Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!David.Andrews
From: David.Andrews@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Andrews)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: PRODIGY
Message-ID: <13184@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 26 Jul 90 17:21:45 GMT
Sender: wtm@bunker.UUCP
Reply-To: David.Andrews@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org
Distribution: misc
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89.0 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA
Lines: 41
Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP

Index Number: 9550

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 AH> This is just to clear up some Prodigy confusion. 
 AH>      After speaking with the Vice President of Research at  
 AH>      Prodigy, the following is supposedly in the works.  1.   
 AH>  There is a project "underway," involving AFB, to make Prodigy  
 AH>  accessible to the visually impaired.  

While I was not able to attend the meeting of the Computer ?Science
Division at NFB, I understand this was discussed.  What I heard was
that Prodigy had supposedly contacted AFB, but AFB knew nothing
about it.

 AH>  2.  You can use a  
 AH>  standard modem with Prodigy, the package can be had for $10.00  
 AH>  with just a disk and a little booklet. You can copy material  
 AH>  from the screen, there are a host of Prodigy Utilityies  
 AH>  available locally here.  For low-vision people Prodigy is just  
 AH>  fine, we totals will simply need to wait some more, and maybe  
 AH>  boot AFB/Prodigy in the butt once in a while to speed up this  
 AH>  project they are working on.  Curtis Chong has been in contact  
 AH>  with the Research people as well, but I don't know the outcome  
 AH>  of that discussion. 
  

It is also possible that Prodigy will never be accessable to us.
One prominent feature of Prodigy is the ads.  There are apparently
ads on most, if not all pages.  Many of them contain bit-mapped
pictures of products.  Even if they make the character portion
accessable, what do we do about the picture, and are they going to
be willing to make the service available if we don't get exposed to
the ads.  After all, the reason that it is cheap is the
advertising.  David Andrews

... Your Sound Alternative

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!David.Andrews
Internet: David.Andrews@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org