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To: NFB R&D Distribution List
cc: USIB3VF9--IBMMAIL James Thatcher
From: Curtis Chong
USIDS002 AT IBMMAIL
Internet: USIDS002@IBMMAIL.COM
Subject: Support Letters Needed|
Greetings:
On Tuesday, October 12, I received an urgent note from Jim
Thatcher of IBM. As many of you know, Dr. Thatcher is the brains
and the motivating force behind IBM's family of Screen Reader
products: originally for DOS and now for IBM's OS/2 operating
system.
Dr. Thatcher tells me that letters of support for the work on
Screen Reader are desperately needed. Although he did not say so
directly, I gather that the value of the entire project is being
questioned by some executives at a higher level within IBM. I
don't know about you, but as I see it, no one can reasonably
argue that Screen Reader for OS/2 is not valuable to the blind.
In fact, in those DP shops which are converting to OS/2, Screen
Reader/2 is a vital necessity if blind people are to keep their
jobs| Say what you will about the DOS version of the product,
but the fact is that IBM's work in that area was indispensable in
terms of teaching its developers about how blind people use
computers.
Through this post, I would like to encourage ALL of you who feel
as I do to write to IBM to express your support for their work on
Screen Reader. You do not need to be a Screen Reader user. You
don't even have to think that Screen Reader for DOS is all that
great. All I ask is that you encourage IBM to continue its work
in this area.
Letters of support should be sent to Shmuel Winograd, who is the
Director of Mathematical Sciences, IBM Corporation, Thomas J.
Watson Research Center, P.O. Box 218, Yorktown Heights, New York
10598.
Both Shmuel and Jim Thatcher can be reached via Internet.
Addresses are:
Shmuel Winograd, SWIN@WATSON.IBM.COM
Jim Thatcher, THATCH@WATSON.IBM.COM
If you are interested, I can send you a copy of the letter I
wrote, on behalf of myself personally and the National Federation
of the Blind in Computer Science.
It has always been said that the Federation is not an
organization without influence. Let's prove it now|
Cordially, Curtis Chong (CURTC)
Communication Software Support Group (CSSG) Phone: 612/671-2185
IDS Financial Services, IDS Tower-10, OP4/591
Minneapolis, MN 55440
--- End of forwarded message from <nfb-rd@nfbcal.org>
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