The State of Linux Accessibility

Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:09 · Score: 3, Funny

Close your eyes. Let your mind take control. And turn your brain into a dance floor.

Dance floor build initiated.

Start the drums. Building graph sequence. And the baseline created the melody. Melody programmed.

Now, add the people. Enter access code... Access granted.

Welcome to the dance floor. Here is your DJ, Armin van Buuren. This is... THE STATE OF LINUX ACCESSABILITY!

Re:Linux by schitso · 2012-05-21 03:15 · Score: 1

Well I thought it was funny.
Re:Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 08:55 · Score: 0

This is one of the most hilarious comments I've seen on Slashdot. I tip my hat to you, sir, and look forward to ASOLA 600. XD

It's super accessible by Lord+Lode · 2012-05-21 03:14 · Score: 2

Because you can do everything with the command line. Keyboard text input. Spoken text output.

Re:It's super accessible by partofme · 2012-05-21 03:23 · Score: -1, Troll

I would just suggest getting Mac OS X. Apple has really done well with accessibility. You also still get the underlying unix system if you want to, but the UI is great too. You may think it's not a huge thing, but you'll see once you try. And people do say how crappy the Linux desktop UI's are now, like Unity and the new Gnome.
Re:It's super accessible by darkpixel2k · 2012-05-21 03:32 · Score: 1

Because you can do everything with the command line. Keyboard text input. Spoken text output.
I guess we'll see a decrease in Perl programmers among non-visual users then.

It's so bad that Slashdot's filter bitched about junk characters until I but out about 50% of the program:
open(Q,$0);while(){if(/^#(.*)$/){for(split('-',$1)){$q=0;for(split){s/\| /:.:/xg;s/:/../g;$Q=$_?length:$_;$q+=$q?$Q:$Q*20;}print chr($q);}}}print"\n";

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There's no place like ::1 (I've completed my transition to IPv6)
Re:It's super accessible by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:35 · Score: 1

No thanks. I prefer Unity over OSX and certainly over the upcoming Windows 8 abomination.
Re:It's super accessible by vlm · 2012-05-21 03:45 · Score: 1

There's always cobol. Of course I haven't programmed in cobol in about 7 years but I remember PIC lines were pretty hellish
001 IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
002 PROGRAM-ID. 'HELLO'.
003 ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
004 CONFIGURATION SECTION.
005 SOURCE-COMPUTER. IBM-360.
006 OBJECT-COMPUTER. IBM-360.
(Shamelessly copied from wikipedia, but lets be realistic, cobol is not exactly a language for the worlds unique snowflakes, on MVS everything above but line 2 always must look like that, in that exact order).

--
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Re:It's super accessible by Caesar+Tjalbo · 2012-05-21 04:08 · Score: 1, Funny

And with GIMP having a single window interface at last, there's no excuse left for a blind person to stick to Windows/Osx.

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"I'm not much interested in interoperability. I want substitutability. I want to be able to throw your software out."
Re:It's super accessible by binarylarry · 2012-05-21 04:23 · Score: 1

The Mac OSX userland is much better than something horrible like Windows but it's very dated compared to a recent Linux distro.

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Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
Re:It's super accessible by Hal_Porter · 2012-05-21 05:32 · Score: 1

Apple has really done well with accessibility.

I remember an exchange here that went like this (Google can't find it, because the Googlebot has better things to do than remember four year old slashdot posts. Unlike me)
Primus: .... The Macs UI us hard to use. You need to click on the very narrow window border to resize the window.
Secundus: Very narrow border? What are you, some kind of spastic?
Tertius: Mac fans show their people skills once again.

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echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
Re:It's super accessible by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 05:33 · Score: 0

You're missing the big point here mr iTroll...The author is tired of getting ripped off by commercial software!!!!
Re:It's super accessible by arth1 · 2012-05-21 05:37 · Score: 5, Insightful

Cobol is one of the most audibly readable languages there is.
"multiply a by b giving c" sounds a lot better than "c equalsign a asterisk b semicolon".
If I were to vote for the language that is the hardest to understand when read out loud (whether by machine or human), my vote would not go to perl, but lisp. With perl, at least you have the option to make it somewhat readable. Good luck balancing lisp parentheses correctly.
Not to mention typical block comments (in most any language), where you risk hearing five minutes of "asterisk asterisk asterisk asterisk..."
Re:It's super accessible by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 07:45 · Score: 0

why hasn't this been modded 'Funny'?
Re:It's super accessible by AliasMarlowe · 2012-05-21 09:10 · Score: 1

If I were to vote for the language that is the hardest to understand when read out loud (whether by machine or human), my vote would not go to perl, but lisp.
I'd vote for APL (the FFT example is illuminating). At least Lisp constructs are pronounceable, this is not. Then again, a one-liner for Conways' game of life is impressive. APL was one of the first two computer languages I learned, and it remains one of my favorites.

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Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
Re:It's super accessible by Atzanteol · 2012-05-21 09:53 · Score: 1

I'm guething lithp would have other ithues as well when thpoken.

--
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"

- Charles Darwin

Buy A Mac by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:15 · Score: 0, Troll

Most of the visually impaired users I talk with at my university prefer to buy Apple products. For whatever else it does, Apple has baked accessibility into its products in a way that no other OS comes close to.

Re:Buy A Mac by ByOhTek · 2012-05-21 03:42 · Score: 4, Interesting

Odd, being highly visually impared, I've found Windows to be much easier to work with than a Mac. Mind you, I'm not completely blind, so I don't know about how well the screen reader software is (though, in my experience, it isn't so bad). Also, without doing anything special, I can use the keyboard for almost everything in Windows. The only Mac user I know, who uses the keyboard for everything, had to do quite a lot of tweaking to set it up.

--
Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
Re:Buy A Mac by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:53 · Score: 0

Apple - so beautiful even blind people prefer it!
Re:Buy A Mac by shutdown+-p+now · 2012-05-21 06:28 · Score: 2

OS X is still the only OS that doesn't have any way to uniformly scale all UI elements up (say, to 150%). Which is a major pain if you have poor eyesight, or just want to use a Mac Mini with a 30" TV.
Re:Buy A Mac by n1hilist · 2012-05-21 10:43 · Score: 2

What tools/features are you using for Windows? I'm legally blind, -22 diopters of correction for each eye. What I'm currently using is a modified dark theme so that I can use the built in accelerated magnifier (I can't tolerate bright themes) and I've mapped the magnifier to win+mouse wheel to make it more like compiz. I'm also nearly entirely hotkey driven, I use the mouse very little for every day tasks.
Of course there are so many applications that don't follow the windows colour scheme, even the built in High Contrast classic theme is ignored by so many apps, hardcoded font colours and so on.
What really erks me are web pages. I use Firefox with Stylish (or just vanilla FF and set my custom colours to my taste) but most sites have issues rendering correctly because it overrides a lot of colour/style rules.
I can't really comment on Linux's features as I don't use Linux as a desktop, just for servers. Mostly because it doesn't run my music software or my games and I hate dual booting.
Accessibility is still a joke in Windows and for internet browsing.
Re:Buy A Mac by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 12:30 · Score: 0

The sucky websites problem is something you might be able to do something about. Block the CSS on the worst offenders and tell firefox to ignore the sites colours and fonts and use your presets. This will utterly destroy the site layout of course but, with a little getting used to, you may find it to be an improvement. I imagine a plugin would allow you to create a list of sites you do/don't want to treat this way.
Re:Buy A Mac by ByOhTek · 2012-05-22 23:33 · Score: 1

-26 here.
I use the magnifier (in certain situations), and then the standard font/color change tool. I prefer Windows XP over Vista/7 because you can make input elements separate from other things, whereas in Vista/7 many non-input-elements have the same color as input elements :-(

--
Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
Re:Buy A Mac by n1hilist · 2012-05-23 00:48 · Score: 1

I know, the hard coded font stuff pisses me off to no end.
I need win7 for my music production software, it needs a lot of RAM and WinXP's magnifier isn't full screen, doesn't use acceleration so it's a pretty rubbish magnifier for me personally. I really wish I could do what I do, apart from work, in Linux (gaming, music prod) because then I could use KDE/Gnome which is a lot better with themes, and Compiz's magnifier is really nice.
Oddly enough, Windows 8 has much better theme control, although it's bloody ugly. If you use the 'classic' dark theme, you can still benefit from the full screen magnifier and a lot of the UI elements behave better in terms of using correct user chosen colors.. I'm just not terribly fond of Win8's metro thing and some other stuff irritates me. But I'll give it a bash once the final version is out and see how much I can gain from it, accessibility wise.
If you don't mind me asking, were your eyes that bad from birth? It's very rare I find someone with eyesight as bad/worse than mine, it's quite comforting to know there are others out there, and are also geeks :)
Re:Buy A Mac by ByOhTek · 2012-05-23 02:12 · Score: 1

Yes, it runs in the family.
That's nice to hear, about Win8

--
Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).

Something must be wrong with me... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:16 · Score: 3, Funny

...Because when I saw "accessibility" I immediately thought "ease-of-use" and had a laugh.

Re:Something must be wrong with me... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:42 · Score: -1

I had the same experience when I booted up the latest Windows8 preview.

No speech recognition by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:17 · Score: 0

Glad the blind are doing so well.

A lot of people can't leave windows without speech recognition.

sphynx is worthless.

From the article... by bigredradio · 2012-05-21 03:17 · Score: 5, Informative

When you boot up an Ubuntu live CD or USB drive, press CTRL+S when you hear a drum sound. This will start the Orca screen reader, and you can either try Ubuntu using Orca or install Ubuntu with your eyes closed; it's entirely your choice. I was able to do a complete installation (including partitioning my drives) without having to look at my screen!

Didn't know about this option. I have to say that this is pretty cool.

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Flexible bare-metal recovery for Linux/UNIX

Re:From the article... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:13 · Score: 0, Troll

That's great and all, but I've never gotten sound to work on any Linux installations. I'll never hear a drum sound, or any other sound!

visually impared irony by ArsonSmith · 2012-05-21 03:18 · Score: 2

It has tons of accessibility features for the visually impaired if you know where to look.

I get this same feeling every time I lose my glasses. The bitter irony of having to look for your glasses...

--
Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.

Re:visually impared irony by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:20 · Score: 0

Velma is that you?
Re:visually impared irony by arth1 · 2012-05-21 03:29 · Score: 2

It has tons of accessibility features for the visually impaired if you know where to look.
Where to look might be an issue for visually impaired people...
Then there's Gnome 3, which won't even let you change font and widget sizes and styles.
Re:visually impared irony by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2012-05-21 03:40 · Score: 2

It has tons of accessibility features for the visually impaired if you know where to look.
Yeah, that's Linux in a nutshell.

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#DeleteChrome
Re:visually impared irony by shutdown+-p+now · 2012-05-21 06:30 · Score: 1

Then there's Gnome 3, which won't even let you change font and widget sizes and styles.
They really are dead set on copying OS X, are they...
Re:visually impared irony by DarwinSurvivor · 2012-05-21 06:44 · Score: 1

accessibility -> text size -> large.

Was that really so hard?!?
Re:visually impared irony by arth1 · 2012-05-21 08:53 · Score: 1

accessibility -> text size -> large.
Was that really so hard?!?
There is no "Accessibility" in Gnome 3. Try "Universal Access".
What's "large" and "larger"? Arbitrary figures that some "developer" (and I use the term lightly) thought was as large as anyone would need, regardless of eyesight and DPI, that's what.
And there's no way to choose a font that the user can actually read. For Gnome 3, form wins over function.
You need to let the user decide himself. And just because he wants bread text in 20 pt doesn't mean he also wants titles blown up to 50 pt, which is what this clueless developer has assumed.

Does it matter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:18 · Score: -1

"The article was written by Robert Cole, a blind person with a computer science degree."

Could you please explain why does it matter whether he's blind or not?

Re:Does it matter? by schitso · 2012-05-21 03:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

...because the article is about accessibility tools for seeing-impaired users?
Re:Does it matter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:24 · Score: -1

The fact that he is blind doesn't matter, really. The fact that he sucks a mean dick does, however.
Re:Does it matter? by SJHillman · 2012-05-21 03:25 · Score: 2

Because it lends credibility to him writing an article about accessibility, which is mostly about the blind when it comes to computers.
Re:Does it matter? by jellomizer · 2012-05-21 03:30 · Score: 2

Because as a person with good site your views on accessibility features are quite different then someone who is blind. A webpage using graphic as text without a good alt tag could be the difference between a good ui and a bad one. Or even just the fact that someone when a form requires something to be filled in it may just be in a different color. Most UI enhancements are visual. I myself have good eye site, and operate my computer with the speakers on Mute, So my perception of a good UI is based on my site. Having known a few people who are blind, I understand that their perception of computing is much different, and you things that you take for granted are much different.

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If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Re:Does it matter? by Sarten-X · 2012-05-21 03:33 · Score: 5, Informative

And I'll add that this is important because, as a sighted developer who once worked on a website specifically intended for blind users, I know it's ridiculously easy to make really bad assumptions about what blind people want. That design with a list of options arranged to be read first is great for a front page, but gets really annoying after it's read on every page....
Sighted people suck.

--
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
Re:Does it matter? by partofme · 2012-05-21 03:35 · Score: 2

Well, I would hate to try using computer with no hands. I was almost there once. I got a medical condition that disables legs and hands and spent almost 4 months in hospital. The lucky thing is, it only affected my legs and my hands continued to work. That meant four full months of nerding in bed while nurses brought me food, drinks and took my shit (I had to literally shit in bed as I couldn't move).
Re:Does it matter? by arth1 · 2012-05-21 03:54 · Score: 1

Because it lends credibility to him writing an article about accessibility, which is mostly about the blind when it comes to computers.
Why? Better lobbying than other groups?
There are far more severely rheumatic people than blind people, yet little effort is put into giving options to reduce mouse movements (and especially moving between keyboard and mouse) or being able to reassign keys to reachable ones.
Then there are mental issues - another large group. Some effort is put in, but not enough. Some people with dementia may have to learn how to use the computer ever day. If the user can't learn to adjust to the computer, the computer has to learn to adjust to the user.
Then there are colour blind people - mostly men. Having an option to sacrifice colour correctness to get the colour contrast that works best for your type of colour blindness would be nice.
Or the deaf? What happened to subtitles?
Re:Does it matter? by Lumpy · 2012-05-21 03:55 · Score: 1

What is more irrelevant is the CS degree.

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Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Re:Does it matter? by FatMacDaddy · 2012-05-21 04:06 · Score: 1

All of those are requirements for accessibility. You're right that being accessible is about more than just about blindness or low vision. This article, however, seems to be pretty specifically focused on the screen-reader issue of accessibility.

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Re:Does it matter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:34 · Score: 0

> Sighted people suck.
Yup! Sighted people suck. Blind people suck. Sighted people suck blind people. Two blind people simultaneously suck ...
Rule 34, er, ... rules!
Re:Does it matter? by Hognoxious · 2012-05-21 05:10 · Score: 1

I myself have good eye site
Dye in a fire.

--
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Re:Does it matter? by sourcerror · 2012-05-21 06:26 · Score: 1

I hope you did play WoW, just to piss them off.
Re:Does it matter? by dkleinsc · 2012-05-21 06:27 · Score: 2

An interesting and related problem: A website aimed at the deaf took the time to provide video of their site translated into ASL. At first glance, this seems stupid - many deaf people can read perfectly well. But it actually turns out that people who were born deaf or became deaf in early childhood have significant literacy problems, especially if they learned ASL first, because reading English engages the auditory senses.
Asking a sighted person on how to design properly for the blind, or a hearing person on how to design properly for the deaf, makes about as much sense as asking a marketing guy about how to design a web server: They may have some ideas, but will have no clue which ones are good.

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I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
Re:Does it matter? by sjames · 2012-05-21 07:45 · Score: 1

It is proof positive that he has relevant experience. He's not just guessing what it's like to depend on accessibility tools.
Re:Does it matter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-24 20:26 · Score: 0

ever seen a blind guy design a website for the blind on his own without the help from sighted colleagues?
to assume a website aimed at the deaf didn't get input from folks who are deaf is pretty unreasonable... hmm actually stranger things have happened, especially in IT

Not only the blind by Chemisor · 2012-05-21 03:24 · Score: 1

There are a lot of people in the world who have sensitive eyes. A lot more than the blind. And still there is a lot of software that uses the black-text-on-white-background color scheme. Of all the possible choices, this is the one that causes the worst eyestrain. So if you are a software developer, take pity on hurting and watering eyes and allow us to use a darker color scheme. Windows Aero, I'm (not) looking at you!

Re:Not only the blind by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:29 · Score: 0

screen brightness control fixes that.
Re:Not only the blind by Hatta · 2012-05-21 03:29 · Score: 1

All the major GUI toolkits allow you to theme your colors however you like. There are even tools for reconsiling themes across different toolkits. I can't remember the last time I came across an app that didn't source my GTK theme and just look right.

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Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Re:Not only the blind by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-05-21 03:42 · Score: 1

There are a few ghastly legacy applications that oozed out of the 'we'll just build our own damn widget set, because!' school, which obey absolutely no system-wide settings whatsoever, not theme, not font size, screenreaders can forget about it, and so forth; but those are thankfully rare... Even then, you can always just give the contrast, gamma, or color curves a good hard shove at the driver or monitor level.
Re:Not only the blind by arth1 · 2012-05-21 04:08 · Score: 1

And still there is a lot of software that uses the black-text-on-white-background color scheme. Of all the possible choices, this is the one that causes the worst eyestrain.
No, that distinction should go to blue-on-black and black-on-blue.
Re:Not only the blind by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:19 · Score: 0

I love how you are complaining about this on a website that does this exact thing.
Re:Not only the blind by jones_supa · 2012-05-21 06:08 · Score: 1

There are a lot of people in the world who have sensitive eyes. A lot more than the blind. And still there is a lot of software that uses the black-text-on-white-background color scheme. Of all the possible choices, this is the one that causes the worst eyestrain. So if you are a software developer, take pity on hurting and watering eyes and allow us to use a darker color scheme. Windows Aero, I'm (not) looking at you!
Also websites, as people spend a lot of time with those. Currently the situation is that when you set your web browser to force some kind of black theme, it breaks so much that it's not worth it. So a good (and quite simple) solution would be a trend among web developers to make sites offer a black color theme.
I have also been using the Compiz "Invert colors" effect with some success, but it's not the nicest way to do it. :)
Re:Not only the blind by Arker · 2012-05-21 06:22 · Score: 1

This is a matter of horrible website design, aided and abetted by all the major browser makers. Unfortunately it is indeed very common, and unfortunately the solution you suggest is not simple, and definitely not good. It's trying to patch over a huge gaping wound with a million little individual scabs, each of which would have to come from a different source and be implemented independently.
Instead of offering multiple 'themes' per page, the logical way to do this is simply to use proper HTML, which means you use semantic tagging and leave layout and rendering decisions to the end-user equipment without assuming what capabilities it will or will not have.

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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
Re:Not only the blind by DarwinSurvivor · 2012-05-21 06:52 · Score: 1

Check out "redshift". I find it works wonders when working in low light, so it may have a positive effect for light-sensitive users as well.
Re:Not only the blind by pipatron · 2012-05-21 07:20 · Score: 1

Google? Slashdot?

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c++; /* this makes c bigger but returns the old value */
Re:Not only the blind by Hatta · 2012-05-21 08:10 · Score: 1

Those are websites, not apps.

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Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Re:Not only the blind by Chemisor · 2012-05-21 08:24 · Score: 1

Actually, the main problem with web pages is the current fad of using div background images as ui elements. "Use my colors" in Firefox turns off all backgrounds, and while that is indeed what I want, the UIs break. The correct solution, of course, is to use the img tag for images that are part of page content. Displaying backgrounds is supposed to be optional and any web designer relying on them for displaying content is doing it wrong.

double by phantomfive · 2012-05-21 03:28 · Score: 1

Putting together a similar set of tools on Windows would cost at least US$600, about double what a retail copy of Windows itself costs

If you want the impaired version of windows, otherwise.....

--
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."

Orca good? by Beetle+B. · 2012-05-21 03:29 · Score: 4, Informative

I used to work with a blind programmer. He is a Linux geek. Every year or two he tries the screen readers in Linux, and says they all suck compared to Jaws in Windows (including Orca).

So he does all his email, web browsing, etc in Windows, as well as as much programming as he can get away with. For him Linux has been relegated to a toy he plays with once in a while.

--
Beetle B.

Re:Orca good? by rubycodez · 2012-05-21 03:44 · Score: 1

"used to work"....so your 2nd hand opinion is HOW old? maybe he tried it again recently and found it ok
Re:Orca good? by Microlith · 2012-05-21 03:44 · Score: 2

For him Linux has been relegated to a toy he plays with once in a while.
Actually, I think that runs counter to the notion of calling someone a "Linux geek."
Re:Orca good? by Noryungi · 2012-05-21 03:56 · Score: 1

Depends.
While I have no experience with Orca, it seems to me most people with sight disabilities should use Linux on the command-line.
I know a lot of people who have that kind of disabilities long for the good old days of DOS 80x25 text screens, and there are tons of programs for Linux that can be really useful even with that kind of screen, starting with alpine, mutt, lynx, links, slrn, vim, emacs, snownews, screen and so on and so forth. Having a GUI is, frankly, not really useful for that kind of user. On the other hand, a simple text screen can be "read" with either a Braille terminal or a speech synthesis software.
After installing and configuring JAWS on Windows a couple of times for a blind friend, I can testify that it is the most expensive PoS I have ever seen...

--
The right to offend is far more important than the right not to be offended. (Rowan Atkinson)
Re:Orca good? by liquidweaver · 2012-05-21 04:04 · Score: 1

My thoughts exactly. When I notice things like this, I tend to take every other assertion by the author with a grain of salt.

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mov ah, 4ch
int 21h
Re:Orca good? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2012-05-21 04:04 · Score: 2

It's extra hardware(and not inexpensive, from what I've read); but I would think that the classic 'terminal window on ttyS0' would be an nearideal match for an 80-column refreshable braille display...

I've no doubt that Windows has superior 'kludging some degree of blind usability on top of a GUI' software offerings, because there is some serious cash in the 'corporations that don't like ADA suits' market; but I would(perhaps naively) expect that the unix-style environment(not exclusive to Linux, of course, BSD would do just as well) that had everybody on 80-column serial terminals back before graphics were cheap would be much easier to adapt more directly... A contemporary Window-manager-with-all-bells-and-whistles Linux desktop, not so much, though.
Re:Orca good? by FatMacDaddy · 2012-05-21 04:14 · Score: 4, Insightful

I hate to say it, but that's the general consensus. And is it surprising that an expensive product put out by a software company is favored over an open-source alternative? The biggest problem with JAWS, from my perspective, is the whopping $1,000 price of admission for a target user group that has high unemployment problems already.

I have to give a shoutout to the NVDA project (http://www.nvda-project.org/), and would encourage your friend to give them a shot if he would like an open-source alternative to JAWS on Windows.

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Re:Orca good? by Malvineous · 2012-05-21 11:29 · Score: 1

Notwithstanding the other comments, if your co-worker really was a Linux geek, and a programmer, one of the first things you would think he'd do is write some decent screen-reading software for Linux. Given the tiny number of blind programmers compared to sighted ones, who else is going to write the software? The other comments here have already pointed out that most sighted people don't know how to design something for the blind. Maybe that's why every time he tries the software it hasn't improved...it sounds a bit mean, but you kind of only have yourself to blame if you have all the skills and ability required to solve a problem, but then choose not to.
Re:Orca good? by Beetle+B. · 2012-05-21 15:23 · Score: 1

Actually, I think that runs counter to the notion of calling someone a "Linux geek."
So, you're saying that if I'm a Linux geek today, go blind tomorrow and can use Linux only with great difficulty afterwards, I need to relinquish my title as geek?
Extremist much?

--
Beetle B.
Re:Orca good? by Beetle+B. · 2012-05-21 15:40 · Score: 1

He uses Linux from the command line. It's not like he has much of an option.

On the other hand, a simple text screen can be "read" with either a Braille terminal or a speech synthesis software.
After installing and configuring JAWS on Windows a couple of times for a blind friend, I can testify that it is the most expensive PoS I have ever seen...
He paid roughly $700 for Jaws. His Braille terminal cost in the thousands (although I think a lot of it was paid for by grants, etc). If someone has to pay out of pocket, Jaws is probably a lot cheaper.
Well, let me clarify that: He bought his Braille terminal a long time ago - perhaps they're cheaper now. However, given how sturdy it's been all these years, the money may have been worth it.
Nevertheless, although he uses his Braille terminal a lot (even in Windows), his experience with Jaws has been much better than using a terminal. I'm guessing it's faster to listen to high speed Jaws than reading by fingers (although I don't recall asking him if that's the case).

I know a lot of people who have that kind of disabilities long for the good old days of DOS 80x25 text screens, and there are tons of programs for Linux that can be really useful even with that kind of screen, starting with alpine, mutt, lynx, links, slrn, vim, emacs, snownews, screen

I can't speak for the other programs, but I did ask him about Lynx, as I have a soft spot for it. He said he used it before going blind, but that it was awful to use afterwords. The reason was that while you can visually differentiate the web page from, say, the commands at the bottom of the screen, a Braille terminal cannot. Good screen readers can, but to an extent the software needs to give cues, and Lynx doesn't. I suggested he try Elinks. I think he did and said it was better, but still, Jaws + Firefox/IE is far more productive for him.
I have to say it's disconcerting to see that most of the replies to my comment disregard his experience. Most of the commenters are not blind. Few (except perhaps you) have interacted with one who's tried both Jaws and Orca. So it's ultimately my friend's word against the author of the article (and the comparison isn't even fair as he's not completely blind - screen magnification is useless for my friend). Why support the author and discount my friend? To me it seems like a clear case of wishful thinking. People over here want the open source solution to be better, so they'll disregard claims to the contrary.

--
Beetle B.
Re:Orca good? by Beetle+B. · 2012-05-21 15:45 · Score: 1

Notwithstanding the other comments, if your co-worker really was a Linux geek, and a programmer, one of the first things you would think he'd do is write some decent screen-reading software for Linux. Given the tiny number of blind programmers compared to sighted ones, who else is going to write the software? The other comments here have already pointed out that most sighted people don't know how to design something for the blind. Maybe that's why every time he tries the software it hasn't improved...it sounds a bit mean, but you kind of only have yourself to blame if you have all the skills and ability required to solve a problem, but then choose not to.
Defensive, aren't we?
1. I didn't say my friend demands that someone should donate their time to make a better OS screen reader. He's merely pointing out that it sucks. You can be a programmer, a Linux geek, and an OS fan and still point out flaws in the system.
2. Really, all it takes to write a decent screen reader is to be a programmer and a Linux geek? So I take it the reason Gimp doesn't come close to a lot of Photoshop's features is that there are few Linux programmers who like photography? And the reason OS OCR software sucks is that people who like scanning stuff are not the ones who care for Open Source? So the people who work on Orca are either not Linux geeks or are not programmers, as according to your claim any one who is both can make a better one?

--
Beetle B.
Re:Orca good? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 20:32 · Score: 0

It's that's true (and I sincerely DOUBT IT), then your friend is an idiot. A programmer and Linux "geek" that finds Orca is not good enough, and instead of helping him/herself and improve Orca prefers to bitch it? WHAT THE FAIL!
Re:Orca good? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 20:49 · Score: 0

Offensive, aren't we?
But, lets face it: a linux geek that hardly uses linux (as you seem to claim) is NOT a linux geek. Disagree?
Here, your own words: "So he does all his email, web browsing, etc in Windows, as well as as much programming as he can get away with. For him Linux has been relegated to a toy he plays with once in a while.". So, not a linux geek.
Mind you, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that what you claim and what you say don't line up.
Re:Orca good? by Half-pint+HAL · 2012-05-21 23:45 · Score: 1

It's that's true (and I sincerely DOUBT IT), then your friend is an idiot. A programmer and Linux "geek" that finds Orca is not good enough, and instead of helping him/herself and improve Orca prefers to bitch it? WHAT THE FAIL!
As a neutral observer, I see no evidence that the blind programmer in question "bitches" about anything -- he simply uses the best (in his opinion) of what is available. As do I. I'm not a fan of most current office suites, but I use MS Office when it's available to me (because it does the job) and I use LibreOffice on my PC (because it does the job and it's free, and it has decent classic keystroke combinations to get stuff done). I know there are flaws in the current suites, but I don't see it worth my time to write a new one, because there's "good enough" out there, and I'm more productive using "good enough" now than downing tools for 5-10 years while I write a better one.

--
Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
Re:Orca good? by Beetle+B. · 2012-05-22 03:00 · Score: 1

But, lets face it: a linux geek that hardly uses linux (as you seem to claim) is NOT a linux geek. Disagree?
Definitely disagree. A Linux geek is one who knows a lot about Linux, and likes it.
I never said he didn't like Linux. I said he hates the available screen readers.

Here, your own words: "So he does all his email, web browsing, etc in Windows, as well as as much programming as he can get away with. For him Linux has been relegated to a toy he plays with once in a while.". So, not a linux geek.
You make it too easy - let me point out a simple flaw in your defintion. According to you, one can only be a geek in one OS (or language, or whatever). Because if you use one OS more than another, you can only be a geek in the one you use more. Hence you can't be, say, a Linux geek and a MacOS geek.
I simply can't see how using Windows more prevents someone from being a geek in another OS. You're invoking false partitioning.
It's a pathetic definition.

--
Beetle B.
Re:Orca good? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-22 03:47 · Score: 0

Another bunch of lies from another MS shill. Ho hum.
Re:Orca good? by Malvineous · 2012-05-22 11:32 · Score: 1

1. I didn't say my friend demands that someone should donate their time to make a better OS screen reader. He's merely pointing out that it sucks. You can be a programmer, a Linux geek, and an OS fan and still point out flaws in the system.
That's true, but I just find it irritating when the people pointing out the flaws are the same people who are perfectly capable of fixing them. Why not just fix them to benefit yourself and others?

2. Really, all it takes to write a decent screen reader is to be a programmer and a Linux geek? So I take it the reason Gimp doesn't come close to a lot of Photoshop's features is that there are few Linux programmers who like photography? And the reason OS OCR software sucks is that people who like scanning stuff are not the ones who care for Open Source? So the people who work on Orca are either not Linux geeks or are not programmers, as according to your claim any one who is both can make a better one?
I am sure any shortcomings in Orca are primarily due to a lack of resources, since like much open source, most people would be working on it in their spare time. So any help your friend could give would help improve the software, and since he is blind, I am sure his contribution would be more beneficial than a sighted person (since he already knows exactly what the shortcomings are.)
The reason GIMP doesn't come close to Photoshop is because there are few Linux programmers with the mathematical skill and motivation to research and design the complex algorithms required to manipulate the images. The reason OCR sucks is similar - there aren't enough programmers with the skill set needed to do complex image manipulation. But the main requirement to write a screen reader is to know what its users want, and a blind person already knows that intimately. So your friend is in the perfect situation to help write the world's best screen reader, except he doesn't want to.
Which is suprising given you refer to him as a Linux geek, because one thing about Linux geeks is that they are passionate about making Linux the best OS there is. So if your friend doesn't really care about improving Linux for other blind users, despite being in the perfect position to do so, I don't think he's really a true Linux geek. Maybe just the lesser title of 'enthusiast' :-)

Which side is up? by tepples · 2012-05-21 03:31 · Score: 2

I just wonder how a blind user knows whether the install CD is inserted the right way up in the first place.

Re:Which side is up? by betterunixthanunix · 2012-05-21 03:35 · Score: 1

Burn the same thing on both sides. Or rely on the fact that a sticker feels different from the plastic on the side with the data.

--
Palm trees and 8
Re:Which side is up? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:36 · Score: 0

If it's an install CD you're talking about, the printed side has a different feel from the side that would be read by the laser. The only CDR/CDROM's I couldn't distinguish which side are the ones without any label of any sort.
Re:Which side is up? by michaelwigle · 2012-05-21 03:46 · Score: 4, Informative

Next time you look at a CD check out the spindle hole. Around the edge on one side it is raised. It's hard to see but you can feel it. The raised ridge always goes down.
Re:Which side is up? by Lumpy · 2012-05-21 03:53 · Score: 2

CD? They are blind, not out of date luddites. Inserting the USB boot stick is quite easy for a Visually impaired person

--
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Re:Which side is up? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:15 · Score: 0

Dude, I am not physically impaired, nor do I consider myself an out-of-date luddite, but I use Ubuntu, Suse, LinuxMint, and Debian CDs way more than I use bootable USB sticks. CDs ain't dead yet, although I'd let you get away with saying that they're dying.
Re:Which side is up? by Pieroxy · 2012-05-21 04:17 · Score: 1

You've already seen a double side CD? I didn't think so. It does not exists because the CD is 1.2mm thick and the distance btw the laser and the dye layer is supposed to be 1.2mm as well... So your dye layer is necessarily on one edge of the CD. Since it is supposed to be opaque, a laser could not see though it if you flipped it on the other side.

--
Write boring code, not shiny code!
Re:Which side is up? by jones_supa · 2012-05-21 04:46 · Score: 1

I just wonder how a blind user knows whether the install CD is inserted the right way up in the first place.
Well...
1) When taking out of the case, it is usually the label side up
2) By feel
3) If the user does not hear the drive seeking or eventually the drum sound, it's worth trying flipping around
4) You can simply try both ways without it causing any damage
5) Ultimately, ask someone else
Re:Which side is up? by chill · 2012-05-21 04:50 · Score: 1

Texture. I'm not blind, but I've done this all the time without looking. The data side is much smoother.

--
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
Re:Which side is up? by jones_supa · 2012-05-21 04:56 · Score: 1

There exists a manufacturing process for a CD/DVD disc: DualDisc. Your details are correct, though, and even that method involves creating a slightly thicker disc (1.5mm).
Re:Which side is up? by Hatta · 2012-05-21 04:58 · Score: 4, Insightful

Inserting the USB boot stick is quite easy for a Visually impaired person
Or rather, it's no more difficult for a visually impaired person. Even with two functioning eyeballs, it often takes three tries to fit the USB connector.

--
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Re:Which side is up? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 07:58 · Score: 0

Yep, they manage to get the thing seated on the third try just like everyone else.
Re:Which side is up? by Anne+Thwacks · 2012-05-21 08:55 · Score: 1

it often takes three tries to fit the USB connector.
Some of mine are so badly made, it takes five tries. How much skill does it take to design a flat connector that takes five attempts to insert it the right way up.

--
Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
Re:Which side is up? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-24 20:09 · Score: 0

i bought the south movie years ago on dvd and it was double-sided
unclefucker
Re:Which side is up? by Pieroxy · 2012-05-24 20:46 · Score: 1

You've already seen a double side CD?
i bought the south movie years ago on dvd and it was double-sided
unclefucker
So your answer to "You've already seen a double side CD?" is "Yes I've seen a double sided DVD!" ?
Reading comprehension issue? Sudden inflammatory urge? Anything else?

--
Write boring code, not shiny code!
Re:Which side is up? by crutchy · 2012-05-27 19:57 · Score: 1

it could be something to do with it also being possible to burn a live distro onto dvd as well as cd. you do realise the conversation is about the ability to load a live distro right? not about the pedantics of optical media acronyms?

numb nuts

Threat of 508/ADA suit by tepples · 2012-05-21 03:33 · Score: 1

From the article:

That's tough if you are a student or if you need your computer for work related activities. Believe me, I've been there.

I think that's part of the problem: employers are willing to pay inflated prices for assistive tech in order to deter disability discrimination lawsuits.

Linux is awful... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:33 · Score: -1

Anybody who isn't on welfare switched to OS X years ago.

Re:Linux is awful... by VortexCortex · 2012-05-21 03:50 · Score: 4, Funny

Anybody who isn't on welfare switched to OS X years ago.
Yep, even my blind aunt agrees. She thinks it's sad Apple ran out of cat names, and that Swahili was an odd choice, but "Ubuntu" is her new favourite OS.

Not a Linux geek by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 03:42 · Score: 1

I'm not contesting the fact that your friend's blind. He might even be a good blind computer user. But it seems he doesn't meet the requirements of a "Linux geek". A Linux geek is one who doesn't just play with or treat Linux as a toy. How can one be a "something" geek, if you don't use that something regularly. Call him a Windows geek or a computer (in general) geek, but not a Linux geek.

Re:Not a Linux geek by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-22 10:57 · Score: 0

Right, because that was totally the point of the parent post.

recent HPR episode by vlm · 2012-05-21 03:51 · Score: 1

A couple months ago there was a great hacker public radio episode where a linux dev told stories about working on accessibility and then cried for helpful volunteers because everyone in the corporate financed linux accessibility community is/was getting downsized.
It was a recording of a speech at a con.
It was an excellent talk, about average sound quality for HPR (in other words not great, but tolerable) and probably in the top 1% of HPR episodes WRT content.
I can't successfully google for it, if someone else can find it, I'd recommend listening to it.

--
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger

It's a miracle!!!! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:01 · Score: 0

"...... but you'll see once you try."

Worth a try indeed....

Desktop Linux is for geeks by gsslay · 2012-05-21 04:01 · Score: 1

I'm sure this review proves the suitability of Linux for all other visually impaired users with computing science degrees.

Meanwhile, for all other visually impaired users...

One 'accessibility' options most Linux users need by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:06 · Score: -1

Since all Linux users are basement-dwelling faggots, Linux should provide a way to automatically order AIDS meds to their suites without having to set foot out in the sun or potentially talk to the girl at the pharmacy.

The edge of the writeable/readable area, you mean by Mathinker · 2012-05-21 04:19 · Score: 1

Your comment is a bit confusing, I consider the "edge of the spindle hole" to be the actual physical hole --- but the ridge you're describing is at the edge of the non-writable/readable area around the hole, in the middle of a flat section of the disc. The hole itself is totally flat on the side which goes down, and on the other side has a small step recess (or possibly a better word would be "bevel").

CDs still have some advantages by Mathinker · 2012-05-21 04:25 · Score: 1

A burned optical disc cannot be modified by malware --- which is, simultaneously, its strength and also weakness (since the OS burned on it will always boot unpatched).

I'm still waiting for the USB sticks with the true write-protect switches to become available again --- but I'm not holding my breath. Know of any solution for this need? It would be even better if there was some open interface which could lock some partitions while leaving others writeable!

Re:CDs still have some advantages by tepples · 2012-05-21 04:33 · Score: 1

A burned optical disc cannot be modified by malware [...] It would be even better if there was some open interface which could lock some partitions [on a USB mass storage device] while leaving others writeable!
What would keep malware from connecting to this open interface and infecting the flash drive's "locked" partition?
Re:CDs still have some advantages by chill · 2012-05-21 04:53 · Score: 1

Linux allows you to mount partitions as "read only". Also, look up "immutable" (chattr) and the extended ACLs used in SELinux.

--
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
Re:CDs still have some advantages by Hatta · 2012-05-21 05:01 · Score: 1

That won't help you if you plug your USB device into a compromised system. What's needed is a real hardware lockout, like the physical switches we had on floppy disks back in the day.

--
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Re:CDs still have some advantages by arth1 · 2012-05-21 06:14 · Score: 1

We have them on CF/SD/MS cards.
It's only USB keys that mostly seem to lack them.
But one of the main points in favour of CDs/DVDs is price. Even though USB keys have gone way down in price, we're still talking cents to dollars here.
Another point in favour for things like distros is that you don't have to burn each of them individually. You can stamp out thousands.
Then there's mailing. You need a box or bubble wrap bag for USB keys, while a cardboard envelope works for CDs and DVDs.
Re:CDs still have some advantages by Hatta · 2012-05-21 07:12 · Score: 1

No you don't. That switch just sets a flag that the OS can choose to ignore.

--
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Re:CDs still have some advantages by arth1 · 2012-05-21 08:35 · Score: 1

No you don't. That switch just sets a flag that the OS can choose to ignore.
Um, so? If the user controls the machine, he can do whatever he likes anyhow.
The switch is useful to protect against accidental overwrites. On commercial software, an SD card with the switch removed serves the same purpose as a no-notch floppy.
With floppies, you could cut a notch, or even remove the spring that checked whether the notch was there (which for one external drive I had made it into "Right side up, write protected, upside down, write allowed").
It doesn't prevent hackers writing; it prevents users from accidentally writing.
Re:CDs still have some advantages by Hatta · 2012-05-21 08:40 · Score: 1

Read up thread a bit, we're talking about protection against malware. In the case that you're sticking your USB key into machines you don't control (which is largely the use case for USB keys), you need to have your data protected against malware.
And yes, with floppies a user could tape the disc, or modify the disc drive. But a virus could not do either. That's the important point.

--
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Re:CDs still have some advantages by Mathinker · 2012-05-21 16:49 · Score: 1

A password? A password which you presumably initially set from a computer booted from a burned disc, or some other trusted system. Actually, I don't think that the system would have to be very trusted as long as it wasn't one of the computers you usually use with this drive. Setting the password via Bluetooth from your phone might be interesting, for example, even if your phone isn't very trusted.
Re:CDs still have some advantages by Mathinker · 2012-05-21 16:51 · Score: 1

This interface might be a second, physical USB connector for example?
Re:CDs still have some advantages by Lumpy · 2012-05-22 00:31 · Score: 1

A switch that is disconnecting the Flash chip's write line. I dont care how good of a virus writer you are, you will not write one that flips a physical switch.

--
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.

SuSE 6.2. Braille Boot. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:28 · Score: 0

Enough said.

Fingerprints by tepples · 2012-05-21 04:28 · Score: 1

Or rely on the fact that a sticker feels different from the plastic on the side with the data.

Do you know of any easy way to rely on that without getting fingerprints all over the data side?

Re:Fingerprints by arth1 · 2012-05-21 05:58 · Score: 3, Informative

Or rely on the fact that a sticker feels different from the plastic on the side with the data.
Do you know of any easy way to rely on that without getting fingerprints all over the data side?
Sure! Licking it will not leave a fingerprint!
As others have said, CDs and DVDs already have a built-in feature for blind people and people changing discs in the dark. The side that goes towards the laser (usually "down") has a ridge near the hub. It's prominent enough that you can easily feel it through a paper sleeve (and if you have a jewel box, you should already have it the right side up, but you can still feel for it if in doubt).
Re:Fingerprints by schroedingers_hat · 2012-05-21 06:33 · Score: 1

Like many other things blind people do, just put it away the right way up and be careful with it.

DualDIsc by tepples · 2012-05-21 04:30 · Score: 1

You've already seen a double side CD?

No, but I've seen a double-sided (stamped) DVD, and I've read of a double-sided (stamped) DualDisc that has a DVD on one side and a (non-conforming) mostly-CD-compatible layer on the other.

Re:DualDIsc by Pieroxy · 2012-05-21 19:24 · Score: 1

DVDs have been designed to be double sided. They are 1.2mm thick and the dye layer is supposed to be at 0.6mm from the surface, in other words, right in the middle. This allows for double side by design.
A double sided CD/DVD makes the disc not conforming with either spec since it's going to be thicker. It works for the most part. A double sided CD would be much harder since it would have to be twice as thick and that wouldn't work at all.

--
Write boring code, not shiny code!

Six hundred bucks is peanuts by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-21 04:39 · Score: 1

"Putting together a similar set of tools on Windows would cost at least US$600, about double what a retail copy of Windows itself costs"

Why the hell is it compared to the cost of the OS? This is like saying, "Broken leg? How much would you pay for crutches? $50, $100? That's twice what you paid for *pants*. Here's this FREE solution of a stick and some duct tape!"

It's great that it's becoming at least partially commoditized, but, really, for something that you will actually use every day that could save you hours of frustration, $600 is peanuts.

Re:Six hundred bucks is peanuts by Anonymous Coward · 2012-05-24 20:19 · Score: 0

so you're saying "lets see i can either buy these crutches for $600+ dollars or i can get these ones that do the same thing for free... OMFG! there's a pony! i want to buy the pony instead!"
he was comparing accessibility of windows+extras to linux douchefuck
maybe you would pay $600+cost of windows instead of getting an OS with the same accessibility features for free, but anyone with half a brain (and no sight) might think otherwise and save their money

Re:The edge of the writeable/readable area, you me by michaelwigle · 2012-05-21 05:01 · Score: 2

You're right, your description is clearer. Thanks for the clarification.

Re:The edge of the writeable/readable area, you me by Hognoxious · 2012-05-21 05:05 · Score: 1

I think your drive is installed upside down.

--
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."

How about tetraplegic? by s52d · 2012-05-21 07:56 · Score: 1

It happened to my friend. No hands, no legs.

First we fixed phone: after some research with Android (not really Linux) we ended up
with 5 year old bluetooth car installation: the only one where you can make calls without
any keys, just sound.

Computer is next: some tests were made using joystick (manipulated by head movement)
installed on wheelchair. Not really fun.
There are some expensive monitors with build in infrared cameras tracking eye movement.

Any experience on Linux desktop? Any advice what works?

Thanks,

s52d

$300? by kamapuaa · 2012-05-21 08:14 · Score: 1

A retail copy of Windows costs $300? I guess you're including the price of the netbook?

--
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.

Re:$300? by aiht · 2012-05-21 16:45 · Score: 1

A retail copy of Windows costs $300? I guess you're including the price of the netbook?
Seriously, how do people keep not getting this?
Microsoft Store, Retail Windows 7 Home Premium - US$299.99 (download). And no, I don't think they throw in a netbook.
Can you get it cheaper elsewhere? Sure you can! Even Ultimate is less than $300 on Newegg.
That does not mean that Windows does not cost $300 - it only means that you'd be daft to pay Microsoft's full price.

Even Compiz Fusion helps. by __aasdno7518 · 2012-05-21 12:32 · Score: 1

The zoom feature is really useful for visually impaired.

Bob Cole is that you? by CozmicCharlie · 2012-05-21 14:04 · Score: 1

A few years back I introduced a young man to Linux. His name was Bob Cole, he was blind in one eye, mostly blind in the other, was very interested in accessibility features, and he moved from Ohio to California. What are the odds that this is the same person?

Blind Specific Distro? by cowtamer · 2012-05-21 16:51 · Score: 1

I was actually looking for information on this for a blind friend. Is there Linux distro anyone knows of with these features already installed and turned on?

Demo of accessibility on Debian by Ben+Hutchings · 2012-05-22 00:41 · Score: 1

Sam Hartman and Mario Lang gave a talk and demonstration of accessibility in Debian in 2009, covering various software in Debian (and Windows). Video is linked from the talk page.

Re:Blind Specific Distro? by __aakqkc2748 · 2012-05-22 16:18 · Score: 1

Look at knoppix, the lead guy's wife is blind and tests it.

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The State of Linux Accessibility

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