Shirley is one of our mentors for DOUA. She always greets new students when they come into our training center. She remembers birthdays and has kind words for our members. Shirley also is very knowledgeable about glassware, postcards, pottery, China and doing research. She has made many contributions to our Research Library and is willing to lend a hand when someone needs to learn something quickly.

Shirley also has great rapport with many of our members. She is willing to call, chat or use her mic on IM messaging to help members with an issue where they need one on one help.

Shirley even took time out of her vacation to spend with a member at her home to help her learn how to crop photos, use ftp and work on her own website. Shirley's caring and concern are always evident when you visit the training center. She puts people at ease and put a smile on every one's face. She is a wonderful asset to the DOUA community.

She's a big fan of butterflies. Get to know her and you'll know why.

Her website Shirley's Delight and her eBay ID is perfectly named. She is a delight!

DOUA Charity Auctions!

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 this special site and receive extra traffic. List to support DOUA!

Wow are there some amazing charity auctions right now! Uncle Griff is auctioning off his mylar blazer that he wore at eBay Live. Danna, the Power Selling Mom has an auction up for eBay Live pins. PartyVegetable has a set of eBay Live coins up. Janelle Elms aks JillofAllTrades has a Boston Red Sox eBay Live Baseball on auction.

These are just a few. Please visit, put on your watch list and bid!

eBay Live - DOUA Representative

eBay Live will be held June 14th - 16th 2007 in Boston. Boston has proven to be a difficult city for many of the DOUA members to attend due to transportation issues in the city. Those of us who use wheelchairs or other types of assistive devices to get around found that disABLED transportation would be very costly and not as plentiful as needed for this major event.

We at DOUA are so pleased to have Monica Doyle from Just Show Me How be our representative at eBay Live. She is a supporter and mentor of DOUA and very knowledgeable about what we are all about. Marjie Smith, Executive Director the has given Monica this responsibility because she knows that Monica will do us proud!

Two more members of DOUA will be attending eBay Live: Cindy, a mentor whose knowledge and helpfulness is outstanding and Danna who not only is a mentor but also runs charity auctions for DOUA.

They will be meeting up sometime during the great event. We wish them well. Have fun, learn a lot and eat some really good chowda.

Monica Doyle Shows and Tells

Monica Doyle is a fantistic supporter of the DOUA. Her ability to assist some of us who really have issues grasping concepts of selling on eBay has made of one of the "most wanted" mentors.

Her website Just Show Me How explains exactly what she does: she shows people how to work on eBay from start to finish. She walks you through each step of the proces from registering to shipping your items when it sells.

She is able to work directly with you through a program that allows her access to your computer. It's so much easier than just talking on the phone, or IM'ing or emailing. This is the real deal.

Monica puts you at ease right from the start. Her voice is friendly. She is patient and understanding. Some of us with disABILITIES need reminders or help with remembering things. We may get nervous when we know someone is helping us one on one and forget things. But Monica gets this. It's not an issue to her or something foreign that she has to learn.

Monica is an assest to our group and a very loyal friend.

Here's a quote from the Just Show Me How website home page:

The staff of Just Show Me How is proud to be mentors to the DOUA. We are honored to be able to assist others and make their lives a little richer.

No Monica, you're making our lives richer. Thank You!

Coleman and DOUA

Coleman is a vital and important member of the DOUA - Disabled Online Users Association- family. He is a mentor, which means that he has graduated from student and is capable and willing to assist other members. Coleman mainly helps others in DOUA with html, templates and anything to do with computers. (Sorry I don't know a lot of computer lingo. I should because Coleman has mentored me so much!)

But the most important part of Coleman being a mentor is his ability to empathize with others who are having a difficult time. He says the right words, goes out of his way to contact members and is always available for chats. Coleman has been through a lot in his life. So when someone is hurting, he understands.

His jokes and sense of humor are a great add to the mixture too. We never know what Coleman will post! That makes being part of DOUA not only a place to learn but a place to have some good ole fashioned fun too.

Coleman Never Met a Stranger

You see someone on the side of the road with a flat tire. A stranger in a store needs some help lifting a heavy item. Someone you've never met in person doesn't know what html is. What would you do?

If you're Coleman, you help. No questions, no doubt, no second thoughts. Everyone is a neighbor, friend, an equal. Coleman's heart is so big sometimes you wonder if he takes on all the burdens of the world. Maybe that's whay his body aches or his head hurts. But he keeps on plugging along.

Self-taught in computers and technology he's always there for someone just starting out or who has a question. Taught by his family to love the land, gardening, planting, his flowers and vegetables are well known not only in his town but online as well. He also shares his pickled veggies as gifts to DOUA members. Coleman also knows respect and care for everyone, people and animals. He'll go into a store for something. Tell his wife he'll be out in 5 minutes, but will start talking with "a friend he's never met" and be in there for 20 minutes.

His family is so very important to him too. He was raised right for sure. The love and care he has for his wife, children and the rest of his family is obvious in how he writes and talks about them, in how he puts them first and in how he can't stand to see or know of other families not getting along.

DOUA is a better place having Coleman as a mentor and a friend. He was never a stranger to us either!

Coleman is FANtastic!

The Disabled Online Users Association (DOUA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1998 with the sole purpose of bringing the online world of business to the disabled.

One of the mentors of our group is Coleman aka coolhandcl. He is very patient and helpful with our members. He is always willing to go the extra mile for us. Coleman is our computer guru. He is self-taught but is able to confidently teach many of us with all types of disABILITIES, even those of us who have problems remembering, or just learning.

He spends a lot of time with any member who needs his assistance. He will call, chat on IM or type on IM. He now has many new ventures that he is sharing with us. He has opened a file hosting site, File House for which he gives DOUA members a discount, and also offers free templates to us.

There's many members who agree that Coleman is just great! We appreciate all of his efforts and his patience.