Maryland is the first state to implement a technology called
Jobline which provides access to nation-wide job listings via a
touch tone phone.  Other states can adopt this service with
federal assistance.

Jobline may be reached through a toll free number within Maryland, 
1-800-765-8692, and through a long distance number, (410) 767-2626.
The following is more information from the web site of its 
developer, the National Federation of the Blind, http://www.nfb.org

(note from poster)  Jobline should also be available in Minnesota by mid July, 1998, and other states are talking to the NfB.

DA




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ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT AMERICA'S JOBLINE(R)

This announcement describes a new service being developed by the
National Federation of the Blind in cooperation with the United
States Department of Labor and state or local sponsors. While
Jobline(R) as described below will be of particular benefit to
blind people and others who have difficulty in using printed job
announcements, it is also intended to meet the diverse needs of
all job seekers and employers.

More information about installing an America's Jobline(R)
Network service center will be provided upon request.
Representatives from potential sponsoring agencies should
contact James Gashel, Director of Governmental Affairs, National
Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21230; telephone (410) 659-9314.

America's Jobline(R)

A UNIVERSAL PUBLIC ACCESS JOB SEARCH NETWORK

For job seekers, America's Jobline(R) makes a personalized job
search possible by telephone. Developed by the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) in cooperation with the United
States Department of Labor, Jobline(R) can be implemented
immediately under a purchase of service agreement with a
sponsoring agency. A contract (including price quotations) will
be provided to any sponsoring agency upon request.

Jobline(R) is a universal access alternative to using a computer
and the Internet. All information and prompts are presented on
the telephone in full-word speech. Job search criteria,
including geographic and job-preference/qualifications choices,
are entered from the touch-tone keypad. This service is ideal
for serving persons with disabilities and persons without
disabilities on completely equal terms. Once in operation in any
particular state or local area, Jobline(R) will deliver
information about available employment opportunities free of
charge to anyone who calls the system from a touch-tone
telephone.

How Will Jobline(R) Work?

For the user (normally someone who is looking for employment),
Jobline(R) will:

Be instantly available 24 hours a day to provide all job
announcements in a high-quality, synthetic speech format instead
of printed text;

Provide all callers with the ability to search a regularly
updated job-order data base--for example, a state-wide job bank
or America's Job Bank;

Allow job seekers to create and store on the system personal job

search profiles for use in quickly locating vacancies for which

they are qualified; and

Present each system user with the option to retrieve only the
new and relevant job listings posted since the last call or to
review the entire data base of positions which match the
caller's search criteria.

Whom Will Jobline(R) Help?

America's Jobline(R) is being designed to:

Provide a convenient and easy-to-use access alternative to job

information for persons who do not have or cannot use standard

computers; and

Provide audible access, rather than visual access, to persons
who cannot see or cannot read standard video display terminals.

National surveys have estimated the unemployment rate for
persons with disabilities to be as high as seventy percent.
Accordingly, persons who are blind will certainly benefit
greatly from this service as will individuals with significant
visual impairments or dyslexia. For such persons and others with
disabilities, plus those who are unable to travel to job service
centers for any reason, Jobline(R) can become an effective means
of obtaining 24-hour-a-day access to the same job listings that
can also be seen on computer screens. With Jobline(R), the same
information which can be viewed on the Internet or at a one-stop
workforce development center can now be available on the
telephone.

Specialized Features

The features of the system which are available to any Jobline(R)
sponsor are listed and described below:

Dial-in access: The system will be configured to serve a minimum
of 24 outgoing telephone lines on an unlimited (24-hour-a-day,
7-day-a-week) basis. Service at a reduced rate to additional
telephone lines, in groups of 24-line minimums, is also
available.

Opening announcement: The system will include a customized
opening announcement with appropriate sponsorship identification
and initial instructions for getting started and accessing the
"help" feature. The text of the opening announcement will be
developed by the sponsoring agency and will include
acknowledgement of the services provided by the NFB and the
United States Department of Labor.

Data base access: The system will provide interactive telephone
access to the America's Job Bank job order data base, updated
every 24 hours. Access to other job order data bases and state
personnel openings can also be provided if included under a
sponsoring agency's agreement for the service.

Allocation of "hot topics" special channel: The system will make
a special-use channel available for the presentation of
customized job training and employment information or notices of
particular importance. Information carried on the special
channel will be provided by the sponsoring agency and must
conform to format and length guidelines specified by the NFB.

Universal access: The system will receive input data in the form
of electronic text and convert the text into full-word,
high-quality, synthesized speech output. The conversion will
include the presentation and updating of a menu structure which
is suitable for a speech, rather than a visual, format.

Personalized job search capacity: The system will allow each job
seeker to conduct a personalized job search, using geographical
area and individually specified job preference/qualifications as
search criteria. Upon entering the system, each customer will be
given the opportunity to enter a previously stored personal
profile number or to establish or edit a profile. Profile
numbers will be stored on the system and will remain active
unless unused for a 30-day period. A new profile under a new
personally selected number may be established by any customer at
any time in accessing the system. Job seekers will also be given
the option of changing or refining the search criteria at any
time in using the system.

Customer-responsive navigation: The system will allow each user
to enter the search criteria in a personal profile by using the
twelve standard buttons on the telephone touch-tone key pad. The
geographical area will be specified by the postal zip code
entered and the mileage range selected. Job category selections
will be presented at a pace that is slow enough to allow time
for thought. A "go-to-next" feature is included to permit more
rapid movement through the job categories and job listings.
Confirmation messages are spoken when the user selects a major
job category or subcategory. The responsive movement features
include a "how-to-apply" choice which can be selected or not
during each job announcement. Users may exit the list, change a
profile, or go to help at any time.

Jobs presented in memory: The system will give the user the
option of reviewing jobs previously presented under a user
profile or restricting the presentation only to the new jobs
found since the user's last call to the system. With this
feature, a customer need not worry about losing track of an open
opportunity because the announcement can always be recovered as
long as the job remains open and in the data base. Conversely,
the user is not forced to listen again to job announcements
already heard and rejected.

Personalized voice and speaking rate adjustments: The system
will include options for each customer to choose one of nine
different voices used for the spoken-word presentation, and an
adjustable speaking rate feature for speeding up or slowing down
the presentation. The voice selection and speaking rate chosen
will be stored as part of each user's personal profile and
reactivated for the user each time upon entering the system.

Online help: The system will present context-sensitive help
information which can be obtained by the user at any time during
a job search or when entering a personal profile.

Personnel training: Commencement and operation of the system
will include training of appropriate personnel from the
sponsoring agency or other entities involved. This training will
include instruction of personnel in acquainting job-seeking
customers with the system's features, potential, and use.
Training will also include instruction for a limited number of
individuals in how to mark and place "hot topic" or other
special channel information on the system.

Technical assistance: While the sponsoring agency and other
entities involved will be responsible for promoting the use of
the system within the coverage area, the NFB will provide
written documentation to assist in presenting the customer
operational features and explaining their use. This assistance
will include the text of a ready-reference card and an
introductory brochure. Alterations in the text may be made by
the sponsoring agency, provided that the content which explains
the system's operational features is approved by the NFB in
advance of publication.

Implementation plans:

The technology used for Jobline(R) has been under development by
the NFB for several years. A test site used to demonstrate the
system's feasibility was established during the first quarter of
1997 and is now in operation. The system will shortly be
available for wider implementation and for nationwide
installation when funds become available.

Once in place, Jobline(R) will be able to operate in
collaboration with America's Job Bank and with the growing
number of statewide electronic job banks. These systems maintain
sizable job-order data bases as computer-readable files and
distribute them to job service offices and other users. Using
the capacity of the Internet for the high-speed transfer of
computer files, the Jobline(R) command center will obtain
job-order data bases from cooperating sources and process the
files for distribution in the full-word speech format.

In planning the dissemination phase, the experience of the NFB
in building a network known as Newsline for the Blind(R) has
been invaluable. With Newsline(R), which the NFB has operated as
a national network since 1995, blind people are able to read
daily newspapers, such as USA TODAY, the Chicago Tribune, the
New York Times, and many other local papers provided, in
synthetic speech on the telephone. Both the Newsline(R) network
and the Jobline(R) network are configured to operate with a
central command center and satellite distribution devices. The
central facility used for America's Jobline(R) will be equipped
to store and send computer files to redistribution devices in
all of the state or local areas participating in the network.

A redistribution device is a specially designed unit which is
configured to receive up to 24 telephone calls simultaneously,
interact automatically and individually with the callers, and
provide them with the personalized job search data requested. As
a computer network, normal daily operation of the redistribution
devices and regular file updates will occur automatically.


Updated March 4, 1998