Here are some tidbits of info that I have collected for RESNA SIG11. Please respond directly to the original sender. Dave Jaffe ====================================== Subject: Intellectual Disability Information Technology Project From: hart@gateway.dircsa.org.au (Leigh Hart) Hi all, I am about to start on a project for the Disability Information & Resource Centre Inc (DIRC) of South Australia called the "Intellectual Disability Information Technology Project". The project is due to be completed by early September 1995. The project will promote and encourage the use of Information Technology, viz. DIRC's electronic BBS - Common Ground - to enhance the coordination and delivery of services and facilitate research, training and information sharing in the intellectual disability sector, specifically in, but not limited to, South Australia. It will also improve knowledge and awareness of the services and resources that are available to people with intellectual disability and their families and/or carers as well as service providers. What I'm hoping to do is to get in contact with anyone who has undertaken (or is currently undertaking) similar projects with the view of exchanging information and ideas. Any ideas on how to make information technology more accessible to people with intellectual disability and their families and/or carers, and also ideas on improving a BBS environment to facilitate accessing information technology would be greatly appreciated! The BBS system being used is TBBS with approximately 14 modem lines as well as a proposed Internet link via a UnixWare machine linking to the BBS through null-modem cables and a bbslogin script. The system currently has a USENet feed and Email access - full TCP/IP is on the cards for the future. Cheers Leigh -- Leigh Hart | Email: | Snail: 195 Gilles Street | Adelaide South Australia 5000 | Phone: +61-8-223-7522 | Fax: +61-8-223-5082 | TTY: +61-8-223-7579 ====================================== Subject: Newsletter Mailing List From: jkailes@tsbbs02.tnet.com (June Kailes) Organization: [TeleSys-II BBS] Dimenet, Taunton, MA I am assembling a list of independent living center and other disability- related organizations newsletter mailing list. Contributors to this list will receive a copy of the new updated list by 10/30/94 by way of Internet or Dimenet mail only (not by snail mail). Please list your organization's newsletter information as detailed below and return to: Internet: jkailes@tsbbs02.tnet.com Dimenet: jkailes please put "newsletter" in the subject line of your message line: Information in your message needs to include: Newsletter Editor: Organization: or ILC: address: City / state/ zip: Phone: TTY: Fax: Dimenet address: Internet address: Today's Address --- June Isaacson Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant 6201 Ocean Front Walk, Suite 2 Playa del Rey, CA 90293-7556 jkailes@tsbbs02.tnet.com 310/821-7080 310/827-0269 FAX ====================================== Subject: New International e-journal: GATES From: NRCGSH@RITVAX.ISC.RIT.EDU (PROF NORM COOMBS) [This is from the EASI list] Forwarded by N. Coombs nrcgsh@rit.edu - - The original note follows - - from: Joy Teague (by way of cj@deakin.edu.au (Chris Bigum)) REQUEST FOR CONTRIBUTIONS GATES is a new international journal promoting Greater Access to Technology, Engineering and Science. The first issue was published recently. Contributions are sought for Issue 2, due out at the end of the year, and future issues. Journal focus. GATES is directed to professionals committed to creating greater access to technology, engineering and science. The journal focuses on groups who are currently under-represented in education and employment in these areas, with a particular emphasis on women, people with disabilities, and people from minority ethnic backgrounds. This list is suggestive only, and articles relating to any group underrepresented in these disciplines will be considered for publication. The contents may be of interest to educators and careers advisers at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels, parents, employers, and members of these under-represented groups. The journal is dedicated to advancing knowledge and to providing a forum for public debate on questions of access to technology, engineering and science. Sections of the journal. GATES publishes research articles, literature reviews, case studies of successful interventions, and descriptions of events and new resource materials. The journal is divided into three sections. The first section contains refereed articles describing original research or reviews of research. Manuscripts are accepted for review with the understanding that the same work has not previously been published in a peer review journal, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Each article will be forwarded to two reviewers from an international panel of reviewers. Acceptance or rejection will depend on the reviewers' reports. Relevant comments will be forwarded anonymously to the first author. The second section of the journal contains descriptions of case studies. The third section provides constructive comments on issues raised by authors of refereed articles, summaries of interviews, reviews of new books and other resources, announcements of conferences, and any matters which may be of interest to readers. Contributions are welcomed for any of the three sections. Contributions can be sent to The Editors GATES Deakin University Victoria 3217 AUSTRALIA Fax: +61 52 27 2028 Email: gates@deakin.edu.au Further information regarding presentation and submission of manuscripts can be obtained from these addresses or by anonymous ftp from pub/gates at rana.deakin.edu.au The inaugural issue contains the following items: Refereed articles ***************** Bringing Young Minority Women to Computers and Science: Developing Intervention Programmes That Work. C. Dianne Martin & Rachelle S. Heller American Indian Youths' Attitudes Toward Science. Cleo Charging, JoAnn Drummond, Catherine E. Matthews, Walter S. Smith What is to be Done? A Feminist Critique of Science, Technology and Computing. Frances Grundy Case studies ************ Teaching Computer Science to the Visually Impaired Student. Women Into Science And Technology: Women Claiming Science Futures News and reviews **************** Organisation report: The GASAT Experience Conference report: The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Video review: Ground-breaker Video Presents Computing Careers to Girls Facilitating Access: The Big Picture: Assisting the Visually Impaired Student Book review: Failing at Fairness: How American Schools Cheat Girls Subscribers and sponsors are welcomed also. The individual annual subscription rate is AUD25 (Australia) and AUD30 (overseas), approximately US$23, and the institutional rates are double the individual rates. ====================================== INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT RELEASED The Information Infrastructure Task Force has released a report on "The Information Infrastructure: Reaching Society's Goals." The report explores how advanced communications and computing technologies will play a role in assisting people with disabilities, producing and managing electric power, improving transportation systems, enabling telecommuting, facilitating emergency management, disseminating environmental information, accessing cultural institutions and ensuring public safety. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 9/8/94 A9) E-MAIL FOR THE BLIND A small New Jersey company, International Discount Communications, now offers an e-mail service for visually handicapped people. The system converts e-mail messages to voice messages and then calls the client on the telephone. The message is then read aloud or saved to a voice mail box. (Internet World 10/94 p.11) FREE INTERNET ACCESS AT MARYLAND LIBRARIES The Maryland library system will soon be offering Maryland residents free basic Internet access through its "Sailor" system; full Internet functionality will be offered for $100 a year. (Washington Post 6/23/94 A1) ====================================== Subject: AccessDOS announcement From: menovak@facstaff.wisc.edu IBM is now shipping version 1.1 of AccessDOS, complete with manual. Interested parties should call 1-800/426-7282, and wait on the line for an operator, and request as many free copies of version 1.1 as they need. There are no new "access" features in version 1.1. AccessDOS version 1.1 has been available from several BBS and Internet sites as well for some time and is the same version that Microsoft has been shipping. Mark [Note: This is also available via ftp and gopher from handicap.afd.olivetti.com in the /pub/mobile directory as ACCDOS11.ZIP. The Windows equivalent is in the same directory as ACCP20.ZIP. Both also available via dial-up from the Handicap News BBS at 203/926-6168. As Mark stated, IBM will send the AccessDOS for free along with the printed manual. ====================================== Subject: ITCH'94 UPDATES ! From: JCOWARD@UVVM.UVic.CA ITCH'94 - Information Technology in Community Health Victoria, British Columbia, CANADA October 30 - November 2, 1994 CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES - UPDATES ! - REGISTER NOW This is the sixth International Conference addressing information technology issues in health care. The ITCH Conferences have always taken a very broad view of the definition of community health. It is meant to include all aspects of health care, acute or chronic, public or private, and hospital or non-hospital based. CONFERENCE LOCATION ITCH'94 is being held in the Victoria Conference Centre located in the "Garden" City's inner harbour. The centre is located adjacent to the world- famous Empress Hotel overlooking the waterfront, beside the British Columbia (Canada's Pacific Rim Province) Legislature. The Greater Victoria area recently hosted the XV Commonwealth Games. PRE-CONFERENCE EVENTS Workshops: Technology assessment Computer networking Nursing informatics Student Poster Contest and Prizes: KEYNOTE & INVITED SPEAKERS Dr. Paige Sipes-Metzler - Challenges of Information Management when Prioritizing Health Care Professor Andrew Penn - The Synapse Project: Clinical Use of Medical Hypertext on Internet's Worldwide Web Dr. Stephen Soumerai - Claims Versus Laims: How to Test Hypotheses about Drug Policy Using Drug Claims Databases WORLD-WIDE PARTICIPATION OF SPEAKERS Over 100 abstracts were reviewed: At least 70 papers will be presented at the Conference. Speakers are attending from Canada and the USA: As well; as far away as New Zealand, Australia, Germany, South Africa, England, The Netherlands, Italy, and France. ITCH'94 CONFERENCE TOPICS General topics include; Client-oriented systems Information needs Voice systems Multimedia and expert systems Evaluating utilization Linking professionals The human interface Emerging aboriginal setting and situations New directions CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS All papers presented will be published in the Conference "Proceedings - ITCH'94". The Proceedings are included in the registration price. A copy will be given to each person as when they register on site. SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS UVic - The University of Victoria, CPHA - Canadian Public Health Association, BCMOH - British ColumbiaMinistry of Health, COACH - Canada's Health Informatics Association, Metro-McNair Clinical Laboratories, The School of Health Information Science at UVic, GVHS - Greater Victoria Hospital Society, IML - Island Medical Laboratories, RNABC - Registered Nurses Association of BC, BCSC - British Columbia Systems Corporation, G.S.C. Data Corporation, CHIS - Community Health Information Systems, A. Wilson and Associates, and Clinicare Corporation. FOR REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION ON "ITCH'94" PLEASE CONTACT: ITCH'94 Conference Management (Ms. Pat McGuire) Division of Continuing Studies University of Victoria P.O. BOX 5050, MS 8451 Victoria, British Columbia CANADA V8W-3N6 604/721-8470 604/721-8774 FAX PMCGUIRE@POSTOFFICE.UVIC.CA James H. Coward, CHE ITCH'94 - Information Technology in Community Health Organizing committee, sponsors and exhibitors 220, 1641 Hillside Ave. Victoria, British Columbia CANADA V8T 5G1 604/598-3681 604/592-6341 FAX ======================================