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I like to think of it as my legacy. Twenty years ago when I appeared on Good Morning America to discuss how I used a computer to help control my stuttering, I think I coined a phrase for prosterity. Host David Hartman asked, "What are the benefits of the computer to a stutterer?" To which I quickly responded: "Computers are the great equalizer for disabled people." I knew I was right then. And Scott Stevens still proves it today.

Stevens, 40, has muscular dystrophy. He has used a wheelchair all his life. He's very bright. By the time he was 20, he had earned a BA in business and then an MBA from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. In 1988, after holding a series of accounting and investment positions, he was recruited by the president of Great Lakes Junior College in Caro, Mich., to teach accounting, business, and economics.

But about two years ago, nature started taking its toll. Years of heavy scheduling had exhausted Stevens. He was scared. He wondered if he could continue earning a living as a teacher. A fellow instructor told him about an online teaching program at the Flint (Mich.) campus of Baker College. He contacted the program through E-mail.

FARMHOUSE TO CAMPUS. Today, Stevens is chairman of his department at several Great Lakes junior colleges -- and a frequent teacher and lecturer still -- thanks to an interactive teaching program made by Convene International, an online education provider. Teaching online allows Stevens to lecture, lead discussion groups, and assign studies from the computer in his living room in a farmhouse in the Michigan countryside.

Stevens taught himself general computer concepts and many common software applications, in addition to taking an online training program at Baker College. But he quickly came to appreciate the simplicity and standardization of CLiP (the Convene Learning Internet Platform). It allows students 24-hour access to downloadable course material. And he found the CLiP "whiteboard" useful to graph economic curves, flow charts, and supply-demand models.

Convene's package includes accreditation guidance, program organization, network setup and administration, product support, marketing consultation, faculty training, and help with converting standard courses to an online format. Convene also offers online instructors four to six weeks of training, taught entirely online. This was how Stevens learned to teach in cyberspace.

FOCUS ON INSTRUCTION. Now, he swears by it. Online instruction is less physically taxing, Stevens says. No longer must he maneuver from building to building. Yes, he misses the intimate, one-on-one contact he had with students for so many years. But he's glad he doesn't have to appear in front of students who might focus more on his disability than his instruction. "Many of my students do not know I have a disability. Online, no one knows I am disabled. In this environment, we do not recognize people by race or disability or how they look. None of those things get in the way of communication," Stevens says.

Stevens uses a keyboard to reply to E-mail and make notes. When he needs to write lecture notes or a course outline, he uses voice-recognition software to translate his voice to text. His instruction includes management economics and all levels of accounting.

A typical online class is limited to 15 students, and the primary mode of instruction is asynchronous -- that is, the students choose the time of day to participate in class in a style similar to chat rooms. Sometimes Stevens will schedule "live chat" synchronous discussions and use a whiteboard to diagram ideas. He posts lectures and then assigns questions to the students that sometimes lead to online discussions. He also assigns group projects requiring extensive interaction.

Stevens has found that people very quickly warm up to each other online. "It's amazing how quickly relationships develop online. I open an outline forum outside of class where students can work together. People open up and attempt things much more easily. They are not afraid of being wrong," Stevens says.

LIMITS ELIMINATED. He sees a bright future for online education, especially for disabled students. He believes it will also enhance college opportunities for the busiest people. And online schooling offers continuing education for students needing more learning in a specialized field or graduate-level classes.

Online education has also expanded another opportunity for Stevens. He's now working on his PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences -- all in cyberspace. Because of computers, Stevens' personal and geographic limitations have been eliminated. I'll say it again: Computers are the great equalizers for disabled people.

More than 70 colleges and universities, seminaries, and corporations have joined with Convene International to offer online programs. The company also offers independent online teaching instructions and collaborates with several online teaching programs. For more information about Convene visit www.convene.com/instructor.

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EDITED BY DOUGLAS HARBRECHT