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Perl for the Disabled
joukev writes "Perl.com is running an article on pVoice. pVoice is an Open Source communication system for severely disabled children written in Perl. I started this for my daughter in 2001. She's still using it and hopefully the medical world will see that there are Open Source alternatives for these kinds of applications. More information on pVoice can be found on the pVoice website (general information) or on the pVoice Developers website."
I think you'll find the proper name is "PHP".
Having tried to find Assistive Technology products in the past for people, to meet specific needs, this really gets my hopes up in two seperate ways:
1. Someone saw a specific need and developed an application around it. As he said in the text, the closest application available would not suffice.
2. Too many Assistive Technology products are horrendously expensive. JAWS, the de facto screen reader for Windows, can be $1500 for an individual user for one computer only. There are discounts, grants, and loans available out there for Assistive Technology, but they can be hard to get.
The only other fully featured screen reader that I've been able to find is emacspeak, but there's little out there in full screen navigation screen readers for Windows, Macintosh, etc. (in terms of Free).
> Isn't that like referring to "murders" as "people with murderous tendencies"?
No, because I have murderous tendencies, but I am not a murderer. Not yet, at least.
The Artistic License may or may not be free (as in RMS). Here's what the FSF says about it:
Coming from a parent of a child with Apraxia due to prematurity (she canComing from a parent of a child with Apraxia due to prematurity (she can't control her mouth and tongue muscles well enough to speak), I'd like to ask any developers with a desire to work on a feel good project to get into this. If you want to feel like you're making a real difference, this beats programming the latest video game (and I'm a gamer).
/. for posting something that proves the power of people, not just the power of open source. I'll thank the programmers with my help and praise, but I'd like to thank joukev for catching it, and michael for posting it (and all the little people in the world for making me tall). /. has done it's good deed for the day.
This is probably the motivation that will get me to learn Perl finally. This could give my child (who also has trouble signing ASL) a voice, and it's not costing an arm and a leg (ok, so she'd need a notebook to take with her, but that's minor compared to the potential).
For the first time since I've been reading it, I'm proud of
I am, and always will be, an idiot. Karma: Coma (mostly effected by
This really points to a niche whre open source can shine. One person can make a core and release that as open source. Others can join in and extend it as needed. In the pharmacutical world they would call such diseases, "orphan." THese can be really great projects for "mortal" programmers to contribute to while jumping into the Linux kernel is non-trivial. A little perl or java can go a long way to greatly improving the quality of life for thouse outside of the mainstream. I've seen the good that can happen at my own company when we do even a small bit of pro bono work for sick kids. You should see their faces when they know that someone cares and took the time to help.
"Section 508 requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities.
from section508.gov
After this the Federal Government created the Accessibility Forum to bring industry and government into some agreement and cooperation on standards, as well as highlight existing technology and its weaknesses.
I spoke with the original Accessibility Forum director and my first question was,"What about open source?"
He said that the major distributions of Linux would not have anything to do with it. It was a commerical field dominated by proprietary business-models. I explained to him that if the government took an initiative for open source software in this area, not just openly approved standards, the results could have global impact for the disabled community. If he really wanted to do something that would help people, I insisted, he should focus on making the technology open and free to use.
Interesting, he also said that the lady representing Microsoft was "a bitch."
I know this is a niche market, certainly much smaller in the open source world, but this is an area where open source software can really help humanity. Want good publicity for the cause? Want to get people to notice OSS and its decidely non-commerical interests? Want people who have never heard of Linux to try a live-linux distribution? Software such as pVoice is one way.
Computers are starting to affect everyone
As someone who is helping two disabled roommates and who's brother is disabled, I can say that the four of us are more offended by people who spend hours arguing over what to call a disabled person rather than addressing the ways to help them.
While yes, many litigious (sp?) society there are lawsuits galore over those words, I would rather hear from someone who dedicates over 50% of their time to helping people. Making changes in that Vocational Rehabilitation system. (Voc Rehab is a disagreeable name in itself, why are they being 'rehabilitated'?)
I myself would be part of that system if I chose to spend my time complaining that I would prefer to be called a 'person with a disability' instead of finding what I AM able to do and getting my butt out there and doing it. I do not rely on any state, social, or other support, and have spent much of my life learning how to improve my able qualities so that I do not need that support.
My biggest pet peeve is not being called one thing or another, but when I let myself fall short of my abilities. I know I am intelligent, and that there are jobs out there that intelligent people can do. I know some can't hear, but there are jobs at which deaf people would have an advantage (Jet Engine Mechanic, other jobs with high noise levels.) The key is to turn the disability into an asset, and use the OTHER abilities you have. Not waste time telling everyone how you cannot do things. Show them what you can do.
You can have it fast, accurate, or pretty. Pick any 2.