MARS

(This article ran in Worldradio, February 1998)

As a reflection of the Army MARS Code, discussed in last month's column, Army MARS has in place a new program suggested by Cindy, AAA9AX, and Jim Rogers, AAA9AC. The new program is Army MARS Helping Hands and is being coordinated by the Rogers family, who are uniquely qualified to carry out its concepts.

Background

The program's name, Helping Hands, was coined by Chief Army MARS Robert Sutton after initial proposals were presented by Jim and Cindy who offered to help disabled MARS members. Both have helped others (as fellow MARS members do), as they have been helped themselves. The idea to offer this program arose from the work that Jim and Cindy do with the disabled. Both are part-time System Operators (SySops) for Partnerships in Assistive Technology, a nonprofit organization in NC. They provide: instruction on and resources for: how to use the computer, software, hardware, the Internet, e-mail and adaptive technology. They are charged with running a forum for the disabled in which ideas and adaptive technology are presented and exchanged. They also write educational and consumer articles on the computer, Internet, software and hardware usage and repair. As all MARS and Amateur Radio Operators do, they help fellow HAMS and MARS members set up their stations, TNCs for packet radios, computers, antennas. 

Prior to a car accident, Cindy was a social worker for the blind with extensive experience in not only teaching the client, but in showing the family and other professionals how to help the disabled person with independence skills. She worked with the blind, deaf, deaf-blind, those paralyzed and all other disabilities. It occurred to both Cindy and Jim that this could be a viable program in MARS, whether implemented formally or informally. In their chief's staff positions, this kind of help seemed, to them, to be a part of their work for the members. Jim and Cindy are themselves disabled.

Definition

Helping Hands is a program to help any disabled member in MARS to be as independent, active and fully functional as possible.

Purpose

Helping Hands will enable any member to function independently or with minimal assistance to be as fully an active member for the MARS program as possible. Assistance can be given from Jim, Cindy, from a regular Army MARS member, or from the Army MARS Auxiliary. This program is designed to be a coordinated effort utilizing the skills of not only Jim and Cindy but all Army MARS members with the desire and ability to help their fellow members.

Goals are for the disabled MARS member to be able to:

     1. Know and keep current with all MARS rules and regulations. 
     2. Receive and be able to read all CAM, Area Director and SMD bulletins, EEI messages, MARSgrams and all other manuals and directives to be able to act on them.
     3. Operate his/her voice and digital communications stations 
     4. Learn to use text-to-speech software for the blind, voice recognition software for the quadriplegic and paraplegic and/or use any other adaptive technology.
     5. Use the computer, the Internet and e-mail independently 
     6. Assist others with similar disabilities to also be active members.
     7. Each state will be asked to have a point of contact for the Helping Hands program.

Helping Hands shows the members that no matter what their disability, Army MARS wants everyone to be able to take part. Each member is important, needed, and can be able to assist with emergencies, message handling and all other facets of the Army MARS program. Helping Hands is the way to thank all disabled members for wanting to support the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, the military and their families and all fellow members despite sometimes desperate health situations.

Identification and reporting of need

Any member needing assistance through Helping Hands, at this writing, has been invited by Chief Army MARS to contact directly Jim, AAA9AC, and/or Cindy, AAA9AX, by MARS-gram, e-mail, letter or phone. SMDs are invited to refer members for assistance. Upon receipt of a request for assistance, immediate action is taken with follow-up.

Helping Hands training

Jim and Cindy are willing to train anyone who wishes to help a member. The Helping Hands can be done through regular members or the Auxiliary, whatever is practical or necessary. Training can be done by MARSgram, phone, e-mail, packet, letter, and may range from teaching members the proper method of reading to a blind member to helping members describe to a blind person how to set up a packet station.

A few examples of kinds of assistance that Helping Hands provides: 
     1. A totally blind member in another state requested Jim to help him get on the Internet and use e-mail. Jim worked with him by radio and phone to tell and teach him about a text-only web browser, an e-mail program designed for the blind that works with speech software. He sent him the (shareware) program, taught him how to set it up, and taught him how to configure his software to work with it. 
     2. Jim repaired and taught the use of donated computers for one disabled member to use as, what became, a packet station. 
     3. Jim and Cindy are working to get assistance for a member in a remote area to get his TNC set up so he can participate in RTTY and other digital nets in his state. The SMD will follow up for local assistance. 
     4. Cindy and Carolyn Cavan-augh, AAR3GG/VA, are working on the taping of all manuals for the blind and paralyzed members. Carolyn has distributed several to those who cannot now read manuals due to blindness and have no family member to read to them.
     5. Cindy with her SMD was able to get a large statewide hamfest to be wheelchair accessible. This meant that for the first time that all members could attend the state joint MARS meeting. 
     Prior to this, it was held upstairs with no elevator access. Cindy can counsel state representative on how to do this and what is needed to make hamfests accessible.

Limits of the program

It must be noted that Helping Hands training and assistance is limited to MARS station capabilities only. All assisted must give their permission if needed to be referred to another member for help. Privacy will be ensured in keeping with DOD/DA MARS regulations. 

For further information, please contact: Jim Rogers, Jim, Automation Coordinator, jimlr@mind-spring.com or Cindy Rogers, Cindy, Auxiliary Coordinator, crogers@mindspring.com; r4ls@juno.com; 910/630-1134; Fax 910/630-0396; 545 Waterbury Dr., Fayetteville, NC 28311-1563.

My thanks and gratitude go out to Cindy and Jim Rogers and Chief Sutton for their assistance in writing this column. This is a program which will surely allow disabled MARS members to participate more fully and which may encourage disabled amateurs to become Army MARS members. I have known several severely disabled members who have operated message control centers and other operations that I, as a non-disabled member, could not even visualize, much less do. Congratulations to the Rogers for this proposal and to Chief Sutton for his support of it.

Surely this is the spirit which will keep Army MARS... Proud, Professional, and Ready.