  Have you been trying to find a video or film or audio tape that
  addresses the special needs of a person with spinal cord injury, such as
  coping with SCI, recreation and leisure activities, sexuality issues, or
  home modifications?  Or perhaps you are looking for audio-visual
  materials on safe driving or water safety tips.

  If your answer is YES, then we may have some information for you.  TIRR
  has developed a national database containing over 190 items, supported
  by the Education and Training Foundation of the Paralyzed Veterans of
  America, The American Spinal Injury Association, Baylor College of
  Medicine and TIRR.

  Retrievals, up to two subject areas, are available by telephone and/or a
  printed report mailed directly to the requester.  All requests are FREE
  OF CHARGE.

  A compendium of all items in the database is available for $30.00.

  To request a retrieval or compendium, call or write:

  Linda Herson
  Division of Education
  The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
  1333 Moursund
  Houston, TX  77030
  713-797-5945

  * Origin: Project Enable ...the disability resource! (304)766-7842
            (1:279/14)








  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 19


  Re: Free Brochure
  By: Jean Prophet
  In: ?

     'Building Bridges' is a FREE brochure that explains the
  public-accommodations provisions of the 1990 American With Disabilities
  Act, which go into effect today.

     It's from the National Easter Seal Society and Safeway.  For a copy,
  send a self-addressed stamped envelop to:

                    70 E. Lake Street
                    Chicago, Ill.  60601

   * Origin: Information Headquarters * BYTE SIZE BITS (1:371/33)


  Re: polio
  By: Adam Summers
  In: POST_POLIO

  Survivors of paralytic poliomyelitis have begun to suffer renewed
  neurological and neuromuscular symptoms decades after maximum recovery
  from the acute disease.  Symptoms include a form of progressive muscular
  atrophy that involves new muscle weakness affecting certain muscle
  groups, pain, fatigue, and decreased physical endurance.  Individuals
  who have fully recovered from the initial episode and those who still
  have residual effects are at risk.  A number of terms have been proposed
  to describe these late effects including post-polio syndrome, post-polio
  motor neuron disease, and post-polio muscular atrophy.

  Estimates of the number of survivors of paralytic poliomyelitis in the
  United States vary widely, from about 250,000 to over 1 million.  A 1984
  epidemiological study performed by the Mayo clinic found that 25 percent
  of survivors had renewed symptoms, but a later follow-up of a
  sample of the original respondents showed that 66 percent were
  experiencing new weakness.

  Pathologic mechanisms involved in the post-polio syndrome are not
  understood, and there is evidence supporting several etiological
  theories.  Changes in the motor neuron have been studied extensively.
  After recovery from acute polio, axons of surviving motor neurons sprout
  to reinnervate muscles whose original motor neuron did not survive.  It
  is hypothesized that this process is ongoing for several years, after
  which the capacity of the motor neuron to reinnervate additional muscles
  is reached and the nerve terminals begin to degenerate.

  A recent report of IgM antibodies to the polio virus in some patients
  with recurring weakness suggests that late effects of the long dormant
  polio virus may play a role.  Other hypotheses that have been studied
  include neuromuscular changes caused by premature aging in polio
  patients, an immunological mechanism, and spinal cord changes affecting
  motor neurons.

   * Origin: IN-MED BBS (314-968-9140) (1:100/485)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------






  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 20


  Re: Social Security Disability Decisions
  By: Rick Dayton
  In: Abled

      Greetings....I thought this article would be of interest to everyone
  here on the ABLED conference.  It explains the process one goes through
  when filing a disability claim with the Social Security Administration.


      Social Security Disability Decisions: A Federal-State Effort

      Who decides if a person's physical or mental condition qualifies as
  "disabling" under Social Security law?  Not the Social Security
  Administration (SSA) directly, as many people may believe.  In a major
  Federal-State partnership, the Social Security Administration is linked
  with 54 State Disability Determination Services (DDSs) offices.  These
  offices are located in each state, the District of Columbia, Guam,
  Puerto Rico and Northern Marianas. The DDSs make individualized
  disability decisions using SSA rules and guidelines.  The DDSs are
  totally funded by Social Security to process the disability case load.

     Each year, more than 2 million applications for disability benefits
  under Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program are
  processed under this Federal-State partnership.  Applicants complete
  their initial interview at a local Social Security field office; the
  claim is then forwarded to the state DDS, where the claim is processed
  and the disability decision is made.

     The states and the Social Security Administration each carry out
  three basic responsibilities in the disability program.  Social
  Security's role involves field and headquarters staff: (1) field office
  staff conduct the initial interview and assure that the required
  information and documentation accompany the claim; (2) in claims for
  SSI, the field office staff make an immediate decision about whether a
  person can be "presumed disabled" and receive immediate payments that
  can continue for 6 months while the claim is pending the actual
  decision; and (3) Social Security oversees the DDSs to assure that
  program policies and decision-making criteria are applied uniformly.

     The State DDSs generally handle three types of caseloads: (1) initial
  applications; (2) requests for reconsideration of an initial claim that
  has been denied; and (3) ongoing reviews-called continuing disability
  reviews-of the status of individuals who are receiving benefits to
  determine if medical improvement has occurred so the individual is able
  to return to work.

     If pertinent medical evidence is missing, a DDS may schedule a
  consultative examination, which is of no cost to the claimant, to obtain
  additional information needed to make the disability determination.
  Disability examiners and medical consultants-working as a team-review
  the claim, evaluate the facts, and reach a decision about the
  individual's benefit eligibility.

     In evaluating the evidence in a disability claim, the DDS follows
  what is called a "Sequential evaluation process" that involves five
  steps.  A decision about the disability claim can be made at any step in
  the sequence.  The determination can be based solely on medical factors
  or on a combination of medical and vocational factors.





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 21


     For adults, five questions need to be answered: (1) Is the claimant
  working?; (2) Is the impairment severe enough to interfere with basic
  work-related activities?; (3) Does the impairment{s} meet or equal the
  level of severity described in published regulations known as the
  "Listing of Impairments?"; (4) Is the impairment severe enough to keep
  the claimant from doing his/her previous work?; and (5) Is the
  impairment severe enough to keep the claimant from doing any kind of
  work in the national economy, considering the claimant's age, education
  and work experience?

     A comparable evaluation process is used to determine disability in
  children.  However, instead of evaluating ability to work, an assessment
  is made of how the child's' impairment affects his/her ability to perform
  normal daily activities that healthy children of a similar age can do.

     Another essential activity of the State DDS is to have their
  Professional Relations staff contact area health professionals to inform
  them of the disability program requirements and to obtain their
  cooperation in responding promptly to requests for complete medical
  records.  The staff also recruit doctors and qualified psychologists to
  perform and monitor examinations for the DDS, and they conduct
  continuing education programs for professional organizations.


     Information supplied by Washington's Access to Self Help/MacWASH BBS
     P.O. Box 22010, Seattle, Washington, 98122-0010 <@> 206/767-7681

  * Origin: Information Laboratories (1:343/96.0)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: Epilepsy implant
  By: Robert Bowes V
  In: EPILEPSY

  EPILEPTIC PUTS DEVICE TO TEST

     A former Central Illinois resident is the second person in the
  Midwest and the first person in Illinois to undergo what could be a
  revolutionary procedure in treating epileptic seizures.

     Steve Blair,27, a former resident of Waynesville, Stanford and
  Bloomington, was under the bright lights of television cameras yesterday
  at Memorial Medical Center, Springfield -- all because of a special disc
  that was implanted in his chest Dec. 13.

     After a waiting period for the surgical incisions to heal, the device
  was activated -- and with it the hope that Blair, who lives in Southern
  Illinois, will be able to do things most people take for granted.

     Blair, who lives in Flora with his grandmother, said he wants to "get
  a driver's license back and get a job somewhere." He got a driver's
  license while a student at Olympia High School, but had to give it up
  because of the seizures. The last time he was behind the wheel was about
  10 years ago.

     Blair has been having about 40 seizures a month and "basically, his
  life has been on hold. He can't get a job," said his father, Dick
  Marshall, of 215 Willow Creek Village, Bloomington.




  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 22


     Blair is part of a study to test a pacemaker-like device called a
  neurocybernetic prosthesis that is implanted in the collarbone, said Dr.
  Dean Naritoku, director of the Center for Epilepsy at the Southern
  Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield.

     The device, which is larger than an Oreo cookie but smaller than an
  English muffin, has wires connecting it to the vagus nerve, which goes
  to the brain. A long-life battery in the device sends out an electrical
  current at regular intervals, the doctor said.

     No one knows exactly how it works, but the electrical impulse seems
  to break up the seizure signal in the brain, Dr. Naritoku said. And if
  an epileptic feels a seizure coming on, he can use a special magnet by
  touching it to his chest, which "jump starts" the device, and is
  supposed to either minimize or suppress the seizure.

     Only 48 people in the world have such implants, four of them in
  Sweden and the rest in the United States, the doctor said. The costs are
  being paid for by Cyberonics Inc. of Webster,Texas, which invented the
  device.

     The doctor said if the study shows the implant is promising, it has
  widespread application because about 1 percent of the United States
  population is epileptic. And for roughly a quarter of those, medication
  is ineffective in treatment.

     He said it was too early to tell how effective the device would be,
  but the degree of success has varied from patient to patient so far.
  While it is a high-tech device, it is low-risk surgery, Dr. Naritoku
  said.

     That is unlike another treatment, brain surgery, where holes are
  drilled into the skull and the pieces of brain triggering the seizures
  are removed.

     Blair's case was so severe something had to be done -- and medication
  alone was not working.

     "It was getting worse with him. He'd be violent coming out of the
  seizures...it was kind of scary," said his grandmother, June Atteberry,
  with whom Blair lives in Flora. She said her grandson is a big help to
  her around the house and yard unless he is having a seizure.

     Marshall said his son, who began getting seizures as a young child,
  did not finish high school because of the illness.

     Blair said he is more optimistic than pessimistic about the whole
  thing.

     "I'm tickled to death," said his father, who credited a Twin City
  doctor with recommending his son go to Springfield for help.

     "We just hope he can go on with his life," Marshall said.

   * Origin: Moderator for Epilepsy Echo (1:382/4.0)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------






  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 23


  Re: Arachnoiditis
  By: Ed Madara
  In: ?

  The latest type of self-help group to be springing up across the country
  is one for persons with arachnoiditis, a disorder that damages the
  spinal cord. Cheryl Ahearn, who was originally told by doctors that her
  symptoms were "all in your head", founded the national non-profit
  self-help organization called the Arachnoiditis Information and Support
  Network to help patients help one another and to advocate for needed
  research, improved treatment, and disability rights currently denied.
  Ahearn's situation is severe. She cannot sit for more than 30 minutes at
  a time before feeling excruciating pain. At night, she can only sleep
  for most an hour at a time. According to the national office's first
  newsletter, the condition is characterized by chronic inflammation and
  thickening of the arachnoid matter in the middle membrane that covers
  and protects the brain and spinal cord. The condition can be very
  painful and debilitating.

  Symptoms vary with the extent of the disorder, but can include
  pain (burning sensation), headaches, spasms, bladder dysfunction,
  restrictions/pain in limb movement, and partial paralysis. Development
  of the disorder is thought to be related to:
     prior episodes of meningitis;
     prior disorders such as syphilis or ankylosing spondylitis;
     or the possible result of a myelogram (injection, but not full
  removal, of radiopaque dye into the spinal canal for the purpose of
  having had x-rays taken).

  For more information, send a stamped self-addressed envelope to the
     Arachnoiditis Information and Support Network at:
     PO Box 1166
     Ballwin, MO 63022

  If you should write, kindly mention where you learned of their work
  here.

  - Ed at the American Self-Help Clearinghouse

   * Origin: Project Enable ...the disability resource  (304)766-7842
             (1:279/14.0)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: Information Access Project
  By: David Andrews
  In: ?

  Contact:
  David Andrews, Program Director
  National Information Access Center
  Telephone:  (410) 659-9314

              NATIONAL INFORMATION ACCESS CENTER OPENS

     Baltimore--The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a
  50,000-member nationwide consumer organization, has announced the
  opening of the National Information Access Center.  The Center is home
  for the Information Access Project for Blind Individuals, a U.S.
  Department of Justice-funded technical assistance grant, designed to



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 24


  assist businesses as well as units of state and local government
  implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

     Specifically, the Information Access Project will help ADA-covered
  entities to initiate and adopt procedures and methods for providing
  printed information in non-visually accessible forms.

     NFB President Marc Maurer said, "There are over 5 million businesses
  open to the public in this country and most of them are producing
  printed materials on a regular basis.  It is often inconvenient or
  impossible for us as blind persons to avail ourselves of these
  materials.  However, the ADA requires that all public accommodations and
  units of state and local government provide the disabled, including
  blind persons, with access to this printed information.  Through this
  project we can assist businesses, units of state and local government,
  and all entities covered by the ADA find cost-effective methods for
  meeting the information access requirements of the Act."

     Services provided by places of public accommodation, and by public
  entities (units of state and local government) must comply with the
  non-discrimination requirements of the ADA which went into effect on
  January 26, 1992.

     David Andrews, Program Director of the National Information Access
  Center said, "The ADA does not require a specific method, such as
  Braille or cassette tape, for a covered entity to use to give blind
  people access to its information.  Any number of ways are possible,
  including Braille, enlarged print, cassette tape,human readers, computer
  disks or dial-up phone services.  The National Information Access Center
  has been established to educate blind persons, businesses, and units of
  state and local government about the ADA and its provisions for
  information access.  We work with individuals and covered entities to
  help them decide on what is the best way to provide blind persons with
  access to printed information without unreasonable technical or
  financial burden."

     The National Information Access Center is located at the National
  Center for the Blind in Baltimore, Maryland, the headquarters for the
  NFB.  The National Center for the Blind also houses the International
  Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, a comprehensive
  demonstration and evaluation center for computer-related technology used
  by the blind.  The Information Access Project is able to draw upon the
  staff and resources of the Braille and Technology Center as it makes
  recommendations to individuals, businesses, and organizations around the
  country about appropriate access methods and technology.

     In addition, the Information Access Project has a volunteer corps of
  over 50 local Information Access Coordinators (at least one per state).
  These local coordinators distribute project materials on a local basis,
  work with covered entities to educate them and help them devise plans to
  meet the information access needs of blind persons in their local areas.
  The coordinators will also spearhead projects in their local areas such
  as assisting banks to provide their customers with accessible automated
  teller machines or with bank statements in accessible media.

     The National Information Access Center staff is available for
  consultation through the mail, via NFB's electronic bulletin board
  service or by telephone. They can be reached as follows:





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 25


  Information Access Project for Blind Individuals
  National Federation of the Blind
  1800 Johnson Street
  Baltimore, MD  21230
  Telephone: (410) 659-9314
  Fax:  (410) 685-5653
  BBS: (410) 752-5011.

  The Center is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. eastern
  time.

     The National Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest
  organization of the blind in this country with over 50,000 members.
  There are state affiliates and local chapters in all 50 states and the
  District of Columbia.  Founded in 1940, the NFB is dedicated to the
  complete integration of the blind into the economic, political and
  social community.

     The Information Access Project is funded by a $99,930 grant from the
  U.S. Department of Justice.

  * Origin: NFB NET Baltimore, MD (410) 752-5011 (1:261/1125)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: Govt. attacks chronic pain sufferers
  By: Bill Gorman
  In: CHRONIC_PAIN

  From: 34AEJ7D%CMUVM.BITNET@VM1.nodak.edu (Bill Gorman)
  Date: 17 Feb 92 03:35:33 GMT
  Message-ID: <19952@handicap.news>
  Newsgroups: chronic.pain

  The following article is forwarded from elsewhere. It is a plea for help
  written by a chronic pain sufferer, outlining a problem of potential
  concern to anyone who suffers with chronic pain and depends upon
  prescription pain killers in any form for (at least some) relief. I
  think it may be of interest to others on this echo.

  -----------------------------ATTACHMENT---------------------
  |From: SMTP%jeannie@scri1.scri.fsu.edu (Wicked Witch Of The West)
  |subject: Big Brother is Watching/ Call for help
  |Date: 7 Feb 92 20:49:14 GMT

  If this shows up in an inappropriate news group please accept my
  apology, however I wanted to reach as broad an audience as possible to
  gather ammo for something I feel very strongly about.

  I just came from my doctor, of 25 years, who informed me that The
  Department of Professional Regulation is keeping records of patients
  names for whom he writes prescriptions for pain killers and/or
  barbiturates more than three times in one year.  Their ultimate aim is
  to get a bill passed that will require anyone who gets a prescription
  for any kind of these drugs to attend monthly counseling to ensure that
  they aren't abusing them.







  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 26


  I suffer from migraine headaches.  They are inherited, I started having
  them when I went through puberty and, if I follow the family pattern,
  will have them until I go through menopause.  I know from first hand
  experience that there are a lot of people, including some doctors,  who
  don't believe migraines are anything more than a headache that you
  should be able to handle.  They are very wrong.   Migraines are a severe
  form of headache characterized by throbbing intense pain and frequently
  accompanied by nausea,  vomiting and extreme sensitivity to bright
  lights and noise.  About 24 million Americans suffer from migraine
  headaches, which strike women three times as frequently as men.

  Nearly half of sufferers have classic migraine symptoms; their headaches
  are preceded by aura in which the patient sees colors, flashing lights
  and bright spots.  The typical migraine patient suffers 12 to 15
  migraine attacks a year.

  For a great number of  years I suffered with them and lost several jobs
  due to the number of days I was unable to work because of them.  Since I
  have been using the medication I seldom miss more than one day at a time
  with them.

  My doctor only gives me 16 pills at a time and they usually last between
  two to  five months depending on the frequency of the headaches.  In all
  the years I've been taking them I have neither abused or become addicted
  to them.

  My insurance will only pay fifty percent of counseling bills and only
  for 8 visits a year, so I would be left having to pay for half those 8
  and the full cost of the other  four.   Just to get a medication that I
  can't function without.

  I intend to fight this all the way to the capitol, and would appreciate
  any help; i.e., statistics, medical information, etc. that anyone can
  provide.  Please reference your sources, so that I may use them in my
  argument against this.  Also if you yourself suffer from them I would
  appreciate hearing from you about what medications or methods you use to
  combat them.

  I would like to be able to use information about other migraine
  sufferers in my campaign.  So please state in your e-mail message that I
  have permission to use your information and/or name.  Rest assured no
  names will be used without permission.  If you give me permission to use
  your name I will need your U.S. mailing address.

  The school of hard knocks is an accelerated curriculum.  (Menander)

  Disclaimer? Why? Who cares anyway?.

  "jeannie@scri1.scri.fsu.edu"

  * Origin: The Handicap News (1-203-337-1607) (1:141/420)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------










  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 27


  Re: tips
  By: Joe Chamberlain
  In: ABLED

                     10 Tips for a Healthy Partnership
                        With Your Family Physician

  1.  Develop an ongoing partnership with your Family Physician including
  prompt consultation when problems arise, and follow up until resolved.

  2.  Provide your FP with an honest, specific, and complete health
  history.  Write symptoms down as they occur, including day and time.

  3.  Make sure your FP knows all the medications you are taking -- even
  those prescribed by other physicians.

  4.  When a FP prescribes a medication, take all of it as prescribed,
  even if you start to feel better before you finish the medication.

  5.  Write out questions and/or symptoms to discuss with your FP prior to
  your appointment so you don't forget your concerns.

  6.  Ask your FP questions!  It's your right to know and understand a
  treatment, symptom, or illness.

  7.  Ask you FP for additional materials that will help you understand
  the health needs and conditions you or your family might have.

  8.  Work with your FP to make beneficial changes in daily routines such
  as diet and exercise that are realistic and practical.

  9.  Work with your FP to develop a regular schedule of checkups based on
  your age, sex, and medical history.

  10. Exercise your right to insist on good medical care and access to
  every reasonable therapy.  Taking good personal care of your body and
  following recommended health measures are your best assurance that when
  problems arise, you and your FP can solve them.

  From American Academy of Family Physicians
  * Origin: The Busted Flush BBS + New Castle, DE + 302-323-0176
            (1:150/175.0)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: Adanet Library
  By: Warren King
  In: ADANET

  The ADANet Library project is off to a very slow start.  To date, there
  has only been one sysop to contribute to it from the ADAnet!

  For those of you who do not know what I a referring to, the ADANet is
  attempting to collect all know files and programs related to disAbility.
  My HandiNet B B S is serving as the host site for the project.  It is
  our goal to have several Regional Library Sites that would have all the
  files on-line and freely available to anybody who wants them.






  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 28


  Your help is needed if this is to be a viable project.  If you have
  files that you feel should be in the Library, please send them to
  HandiNet B B S at 1:275/429 (Fido) or 8:935/120 (RBBSNet).  The board
  has a Dual Standard to be able handle the fastest possible baud rates.
  For those who have collections that would not be feasible to File
  ATTACH, send them on 5 1/4 or 3 1/2 inch floppies (low or high density).

  They can be mailed to:

          Warren King
          HandiNet B B S
          1126 Kearsarge Court
          Virginia Beach, VA 23454

  If you would like to have your disks returned, please enclosed return
  postage (I am unemployed and cannot afford to pay it on my own).  If you
  like, I can fill the disks with files that I have here now.

                                   Warren

  * Origin: HandiNet B B S Virginia Beach, VA (804)496-3320 (1:275/429)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: C.C.B. Sharing the Vision Ride
  By: Jeff Dubois
  In: BLINKTALK

  Canadian Council of the Blind Sharing the Vision Ride Overview

  The Canadian Council of the Blind "Sharing the Vision Ride" will be a
  trans-Canadian horseback journey from Saint John's, Newfoundland to
  Victoria, British Columbia, a distance of some 5,000 miles.  It will be
  undertaken by Judith Arnold, a 25 year old visually challenged Canadian.

  The purpose of the Ride will be to increase public awareness of the
  issues involved with blindness and visual impairment, to raise funds for
  the CCB (Canadian Council of the Blind) to use in order to better
  implement their many services to people who are blind or visually
  impaired, and to focus attention on the abilities rather than
  disabilities of challenged individuals.

  The ride is due to begin on March 25, 1992.  It will cover approximately
  25 (40K) a day to end some eight months later around the beginning of
  December.

  It is planned to make the attempt using only one horse, however, a
  backup horse will be kept in Ottawa to be used in case of injury or
  illness to the first, or if the first shows signs of the journey being
  too taxing.  It is also planned that Judith will be accompanied by a 3
  man road crew with motor home, truck and horse trailer, to provide
  necessary support along the route and accommodation when none is
  available.

  The ride will travel mainly along the trans-Canada highway, except in
  areas where local Highway departments and Police advise otherwise,
  stopping in as many towns and cities as possible to hold civic
  receptions and awareness events, distribute informative flyers, raise
  funds, and meet local people.




  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 29


  Projected dates of arrival in major cities are: St. John's - March 25,
  North Sydney - April 2, Charlottetown - May 4, Fredricton - May 14,
  Quebec City - June 3, Montreal - June 10, Ottawa - June 16, Toronto -
  July 1, Winnipeg - September 9, Regina - September 25, Calgary - October
  17, Vancouver - November 19, Victoria - December 2.

  For more information please contact: Canadian Council of the Blind,
  National Office, 405 - 396 Cooper Street, Ottawa, Ontario K 2 P  2 H 7
  Telephone: (613) 567-0311 Fax: (613) 567-2728

  * Origin: Networking beats Notworking - Vision BBS - Ottawa ON
            (1:163/207.666)

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Re: SouthEastern Guide Dog School Walk-a-thon
  By: Debbie Hazelton
  In: BLINKTALK

  Hi Everyone!

  I'm late in getting this going.  Some of you know that I have a guide
  dog named Lyndi.  She came from the SouthEastern Guide Dog School in
  Palmetto Fl.  I dedicated the two books I've written to Lyndi.  She
  makes it possible for me to travel independently both locally and around
  the country.  She flies on airplanes and goes with me to various hotels,
  always behaving well and giving me the flexible independence that makes
  it possible for me to do all the things I do.  And, as some of you know,
  her disposition is precious!  Personally,she is one of my finest friends
  and teachers!!!  And a few of you have, from time to time, even seen her
  postings! <grin>--Lyndi is enormously talented...she should have gotten
  in here herself to ask for money!--leaves me with the dirty work! <grin>

  The Guide Dog school is having its annual walk-a-thon on Sat. March 7 in
  Palmetto.  I'll be walking, spending a couple of days there on my way
  back from a conference in Hilton Head.

  The cost per guide dog team from when the puppies are trained to when
  the student is finished with training averages between eight and ten
  thousand dollars.  If you're interested and able to make a donation, I'm
  asking for you to support this project at this time. We are walking 10
  k., which is really easy.  I would encourage flat donations, rather than
  amount per k.

  If interested, send contributions directly to the school.  Please make
  checks payable to SouthEastern Guide Dogs, and please indicate that you
  are sponsoring me.

  The address of the school is:

  SouthEastern Guide Dogs Inc.
  4210 77th St. East
  Palmetto, Fl. 34221.

  Thanks in advance! <smile>

  Debbie Hazelton

   * Origin: Hi Notes, Deerfield Bch Fl. 305-480-6047 (1:369/66)
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 30


  Re: TRACE Center
  By: Jim Breene
  In: ADAPTIVE

  The TRACE Center researches technology, augmentative communication,
  control and computer access for people with disabilities.  The Center
  develops adaptive products and investigates ways for computer equipment
  to be accessible.  The Center publishes the TRACE Resource Book listing
  products for communication, control and computer access.
  They are located at:  TRACE Research Center-University of Wisconsin,
  Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705-2280, phone (608)
  262-6966.

   * Origin: The Southern Crescent + 404-366-1436 (1:133/604)

  =======================================================================

  ADAnet Hub Systems - As of 29 February 1992

  ADAnet currently is able to serve both Fidonet Technology Network (FTN)
  systems and those BBSes making use of the QWK style network echomail
  packets.  If you operate a BBS and wish to become an ADAnet affiliate,
  one of these systems should be able to help you, or see the contact
  information at the end of this file.

  FTN

   The Handicap News                  Shelton CT  1-203-337-1607 2400
   Ken's BBS                       Montgomery AL  1-205-244-0296 2400
   MetaBoard                       Birmingham AL  1-205-254-3344 9600
   The Family Smorgas-Board    Pleasant Grove AL  1-205-744-0943 2400
   ADAnet One (tm) NetHub              Pinson AL  1-205-854-5863 9600
   L A W Bbs                          Seattle WA  1-206-727-8314 9600
   US Telematics                      Yardley PA  1-215-493-5242 9600
   The Special Needs BBS              Whiting IN  1-219-659-0112 2400
   NFB NET                          Baltimore MD  1-301-752-5011 9600
   Busted Flush BBS                New Castle DE  1-302-323-0176 2400
   Denver Goodwill                Westminster CO  1-303-650-7732 2400
   Fantasy Mountain                    Golden CO  1-303-922-5730 9600
   Project Enable                      Dunbar WV  1-304-766-7807 9600
   I CAN! BBS                         Chicago IL  1-312-736-7434 9600
   Fast Eddie's BBS                    Monroe MI  1-313-243-0944 9600
   Doc in the Box BBS          Jefferson City MO  1-314-893-6099 9600
   Mad Doctor's BBS                   Lincoln NE  1-402-421-9510 2400
   Aardvark Cafe                      Lincoln NE  1-402-489-7920 9600
   Southern Crescent              Forest Park GA  1-404-363-0194 2400
   Creative Coalition                 Lilburn GA  1-404-978-6509 2400
   American SITE CBBS                  Norman OK  1-405-366-1449 9600
   Majik Shoppe BBS                     Altus OK  1-405-482-2536 9600
   SPACECON BBS                       Audubon FL  1-407-459-0969 9600
   Network USA BBS                      Cocoa FL  1-407-632-2940 9600
   Strat's Asylum                 Cocoa Beach FL  1-407-799-0390 9600
   Int'l Public Emergency C          San Jose CA  1-408-298-2740 9600
   EpStar BBS                         Fairfax CA  1-415-454-8206 9600
   Plaza Communications BBS       Springfield MO  1-417-887-1790 9600
   Resource Access Program        New Orleans LA  1-504-897-9204 2400
   BODY DHARMA ONLINE                 Oakland CA  1-510-836-4717 9600
   Party Line                  Corpus Christi TX  1-512-857-0526 2400
   MED-Tech BBS                         Union OH  1-513-832-1532 9600
   The HOST BBS                   Glens Falls NY  1-518-793-9574 9600



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 31


   MegaByte BBS Mailer 1          Cobble Hill BC  1-604-743-1293 9600
   MegaByte BBS Mailer 2          Cobble Hill BC  1-604-743-4616 2400
   Square Hole BBS                    Nanaimo BC  1-604-756-3177 9600
   Wild Thing BBS             North Vancouver BC  1-604-986-8791 9600
   The Carnival                     Nashville TN  1-615-832-1874 2400
   Dan's BBS                        San Diego CA  1-619-279-4774 9600
   BIZynet BBS                      San Diego CA  1-619-283-1721 9600
   The Nexus Point                      Poway CA  1-619-486-0529 9600
   D J M BBS                          La Mesa CA  1-619-593-1341 9600
   SHENK'S EXPRESS                    La Mesa CA  1-619-697-8873 9600
   AET's BBS                        Mint Hill NC  1-704-545-7076 9600
   Carolina Forum                   Charlotte NC  1-704-563-5857 9600
   Transporter Room                 Charlotte NC  1-704-567-9513 9600
   Transporter Room Pod II          Charlotte NC  1-704-567-9594 9600
   Transporter Room Pod III         Charlotte NC  1-704-567-9830 9600
   The Orphanage & ADAnet         Statesville NC  1-704-873-2058 9600
   Eye Resources Network          Des Plaines IL  1-708-299-1296 9600
   The Daze Inn BBS            Mount Prospect IL  1-708-437-8387 2400
   The Under Dark               Mission Viejo CA  1-714-770-5380 9600
   The Shop Mail Only                Flushing NY  1-718-460-0201 9600
   HandiNet B B S              Virginia Beach VA  1-804-496-3320 9600
   OnLine Now                     Thunder Bay ON  1-807-345-5522 9600
   Open Window                           Laie HI  1-808-293-9547 9600
   Cat House                    Safety Harbor Fl  1-813-726-5126 2400
   Cat House                    Safety Harbor Fl  1-813-796-2038 9600
   Cat House                    Safety Harbor Fl  1-813-796-2486 9600
   Medical Information Heal      Jacksonville Fl  1-904-221-9425 9600
   Focus Medical Resource C        Portsmouth UK   44-489-577514 9600
   The Runway                       Stanmore NSW   61-2-569-5130 9600
   The Keyboard                         Prospect   61-8-344-5354 9600

  QWK

   Pick's Place                       Madison NJ  1-201-765-0164 2400
   Golden Springs                    Anniston AL  1-205-238-0012 9600
   The Crunchy Frog                Birmingham AL  1-205-956-1755 2400
   FIAWOL-MSconnections                Irving TX  1-214-790-6472 2400
   The Wright Place                 Baltimore MD  1-301-882-4481 9600
   Empyre Data Systems BBS           Chicopee MA  1-413-594-5642 2400
   Canada Remote Systems              Toronto ON  1-416-798-4713 9600
   Rehab TCS                      Baton Rouge LA  1-504-346-1146 2400
   Hillside BBS                        Guelph ON  1-519-821-6389 2400
   Granite BBS                       St Cloud MN  1-612-654-8372 9600
   Alternate Solution                Marietta OH  1-614-678-2329 9600
   WPGS BBS                          Adelanto CA  1-619-246-5166 9600
   PC-Net BBS                      Auburndale FL  1-813-967-2575 9600
   Sound Advice BBS                 Gladstone MO  1-816-436-1618 9600
   SYNAPSE BBS                       Gatineau QU  1-819-561-4321 9600

  ========================================================================

        * * * * * * * <  J U S T    F O R    F U N  > * * * * * * *

  This section is _just for fun_ and is not intended to embarrass anyone.
  Since we are all good friends, we thought it might be fun to see how
  well we know each other.  In this particular monthly newsletter, we'll
  be describing some of you, and let's see how many people can recognize
  who it is we're talking about.





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 32


  1.  Who dove into 2 feet of water in 1959 and broke his neck?  He loves
  to travel and lives in Delaware.  He's afraid if he has a Myelogram the
  screws in his leg will be jerked out!  He writes mostly in the Spinal
  Injury echo.

  2.  Who had a fight in his Toyota pick-up against a logging truck and
  lost?  He broke his neck in 1976 and lives in California.  He writes
  mostly in the Spinal Injury echo.

  3.  Who has mild Cerebral Palsy and is going to be taking his Bar exam
  soon?  He lives in Alabama.  He's been described as a big teddy bear who
  likes to give teddy bear hugs!  He writes in ALL the echo's!  He
  considers himself, "just this side of insanity."

  4.  Who are the two famous "Okies" who live near each other?  The first
  one uses a mouthstick to type on the computer and is a total quad,
  paralyzed from the "armpits" down.  The second one is a paraplegic,
  paralyzed from the chest down.  This one broke his back in a motorcycle
  accident.  They mostly write in the Abled echo.  They always try to
  outdo each other with jokes and quips and never really get to outdo two
  Southern Belles' from Slidell and Montgomery!

  5.  Who has a L4/L5 problem and has had one surgery?  She lives in New
  York and is also a ham radio operator.  Unfortunately, she's a Buffalo
  Bills fan and her husband is a Cowboys fan.  She mostly writes in the
  Spinal Injury and Chronic Pain echo's.  She giggles a lot and brings
  sunshine to an otherwise serious subject.

  6.  Who lived in Ohio but moved to Arizona to get away from the weather?
  He's in a wheelchair but he gets his stimulation from a pair of pants
  and is rumored to have said, "Stimulation on...stimulation off...
  stimulation on...stimulation off!"  He loves to swim.  He writes mostly
  in the Spinal Injury and Chronic Pain echo's.

  7.  Who lives in Florida and has LOTS of animals?  She writes mostly in
  the Spinal Injury echo for her husband.  Her husband is famous for
  saying, "[hehe...] want some candy little girl?"  She writes mostly in
  the Spinal Injury echo.

  8.  Who lives in Louisiana and is nicknamed "Bayou Babe?"  She chases
  her husband around with a rake and teases his hair with it.  She's a
  "vampire" and her mother has back problems.  She writes mostly in the
  Abled echo.

  9.  Who lives in Alberta and is blind?  He wants volunteers
  (female-type) so he can practice his braille anatomy.  He sings in the
  church choir and plays the pan-pipes.  He and the two "Okies" are
  forever trying to outdo each other with jokes and puns (sometimes very
  bad ones!)  He writes in the Abled echo.

  10.  Who lives in Alabama and has an implanted Spinal Cord Stimulator?
  She has the reputation of being the "Mouth of the South!"  When she
  doesn't like something someone said, her usual response is,
  "Phhhzzzttt!!!"  Then, everybody has to clear off their screens.  She
  writes in just about as many echo's as she can!

  The answers to who these people are will appear in the April issue of
  the Adanet Newsletter.  Have fun guessing!

  =======================================================================



  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 33


  =======================================================================


                      AMERICAN DISABILITY ASSOCIATION

                          (membership application)



        ____________________________________________________________
        Your name (please print)

        ____________________________________________________________
        Address                                     Apt.

        ____________________________________________________________
        City                            State       Zip


        _______  Please send me more information on ADAnet.

        _______  $25 annual membership fee enclosed.

        _______  $250 lifetime membership fee enclosed.


  Membership fee includes subscription to the printed ADAnews: Journal of
  the American Disability Association, Certificate of Membership, and
  access to the ADAnet electronic telecommunications Network.

  *(membership not necessary to participate on ADAnet)

  To be a supporting member of the American Disability Association and
  ADAnet, complete the form and Mail to:

     American Disability Association
     P. O. Box 374
     Pinson, AL 35126

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  [  This letter originally appeared in several echos on ADAnet.     ]
  [  The intent was to provide a way to make a broad spectrum of     ]
  [  the US Government aware of ADAnet, the American Disability      ]
  [  Association, and the Disability Law Foundation.  ADAnet seeks   ]
  [  public support in order to further the goals of ADAnet and the  ]
  [  American Disability Association and to lower the cost burden    ]
  [  of ADAnet's regional coordinators as we move the mail.  If you  ]
  [  are willing to help us with these goals and willing to commit   ]
  [  one postage stamp toward these goals, edit the letter to suit   ]
  [  when and where you are and mail it.                             ]


  I am sending out a sample letter to Congressmen and Senators. I'd like
  to ask for your help in making our politicians aware of our program. By
  sending your elected representatives this letter, or one like it, you
  can let them know what disabled people are doing to help each other.
  Please take a moment to let them know that we are here.
  -----




  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 34


                           <Today's Date>

  Honorable Senator/Congressman
  United States Senate/House of Representatives
  Washington, DC.

  Dear Congressman/Senator,

     I am writing to you to ask your support and letter of recommendation
  for ADAnet, an international computer network. It links disabled people
  together around the world. ADAnet also allows non-disabled people to
  gain an understanding of disability and how disability can be
  accommodated in our everyday lives.

     My friend Bill Freeman is the founder of the Disability Law
  Foundation of Birmingham, Alabama and ADAnet. He is currently working
  very closely with Congressman Erdreich, as well as Senators Heflin and
  Shelby of Alabama to obtain federal grants for ADAnet.  These grants
  will allow ADAnet to become even more effective in enabling the
  disabled. It will allow information to be shared and increase the public
  knowledge of disability. Mr. Freeman has worked closely with the
  National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research and the
  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in developing this complete
  program of disability information.

     Serving the needs of disabled people in the United States and Hawaii,
  Canada and the Pacific, ADAnet is expanding to serve the needs of
  disabled people worldwide. In this way, a resource is being built that
  will help bring independence to your disabled constituents at home and
  in the workplace.

     I believe that ADAnet is providing a valuable service to your
  disabled constituents, and with their interests in mind, I am confident
  that I can count on your support and letter of recommendation regarding
  this much needed service.

                                                          Sincerely,


                                                          <Your Name>

  =======================================================================

  [  One of the goals of ADAnet and the American Disability Association  ]
  [  is to act in the role of an information clearing house regarding    ]
  [  the Americans with Disabilities Act, to show how this vital piece   ]
  [  of legislation affects you and affects your life.                   ]


                Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements
                                 Fact Sheet


                                Employment

  Employers may not discriminate against an individual with a disability
  in hiring or promotion if the person is otherwise qualified for the job.






  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 35


  Employers can ask about one's ability to perform a job, but cannot
  inquire if someone has a disability or subject a person to tests that
  tend to screen out people with disabilities.

  Employers will need to provide "reasonable accommodation" to individuals
  with disabilities.  This includes steps such as job restructuring and
  modification of equipment.

  Employers do not need to provide accommodations that impose an "undue
  hardship" on business operations.  Who needs to comply:

     All employers with 25 or more employees must comply, effective July
      26, 1992.

     All employers with 15-24 employees must comply, effective July 26,
      1994.


                              Transportation

  New public transit buses ordered after August 26, 1990, must be
  accessible to individuals with disabilities.

  Transit authorities must provide comparable paratransit or other special
  transportation services to individuals with disabilities who cannot use
  fixed route bus services, unless an undue burden would result.

  Existing rail systems must have one accessible car per train by July 26,
  1995.

  New rail cars ordered after August 26, 1990, must be accessible.

  New bus and train stations must be accessible.

  Key stations in rapid light, and commuter rail systems must be made
  accessible by July 26, 1993, with extensions up to 20 years for commuter
  rail (30 years of rapid and light rail).

  All existing Amtrak stations must be accessible by July 26, 2010.



                           Public Accommodations

  Private entities such as restaurants, hotels, and retail stores may not
  discriminate against individuals with disabilities, effective January
  26, 1992.

  Auxiliary aids and services must be provided to individuals with vision
  or hearing impairments or other individuals with disabilities, unless an
  undue burden would result.

  Physical barriers in existing facilities must be removed, if removal is
  readily achievable.  If not alternative methods of providing the
  services must be offered, if they are readily achievable.

  All new construction and alterations of facilities must be accessible.






  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 36


                         State and Local Government

  State and local governments may not discriminate against qualified
  individuals with disabilities.

  All government facilities, services, and communications must be
  accessible consistent with the requirements of section 504 of the
  Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

                             Telecommunications

  Companies offering telephone service to the general public must offer
  telephone relay services to individuals who use telecommunications
  devices for the deaf (TDD's) or similar devices.

      This document is available in the following accessible formats:

            -  Braille
            -  Large Print
            -  Audiotape
            -  Electronic file on computer disk
               and electronic bulletin board (202) 514-6193

       For more information about the ADA contact:

                      U.S. Department of Justice
                      Civil Rights Division
                      Coordination and Review Section
                      P.O. Box 66118
                      Washington, D.C.   20035-6118
                      (202) 514-0301 (Voice)
                      (202) 514-0381 (TDD)
                      (202) 514-0383 (TDD)

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      Americans with Disabilities Act
                   Requirements in Public Accommodations
                                 Fact Sheet

  General

       Public accommodations such as restaurants, hotels, theaters,
  doctor's offices, pharmacies, retail stores, museums, libraries, parks,
  private schools, and day care centers, may not discriminate on the basis
  of disability.  Private clubs and religious organizations are exempt.

       Reasonable changes in policies, practices, and procedures must be
  made to avoid discrimination.

                               Auxiliary Aids

       Auxiliary aids and services must be provided to individuals with
  vision or hearing impairments or other individuals with disabilities,
  unless an undue burden would result.








  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 37


                             Physical Barriers

       Physical barriers in existing facilities must be removed, if
  removal is readily achievable.  If not, alternative methods of providing
  the services must be offered, if they are readily achievable.

       All new construction in public accommodations, as well as in
  "commercial facilities" such as office buildings, must be accessible.
  Elevators are generally not required in buildings under three stories or
  fewer than 3,000 square feet per floor, unless the building is a
  shopping center, mall, or a professional office of a health care
  provider.

       Alterations must be accessible.  When alterations to primary
  function areas are made, an accessible path of travel to the altered
  area (and the bathrooms, telephones, and drinking fountains serving that
  area) must be provided to the extent that the added accessibility costs
  are not disproportionate to the overall cost of the alterations.
  Elevators are required as described above.

       Entities such as hotels that also offer transportation must
  generally provide equivalent transportation service to individuals with
  disabilities.  New fixed-route vehicles capable of carrying more than 16
  passengers must be accessible.

                                  Remedies

       Individuals may bring private lawsuits to obtain court orders to
  stop discrimination, but money damages cannot be awarded.

       Individuals can also file complaints with the Attorney General who
  may file lawsuits to stop discrimination and obtain money damages and
  penalties.

            This document is available in the following accessible
  formats:

            -  Braille
            -  Large Print
            -  Audiotape
            -  Electronic file on computer disk
               and electronic bulletin board (202) 514-6193

            For more information about the ADA contact:

                      U.S. Department of Justice
                      Civil Rights Division
                      Coordination and Review Section
                      P.O. Box 66118
                      Washington, D.C.   20035-6118
                      (202) 514-0301 (Voice)
                      (202) 514-0381 (TDD)
                      (202) 514-0383 (TDD)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------


                      Americans with Disabilities Act
                            Statutory Deadlines




  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 38



  I.  Employment

      The ADA requirements become effective on:

      - July 26, 1992, for employers with 25 or more  employees.
      - July 26, 1994, for employers, with 15-24 employees.

  II. Public Accommodations

      The ADA requirements become effective on:

      - January 26, 1992, generally
      - August 26, 1990, for purchase or lease of new vehicles
        that are required to be accessible.
      - January 26, 1993, for new construction.

      Generally, lawsuits may not be filed until January 26, 1992.  In
      addition, except with respect to alterations, no lawsuit may be
      filed until:

      - July 26, 1992, against businesses with 25 or few employees and
        gross receipts of $1 million or less.

      - January 26, 1993, against businesses with 10 or fewer
        employees and gross receipts of $500,000 or less.

  III. Transportation

    A.  Public bus systems

        The ADA requirements become effective on:

        - January 26, 1992, generally.
        - August 26, 1990, for purchase or lease of new buses.

    B. Public rail systems -- light, rapid, commuter, and intercity
       (Amtrak) rail

      - January 26, 1992, generally.
      - August 26, 1990, for purchase or lease of new rail vehicles.
      - By July 26, 1995, one car per train accessibility must be
        achieved.
      - By July 26, 1993, existing key stations in rapid, light, commuter
        rail systems must be made accessible with extensions of up to 20
        years (30 years, in some cases, for rapid and light rail).



    C.  Privately operated bus and van companies

      The ADA requirements become effective on:

      - January 26, 1992, generally.
      - July 26, 1996 (July 26, 1997, for small providers) for purchase of
        new over-the-road buses.
      - August 26, 1990, for purchase or lease of certain new vehicles
        (other than over-the-road buses).





  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 39


  IV.  State and local government operations

       The ADA requirements become effective on:

       - January 26, 1992.

  V.   Telecommunications

       The ADA requirements become effective on:

       - July 26, 1993, for provision of relay services.

       This document is available in the following accessible formats:
       -  Braille
       -  Large Print
       -  Audiotape
       -  Electronic file on computer disk
          and electronic bulletin board (202) 514-6193

       For more information about the ADA contact:

          U.S. Department of Justice
          Civil Rights Division
          Coordination and Review Section
          P.O. Box 66118
          Washington, D.C.   20035-6118
          (202) 514-0301 (Voice)
          (202) 514-0381 (TDD)
          (202) 514-0383 (TDD)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
































  ADAnews/Journal of the American Disability Association  March 1992 Pg. 40


  =======================================================================

                            ADAnews Information

  =======================================================================

  ADAnews Staff and Contact Information

  Editor in Chief:  Marlin Johnson
                    1:3602/42.0
                    205-254-3344
                    mjohnson@bsc835.uucp
                    xa00001@uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu

  Editor:  Linda Cummings
           1:375/34.0
           205-264-8000

  Assistant Editor:  Cindy Barnes
                     1:375/22.0
                     205-244-0296

  U. S. Postal Service
     ADAnews
     P. O. Box 374
     Pinson, AL 35126
     USA

  Published monthly by and for members of the American Disability
  Association and ADAnet.  ADAnews is a compilation of individual articles
  contributed by their authors or agents.  The contribution of articles to
  this compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors.  Opinions
  expressed in these articles are those of the authors and not necessarily
  those of ADAnews, ADAnet, the American Disability Association, or the
  Disability Law Foundation.

  ADAnews is copyright 1992 American Disability Association.  all rights
  reserved.  Duplication and/or distribution permitted for non-commercial
  purposes only.  For use in other circumstances, please contact ADAnews.

  OBTAINING COPIES:  ADAnews, in electronic form, is available for
  download from most ADAnet affiliate sites.  See list of affiliated sites
  elsewhere in this issue.  PRINTED COPIES may be purchased from the
  American Disability Association for US$5.00 each within North America
  delivered via First Class Mail, or US$7.00 outside North America
  delivered via Air Mail.  All moneys sent must be US funds drawn upon a
  US bank.)  Periodic subscriptions are available by becoming a member of
  the American Disability Association.  See elsewhere for details and
  membership form.

  SUBMISSIONS:  You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
  ADAnews.  Article submission requirements are lax, but do include:
  submission must be ASCII text file only, be somewhat relevant, be
  delivered to one of the above addresses.




  ========================================================================
                                    -30-



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