Jun 03, 2005 — All this year we're reporting on people with disabilities in our series, Disability Matters. For so many of the people we've met, their computer has had a transforming affect on their lives. Studies support this: people with disabilities spend much more time on the internet than non-disabled people do. And they're far more likely to say that the internet has significantly improved their quality of life, kept them informed and connected to the outside world.
But people with disabilities are also less likely to be able to afford a computer. And currently, New York State will not pay for a computer unless specifically work or school-related. That wouldn't have helped Chuck Wright and Maureen Norcross.
Theirs a sort of online love story. They fell in love on a disability chatroom. Now they're together on eBay, as well. He makes clocks out of recycled computer parts, she carves and paints wood. They're part of a workshop at the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce called the Northern Adirondack Trading Cooperative. The Cooperative is a finalist for a global award for microenterprise initiatives. This Saturday, the group is heading down to New York City for one of the largest one-day street fairs in the country.  Go to full article