FOSS and Disabled Communities Out of Touch

Yinepuhotep writes "Newsforge has a thought-provoking article on the lack of communication between the FOSS community and disabled persons." From the article: "How can the FOSS community address the issues of the disabled? The most urgent task is to improve documentation. Perhaps you can make it a personal goal to be able to configure your favorite FOSS tool blindfolded while someone reads your improved instructions aloud. Your local LUG could organize ways to connect volunteers to assist disabled users with installations. Be sure to contact local disability rights groups to let them know what you're doing. They may also be able to provide more feedback about needs in your community."

Comments

more dumbing down

[Webspit]

Why is society so determined to ensure that everything is produced to a standard that addresses the lowest common denominator. I really don't see the point in accomodating disabilties by crippling software. The whole point of a disability is the fact it renders certain things impossible and the human race is dead from an evolutionary point of view when we start putting more effort into pandering to the disabled rather than striving for survival of the fittest. Why should development of products I want and can use be delayed because some differently advantaged person might be inconvenienced. Soon you won't be allowed to get an oxbridge physics degree for the simple reason people who don't understand guage theories or whatever can't. OK we can't actually advocate the proper evolutionary answer to these problems because there are too many bleeding hearts out there and the tyranny of democracy rules but we can at least stop crippling ourselves and our tools for no reason other than pandering to the disadvantaged.