Dan you raise some compelling questions that I have been thinking about
as well.  One of these is the expectations we place on our national
leaders and national organizations.  we don't have to wait around for
these guys to do something.  As blind people, many of us organized in
local computer user groups, we can work cooperatively to pass legislation
on the local level that would require state governments or local
government to purchase software that was accessible to people with
disabilities.  This is also an election year.  We can ask those running
for city, county or state office if they would support implementing the
accessibility guidelines that the U.S. Department of Education uses to
evaluate software before it is purchased.  We have the skills and the
potential ourselves and among our local circles to make a difference.

We often underestimate our skills and believe those of others are
superior.  An example of this is one of the questioners to bill Gates
listed in the transcript and who works here in Chicago.  He has given
many talks and has written many letters on the accessibility of windows
while not actually using the interface, even though such access was
possible to some degree.  I think sometimes we give more credit to our
national leaders than we actually should.

We all could go t our local newspaper and pitch a windows access story to
them, for example.  We do not need to wait for the "big guys" in
baltimore, Washington, or New york to do our activism, speak on our
behalf, or be our political surrogates.

kelly