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DISABLED ONLINE USERS ASSOCIATION 
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DOUA IN
THE NEWS:

eBay Giving Works

DOUA is part of the latest eBay Giving Works event—Spotlight on Empowerment through Entrepreneurship! Every live listing in June that benefits DOUA will appear on a special site www.missionfish
.org/empower and receive extra traffic. List to support DOUA!

__________________

Do you Squidoo?

Squidoo: SKWID-OO, n. v., adj., addiction.

1) thousands of people creating a handbuilt catalog of the best stuff online.

2) a free and fun way to make your own page and get traffic

3) a place to find what you're looking for, fast.

Visit and join DOUA at http://www.squidoo
.com/doua/

__________________

Janelle Elms Podcast

Marjie had the pleasure of doing a podcast with Janelle on 5-8-07.

Unfortunately the sound was messed up so you have to turn your speakers up really loud to hear Marjie's replies.

My Thoughts
by Hazel Lowe

Compared to other businesses, eBay is an "anyone can do it business".

I own my own business and there is a lot of background stuff to do just to get started - licenses, laws, etc.

With eBay it was sign up and you're good to go ... you can make your ads as good OR as bad as you want BUT, you're up and running. What you put into it determines WHAT YOU GET OUT OF IT.

I Used to be
Really Smart

by Connie

I used to be really smart. Not just the kind of smart where I had to study to get good grades in school. The real smart. I could take a test without much studying, write a paper off the top of my head, speak well, etc. Sorry, I’m not bragging. It’s just that with all of my health stuff, I’ve lost that.

Along with losing that I at one time lost my confidence, especially because my chronic illness hit me at the prime of my life - 40 years old. I was working a full time job, two part time job, was married, had 2 children to raise (a teenager and a toddler) and was very active in my church. Imagine what it felt like to have trouble remembering how to balance my checkbook, how to follow directions to patients’ homes for my work or how to cook dinner.


Baffled by PowerSeller Status

by Dinah

My name is Dinah.... I am disabled with a variety of disabilities from mild to severe. My biggest challenge was not the disabilities, but finding a way to make a living when I could no longer work in the outside world. Then I discovered eBay and this group .. DOUA The Disabled Online Users Association.



lifebytes newsletter / vol 1 - issue 3 / June 2007

A Message from Marjie Smith, DOUA Founder

Marjie SmithIt's hard to believe that we are halfway through the year! The birds are singing in full voice outside my window and the flowers are in bloom. As I sit here wondering what words to impart to you I am reminded of an old adage - one that I'm sure most of you have heard. "Take time to smell the roses." I encourage everyone reading, to take just a moment today and enjoy something that makes you smile.

As always, I thank you for your continued support and generosity, the training of disabled eBay users at DOUA will carry on because of you. Our mission and sole purpose is to bring the online world of business to the disabled. Our staff of committed volunteer mentors and our dedicated members who believe in our initiatives and enable this program to flourish are the backbone of the organization. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Since our inception in 1998, The Disabled Online Users Association has assisted countless disabled persons in achieving their goal of becoming eBay sellers. The membership has grown to proportions that I never imagined possible. Thank you all for our victories in our attempt to assist the disabled in this endeavor. Your participation ensures that DOUA will continue to lead the way in helping the differently-abled become self-sufficient and independent.

Get involved, ask questions, make suggestions, share what you know by posting on the Training Center. Introduce yourself and let us know that you're out there! Everyone has something valuable to contribute and we can all learn from one another. So, don't hesitate to jump in and join the fun.



ebay live logoeBay Live! 2007 Conference in Boston is the premier eBay event of the year. Over 10,000 eBay Community members, industry experts, and exhibitors will get together to network, discover new strategies and solutions, and share their passion for eBay. It’s fun, educational, and inspirational all at the same time!

AuctionBytes will be covering all the news from the show with articles, photos, interviews, video. Read all about eBay's sixth annual conference and how you can follow along by accessing the AuctionBytes special eBay Live coverage section at auctionbytes.com/cab/ebaylive2007 - the section will officially kick off on June 12th - so bookmark it and visit often!

lily

In Memory of

Ann Marie Bogardus
March 29, 1977 - April 14, 2007

It pays to become a DOUA Student!

It pays to become a DOUA Student!

There are several levels of membership here at DOUA. Some of you may see all the forums available while some others only see a few. Let me explain the levels and who has what access.

Non-Registered members can see the public forums, but cannot post. Public forums include New Members Read Me, Program Guidelines, eBay Happenings and News and Supporters - Big and Small.

Registered members, that are logged in, can see and post to all of the above, in addition to the following: Welcome to the Training Center and Disability Resources.

Students, that are logged in, can see and post to all of the above, in addition to most of the available threads, including, but not limited to: Training Tutorials, General Discussion & Announcements, Student Discussions, DOUA Classroom, Library, Discussions on subject specific sub-forums and more!

Graduate Students, that are logged in, can view all of the above and also see and post to Product Resources.

Mentors, that are logged in, have access to all the above forums, in addition to the Mentor Discussions Forum.

So, take advantage of all the great information available and become a Student Member!



LifeBytes Literary Corner
image of a pen

Click on the links below to read poems, short stories and tales of adventure, loving, laughter and tears submitted by our members.

What a hoot this eBay buyer was!.........................by Debbie


Chicken Cacciatore alla Salvatore.......................... by Vicki


A Thought - Author Unknown............(submitted by Michael)


Sometimes - Author Unknown...........(submitted by Michael)


"Locked Doors"......................................................by Marjie

Buyers are everywhere!

by Danna Crawford

Summer is here and buyers are everywhere!
We just have to do a bit more work to seek them out!

Competition can be tough in the world of selling. Ebay sellers, Store owners many other auction sites reported a bit of a decline in sales in April and the beginning of May. I've gotten many emails full of complaints about slow sales in April and the beginning of May.

Well, I hate to admit it but my sales were very stable during this time and were even up a bit compared to February! I am not telling you this to brag, BUT I am telling you this because I was DETERMINED to not let my sales decline!

When I Was New

by Laura Lasala

When I first joined the Disabled Online Users Association (DOUA) two years ago, I had been disabled and receiving Social Security Disability Benefits for about five years. Any self-esteem I had, was almost totally gone.

Because my primary disability is Fibromyalgia Syndrome, an illness of unknown cause or cure, I appear to look well. Aha! An invisible illness, affecting all parts of my body, especially comprehension and vision. I'm not able to sit at a computer for hours. I had worked in newspaper publishing for 20 years before becoming ill.

Voice Of the Customer
by Ed Steele

We all try to build a business using our basic abilities. But the harder we work the more money we spend and sometimes we seem to go backwards. You may say I have researched what others are selling, and this is good. I find that I do this a lot, but is it the best way? Many companies spend thousands of dollars tying to find out what they should sell to their customers but fail. Others spend millions of dollars talking to their customers.

Potential Through Assistive Technology
by Infinitec.org

I stumbled across this web site and was amazed at the amount of information available online through their organization. Here's one article in particular that I thought might be appropriate as we begin to enter the growing season.

Enabling Gardens

Gardening is something nearly anyone can do. You set the goals how hard you want to work and how lavish you want your garden to be. Start with one pot of easy-going geraniums or challenge yourself with fastidious rose bushes. Try a diverse vegetable garden for all the freshness of delicious summer eating. Choose peaceful solitude when you work or share techniques with other gardeners. It's all up to you—that's what makes gardening such a satisfying activity!

For more information and additional resources, enter their web site Infinitec.org



For previous issues, please visit our Newsletter Archives
We would love to publish YOUR submissions! If you have an article about coping with disability, business strategies and tips, or even comments, suggestions, poetry, recipes - anything you would like to share with the DOUA community - please send it on in!
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