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Michael Hatzakis, Jr, MD

JAMA. 1999;281:762.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In ancient Greece, the agora was a central marketplace where products and services were traded and people met to vote, hear lectures, and gather with friends and neighbors. Improved transportation has replaced the classic agora with scattered malls and business complexes. However, a new agora is being created on the Internet.

For most people, the Internet provides a convenient way to access a variety of goods and services. But for those with even minor disabilities, access to education, employment, goods and services, assembly with peers, or contact with physicians over electronic media may provide a lifeline.

As physicians, we are not always taught about the impact acute and chronically disabling diseases will have on various aspects of the impaired patient's quality of life such as employment, education, shopping, contact with loved ones, or even contact with their physicians. Of the 35 million US citizens with a . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Resident, Department of
Rehabilitation Medicine
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Philadelphia, Pa