*Article written for the Connections (telecommunications company) newsletter.

March 2007

Author Jane Toleno Makes the Connection

Author and speaker, Jane Toleno relies on her phone and cable service to keep her connected.

Whether writing, discussing a project, marketing or lining up the next speaking engagement, she spends a portion of every week making calls and shooting email to her far-flung audience, which was why selecting the right telecommunications service was so important to her. That, and she is legally blind.

Toleno’s home office overlooks an open space ringed in the distance by trees and dotted with new homes. Recent arrivals, Jane and husband Tom only moved to Big Lake in December.

“We came out here for the open spaces, which we didn’t have in Golden Valley,” explains Toleno, who exudes the calm of one used to spending long hours putting words to page.

As any new homeowner would, Toleno made the rounds of companies before deciding on Connections.

“I wanted my phone and internet service to be under one umbrella. To me that’s efficient,” says Toleno. An added bonus was Connections’ local roots. “I can drop in the building anytime. Any problem, you can go right in.”

To navigate the computer environment and edit work, Toleno relies on Jaws, a screen-reading software. A male voice rattles off screen options, which Toleno controls with key strokes.

“I had to make sure my software was going to work with the Connections system,” says the author. “So the technician, John Todd, had to come back and back because it didn’t work. But then it finally did—because of his persistence and his thoughtfulness.”

Toleno made a point to thank Connections. “We should but we don’t always get good service. So when I do, I’m committed to letting people know about it.”

BlindSight Come and See: One Woman’s Journey through Blindness to Clarity by Jane L. Toleno is published by Singing River Publications (Ely, MN).

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