Bob, Do you have a financial interest in the expansion of this "service?" Or are you showing what can occur with a singular dedication to a cause? Steve M. >From: Bob Segalman <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: "St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List" ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Discrimination Problems in Georgia, Arizona and >Oregon for people wtih speech disabilities >Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 05:16:47 -0800 > >There is discrimination in these three states concerning telephone >access for people with speech disabilities. Is there anyone living in >these >states willing to help fight the discrimination by sending an e-mail? The >service is described below. > Wisconsin and Georgia have established barriers to publicizing >the >service to people with speech disabilities. >Oregon refuses to establish the service because of probably >unconstitutional >state laws. > >- Bob Segalman, Ph.D. > >please write me at >[log in to unmask]) > > >PEOPLE WITH SPEECH DISABILITIES NOW HAVE A TELEPHONE SERVICE > >If you have a speech disability and live in: ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, MARYLAND, >NEVADA, SOUTH CAROLINA, WISCONSIN, GEORGIA, MINNESOTA and WASHINNGTON >STATE, >you can now use a new, free telephone assistance service 24 hours a day. > >This service, called Speech-to-Speech, provides "communications assistants" >(CA) for people with difficulty being understood by the public on the >telephone. We hope that the FCC will require all states to provide >Speech-to-Speech in two years. > >If you have a speech disability, you can dial toll free to reach a patient, >trained communications assistant who is familiar with many speech patterns >and has excellent hearing and language skills. This operator makes >telephone >calls for you and repeats your words exactly. Users now make about 5,000 >calls a month nationally. > >Speech-to-Speech is also useful if you use a speech synthesizer. >Speech-to-Speech provides the only way for many people to telephone others >not accustomed to their speech. >Many Speech-to-Speech users have Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, >multiple sclerosis, or Muscular Dystrophy. People who stutter or have had a >laryngectomy or ALS also may use Speech-to-Speech. > >I have cerebral palsy and Speech-to-Speech made telephone use >much easier for me. You can try out Speech-to-Speech, report >problems or get more information by calling 800-854-7784 and >asking the CA to call Dr. Bob Segalman at 916-263-8689 (W) >or 916-362-0982(H) See also the new web page on Speech-to-Speech: > > http//www.stsnews.com/ > >Here are the U. S. Speech-to-Speech access numbers: > >ARIZONA 1 800 842 6520 >CALIFORNIA 1 800 854 7784 >MARYLAND 1 800-785-5630 >SOUTH CAROLINA 1 877 735 7277 >WISCONSIN 1 800-833-7637 >GEORGIA 1 800 229 5746 >WASHINGTON STATE 1-877-833-6341 >NEVADA 1-888-326-5658 >MINNESOTA 1-877-627-3848 > >Sweden has completed a Speech-to-Speech Trial. Australia now has a >permanent service. For Swedish information e-mail: >[log in to unmask] >(Inga Svanfeldt) and for Australian information e-mail: >[log in to unmask] >(Tom McCaul) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com