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Dear Mr. Case:
 
I have Parkinson's Disease.  That makes me one out of an estimated one and
one-half million Americans who also have PD.  I write you on their behalf as
well as on my own behalf.  I will describe some symptoms of PD which cause
those like me  difficulty with the world of the keyboard and the mouse.  Then
I will propose an AOL billing accomodation for PD patients.
 
As my PD has advanced and become more severe,  the medication which formerly
controlled my symptoms predictably has become less and less effective.  This
is true for all PD patients. The key word is predictably.  One minute I can
be typing relatively easily; the next I can be frozen, unable to move my
hands or arms.  This can happen in less than 15 seconds!  This is called
switching off.  A violent, completely debilitating tremor usually accompanies
this freezing.  By the time I recover (swtch on) (minutes or an hour later) I
get to watch a lot of screen saver.   Because I am typing this off line, my
freezing and tremor are no more than the everyday problems all PD patients
experience.   If I were on line, however, my freezing and tremor could become
quite expensive.  Remember, the change in my condition is both sudden and
unpredictable.
 
Question:  Would it be possible for AOL to "set" my Mac from your
headquarters so that after 30 or  60 seconds of dead time with no keystrokes
the billing clock would stop, or perhaps run at a standby rate, until a
keyboard or mouse input reactivated my computer.  Put simply, could AOL give
certified PD patients a "purse saver" analogous to the screen saver everyone
has?
 
I realize this might be no purse saver for AOL, but it would mean much to the
many of us.  This is no small matter.  I am relatively "on" right now, but it
has still taken me 40 minutes to type this letter off line.
 
George M.  Andes