I believe Sun is using Linux or some flavor thereof on the ipaq for some of their work, which fits in to this category. You should probably talk to them.
Fundamentally you should probably be looking into Assistive Technology (AT) -- a screen magnifier or a large font theme or a high-contrast theme, just to name a few possible solutions. A larger monitor might be used in conjunction with a screen magnifier or a theme. Just buying a different or larger monitor and getting "one of the big LCD projector dealies?" may not be an option at your work or home, is certainly not portable, and may actually not help that much or at all.
Do you use Linux or Windows or Mac OS? If you use Linux, you should check out the Linux Accessibility Resource Site (LARS) at http://trace.wisc.edu/linux/ If you use Windows you might want to search google for the terms ZoomText, JAWS, or just Windows Accessibility. I'm sure you'll find something useful. If you use Mac OS X, try searching for OS X Accessibility, there's a web page at apple.com about what it can do; more accessibility solutions also exist for OS 9. Please e-mail me (jpsc@users.sourceforge.net) if you have further questions and I'd love to talk to you more about solutions that exist for your particular platform.
I feel I have to comment on the way in which Slashdot continues to cover the topic of accessibility. I mean no disrespect to your question, it is indeed a very good one. The way in which the question was framed, however demonstrates a general lack of familiarity with accessibility on the part of Slashdot editors. The editors continuously reject stories (I and I'm sure other of my colleagues have submitted) about substantive accessibility news and assistive technology software for Linux, Unix, and OS X and instead pick stories that turn the complex issues of accessibility, disabled computer users, low-vision access, etc. into an invitation reccomend monitors.
This is really missing the point about what Assistive Technology is and can do. I would LOVE to talk to the Slashdot editors (or anyone else) about these issues and be thrilled to see an "Accessibility" topic added to Slashdot.
Editors, if you're reading, e-mail me, I'll be glad to call you or correspond on IRC or e-mail. This is a very important issue that deserves to be framed the right way. Among other things, under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, software used in the US federal government, INCLUDING Linux, must be accessible (see http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.ht m for more information). Making GNOME, KDE, X, and Linux accessible is a HUGE effort that involves dozens of full-time engineers at Sun, in Germany, China, and Ireland, yet Slashdot has never done justice to the topic.
Again, Slashdot editors PLEASE contact me. Tuxbeej, feel free to do the same.
Best,
--JP Schnapper-Casteras
Organizer of the 1st and 2nd Linux Accessibility Conferences
Creator of the Linux Accessibility Resource Site Founder of the KDE Accessibility Project Maintainer of the Free Desktop Accessibility Working Group Founder and co-admin of Project Ocularis
The Mac and its respective proprietary OS are known for their ease of use in schools and for the disabled. Applications' accessibility, or their ability to be used by disabled users (e.g., visually impaired individuals) and users who speak something other than English, is something that we Linux users and developers tend not to think about.
Have you or anyone else at LinuxPPC thought about how to make Linux on the Mac as competitive (with the proprietary software bundled with Macs) and useful in the accessibility arena as in all others?
Do you agree with the idea that in order to ensure widespread use of Linux for the Mac (e.g., in schools) you should consider accessibility?
What could you reasonably do to increase the accessibility of your distro?
Do you agree with the idea that in order to fully live up to the notion of "free as in speech software for everyone" we must include non-sighted and otherwise disabled users?
I agree completely. If we all truly believe in free software as much as we puport, why don't we all use the money we would have spent on the latest version of game X, CD Y, or cool gizmo Z, and donate it to free software projects that we support or whose software we use? [For me, donations to free software projects should come after those to humanitarian groups in third world countries.]
I will survive without touch screen remote control, but will a small and dedicated free software project?
Do the math:
1/10th of the Linux users, or 1 million people, giving $100 would be $100,000,000 to free software projects [1 * 10^8]
That's a lot of funding for charities and free software projects.
http://ocularis.sourceforge.net
Linux and free software for the visually impaired.
Slashdot Mirror
I believe Sun is using Linux or some flavor thereof on the ipaq for some of their work, which fits in to this category. You should probably talk to them.
--JP
Hi tuxbeej,
t m for more information). Making GNOME, KDE, X, and Linux accessible is a HUGE effort that involves dozens of full-time engineers at Sun, in Germany, China, and Ireland, yet Slashdot has never done justice to the topic.
f .nete echinfo.org/fddawg
Fundamentally you should probably be looking into Assistive Technology (AT) -- a screen magnifier or a large font theme or a high-contrast theme, just to name a few possible solutions. A larger monitor might be used in conjunction with a screen magnifier or a theme. Just buying a different or larger monitor and getting "one of the big LCD projector dealies?" may not be an option at your work or home, is certainly not portable, and may actually not help that much or at all.
Do you use Linux or Windows or Mac OS?
If you use Linux, you should check out the Linux Accessibility Resource Site (LARS) at http://trace.wisc.edu/linux/ If you use Windows you might want to search google for the terms ZoomText, JAWS, or just Windows Accessibility. I'm sure you'll find something useful. If you use Mac OS X, try searching for OS X Accessibility, there's a web page at apple.com about what it can do; more accessibility solutions also exist for OS 9. Please e-mail me (jpsc@users.sourceforge.net) if you have further questions and I'd love to talk to you more about solutions that exist for your particular platform.
I feel I have to comment on the way in which Slashdot continues to cover the topic of accessibility. I mean no disrespect to your question, it is indeed a very good one. The way in which the question was framed, however demonstrates a general lack of familiarity with accessibility on the part of Slashdot editors. The editors continuously reject stories (I and I'm sure other of my colleagues have submitted) about substantive accessibility news and assistive technology software for Linux, Unix, and OS X and instead pick stories that turn the complex issues of accessibility, disabled computer users, low-vision access, etc. into an invitation reccomend monitors.
This is really missing the point about what Assistive Technology is and can do. I would LOVE to talk to the Slashdot editors (or anyone else) about these issues and be thrilled to see an "Accessibility" topic added to Slashdot.
Editors, if you're reading, e-mail me, I'll be glad to call you or correspond on IRC or e-mail. This is a very important issue that deserves to be framed the right way. Among other things, under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, software used in the US federal government, INCLUDING Linux, must be accessible (see http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.h
Again, Slashdot editors PLEASE contact me. Tuxbeej, feel free to do the same.
Best,
--JP Schnapper-Casteras
Organizer of the 1st and 2nd Linux Accessibility Conferences
Creator of the Linux Accessibility Resource Site
Founder of the KDE Accessibility Project
Maintainer of the Free Desktop Accessibility Working Group
Founder and co-admin of Project Ocularis
http://trace.wisc.edu/linux/
http://ocularis.s
http://accessibility.kde.org
http://www.sp
Thanks,
JP Schnapper-Casteras
P.S.: Just so you know that your answer to this question will actually result in something, I should let you know that in a few months I'm going to be organizing around a dozen different workgroups that will focus on topics such as GNOME, KDE, and X accessibility, Braille, etc. If you are interested see Project Ocularis, the announcement of the Linux Accessibility Conference in March, this summary about Linux accessibility, or this longer editorial on the potential of free software for the visually impaired.
If you want to make sure my project (Project Ocularis) and I are legitimate see this reference at Sun's web site, this one a Linux.com, or this one on Linuxnews.com, or this interview on American Council of the Blind radio.
I agree completely. If we all truly believe in free software as much as we puport, why don't we all use the money we would have spent on the latest version of game X, CD Y, or cool gizmo Z, and donate it to free software projects that we support or whose software we use? [For me, donations to free software projects should come after those to humanitarian groups in third world countries.]
I will survive without touch screen remote control, but will a small and dedicated free software project?
Do the math:
1/10th of the Linux users, or 1 million people, giving $100 would be $100,000,000 to free software projects [1 * 10^8]
That's a lot of funding for charities and free software projects.
http://ocularis.sourceforge.net
Linux and free software for the visually impaired.