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Ever since I saw the first demonstration of an Internet service a decade ago, I've dreamed of establishing an online information news and information service tailored to people with disabilities. The service would cover the waterfront for the disability community, with sections on jobs, educational opportunities, financial and health news, assistive technology, transportation services, and product reviews. I'm still pursuing my dream. In the meantime, Web sites covering areas of interest to disabled consumers are starting to blossom. One of them is We Media.Com.

We Media Inc., owners of We Magazine and We Broadcast, both media outlets for disabled folks, launched its online effort last week. The site provides information on health, finance, jobs, nonprofit associations, and real estate, supplemented with content from its magazine and broadcasting services. It's all geared to people with disabilities, plus "their families, and friends." (Full disclosure: I have written for WE Magazine as a freelancer.)

The site is very much a work in progress. But We Media says future sections will include We Kids, We Travel, We Sports, and We Mall, an e-commerce shopping center for disabled consumers. I'm looking forward to seeing We Mall. I have heard many other entrepreneurs say they are building a one-stop shopping center for the disabled, but so far, there's nothing on the Web. I suspect that bringing the concept to fruition is proving harder than it sounds.

PROBLEMS TO SOLVE. I've heard from some early visitors to the We Media.Com Web site who were confused. Many of them believed it was a free Internet service provider (ISP). Not true. The site offers free e-mail and a home page. But it does not provide connections to hook people up to the Web. We Media's business model seems to be based on a high volume of registrants, who will attract advertisers to pay the costs of the operation.

First, the site must solve a few problems: It took me more than a dozen tries to register, which was quite annoying. Other visitors have reported having the same difficulty. After awhile, I e-mailed and then called for assistance. Within 45 minutes, I received an e-mail and a call back to help me. Finally, I registered, but it shouldn't be that hard.

Aware that the majority of disabled people live on low fixed incomes, We Media.Com intends to provide free long-distance telephone calls via the Internet. The service is still being developed. I would like to have seen it operating to evaluate it. Still, it's a great idea, and it could be a smart way to attract disabled users to the site. For now, the site offers radio, television. and even theater via streaming video -- all on your desktop, with no waiting in line! WeDo brings visitors music, interviews, and graphics from around the world. Very nice.

A message board provides users with an opportunity to share ideas. Recognizing that employment is a key concern for people with disabilities, a section at the site called We Jobs is supposed to connect employers with qualified employees. The concept is a good one, but it remains to be seen if it will have more success than other job-market services for people with disabilities. None has taken off.

We SCHOOL. I found the Welcome to HealthGrades.com Hospital Report Cards quite informative. Users are provided with a list of hospitals and their ratings for specific procedures and diagnoses. You can learn about coronary bypass surgery and back and neck injuries, as well as get information about other medical services.

Then there's Welcome to We School!, which offers courses from select universities using videoconferencing. The system operates on high-speed DSL and cable networks. Again, this is futurama stuff. Live online classes will be offered starting in January, 2000, subject to minimum enrollment requirements and the availability of DSL and cable connectivity, the We Media site informs visitors. I think this feature could be one of the strongest services the site offers (see BW Online, 4/21/99, "Online School: A Boon for Disabled Students -- and Teachers").

The We Magazine section of the site offers articles from Reuters and other news services, plus historical features such as "Dorothy Harrison Eustis Establishes The Seeing Eye in 1929." The range of the articles tells me that We Media recognizes that disabled people are interested in world affairs.

The real estate section lets readers search online for homes that are built for people with disabilities. This is important since so many homes are not accessible, and people spend a lot of money making them so after buying them.

Eventually, the site is supposed to provide brokerage services with a discounted pricing structure for the disabled and daily updated financial information and news. A co-branded We Media credit card will be offered to registrants. Other offerings will include loan servicing and information, and basic legal information on wills and retirement planning. Members will also be able to participate in a finance-related classes provided through We School.

Here's what We Media should be doing next:

The service must become accessible to blind and visually impaired people. I know it is working on accessibility. But the site's services will be of value to so many additional users when it is communications-accessible.

Beyond that, the We Mall section should narrow its focus to offer help only in certain areas. There are too many products -- more than 600 companies now are offering a variety of assistive technology -- for one site to have everything available online.

Moreover, the site will need tens of millions of dollars to expand its staff and content, and to develop a worldwide marketing program. I am talking about a campaign that will use the mainstream media and the disability media to promote the Web site, and to call attention to education, business, government, and labor conferences for the disabled. I am talking about a campaign to persuade advertisers to buy ads on the site.

We Media isn't alone. An outfit called AdaptZ.com is also getting ready to roll out a Web site for the disabled. These efforts will help to empower some 500 million people with disabilities worldwide by providing the vital information they need.

Share your opinion of Bowe's new book on BW Online's Assistive Tech Forum. Or, if you have a question about assistive technology, write to John at JMMAW@aol.com

EDITED BY DOUGLAS HARBRECHT