People Discussing Vision Issues
Hi, This is off-topic for this list so please respond to me directly. I am Chris Hofstader. I am profoundly vision impaired and am the Director of Access Technology for FSF/GNU. I haven't done much lately for the project but I tend to work on communication between and among different groups doing free software accessibility. I just wanted to let you people with vision issues that I am here and that you can feel free to use me as a resource. If I don't know an answer, I do know where to find one that is usually mostly correct. So, feel free to write or call me as you see fit. Happy Hacking, cdh On Dec 10, 2011, at 4:49 PM, Robert Cole wrote: Hello, Eric. I'm sorry for my delay in replying. I am sorry to hear about your sight loss. I barely have any vision...just enough to use a screen magnifier when my face is an inch or less away from the screen. I am learning to use Orca, and I want to learn to use Speakup in the console as I do not know if my vision will last, so I am halfway dependent on screen readers at this point. I am also a recipient of VR services here in California, and I am pursuing a career in the IT industry. I would say that I have found Ubuntu 11.10 to be pretty accessible. I am really excited about Ubuntu 12.04 as I am hoping for a lot of improved accessibility features. I can say the same for GNOME, too. I fell in love with that desktop when I first started using Ubuntu, and I am really looking forward to seeing accessibility improvements in GNOME 3. I'll wrap this up. I just did not want to leave your reply without a response. I hope that all is well, and (although I am no expert) if I can be of any help with anything, please feel free to write me off-list. On 12/08/2011 12:59 AM, Eric Oyen wrote: thanks for the suggestion of some input. I won't make this a testimonyl as there are still problems with gnome 3. the older gnome 2.x works well with orca and that is still used in vinuxproject.org. any attempt for me to use gnome 3 has resulted in inconsistent results (with the end result that some of the screen elements are invisible to me). as of this writing, I am using vinux 3.01 (based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS) as that is the most reliable (stable) version. making such radical changes to gnome without considering that may break accessibility was a poor move on the part of the gnome project devs. I know that there is a new project called unity desktop (that is supposed to look a lot like the OS X cocoa interface), but it is so new that it doesn't entirely work with orca (which I depend on totally as I am totally blind). anyway, all that being said, I still would prefer using either OS X (apple with voiceover) or ORCA (in vinux) more than I would any version of windows (I still use that on occasion with NVDA). unfortunately, I don't have the income necessary to upgrade my hardware to some windows 7 compliance nor would I have any spare income for the $1,000+ pricetag for windows accessibility (first year SMA + initial cost of JAWS for $850). up until this last year, I was able to function as a system administrator with low vision. 15 months ago I finally lost all eyesight and have had to request VR services in order to get retrained to better operate in an IT environment. so far, I am still waiting for the state of Arizona to get on with it. -eric On Dec 7, 2011, at 10:34 PM, Robert Cole wrote: Hello, Michael, all. As concerning this topic, it was suggested to me on the gnome-accessibility mailing list that a Testimonials page would be beneficial in allowing users to share their stories about how assistive technologies such as Orca as well as other applications have improved their lives and have made them more productive in a Linux environment as a way to promote open source technologies and free desktops. I have begun to develop a testimonials page [1], and I would also like to request the aid of other users in providing (freely) their experiences with these technologies. I want to add that I am not a paid professional of any sort. I am simply a visually impaired user who wants to see accessibility-related technologies flourish in an open source environment. I was a Windows user until 2007 when I completely switched to Linux. I could not afford the prices of commercially available assistive technologies, nor could I afford to pay for upgrades for these technologies. I was running an updated Windows system with old and outdated assistive technology software, which made things difficult. I, to this day, still am having difficulty with finding work due to my visual disability, but I use my computer system to learn new skills and to keep myself informed (as I am a Computer Information Systems student, due to graduate after this semester). I can honestly say that I would have not been able to come this far if not for open source
Changing Desktop in Ubuntu 11.10
Hi, People, Hammer Atilla, of the blind Ubuntuers' community, offered me the solution, below, for changing the Ubuntu 11.10 desktop session, eyes,free. This seems to work. The 'dbus' command, offered by Luke, has not yet worked for me. Maybe Hammer's offering should be placed in a wiki or faq site someplace? HTH, Dave Hunt -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
Re: Changing Desktop in Ubuntu 11.10
Hy Dave, Feel free you put with you worked final steps with a Wiki page, I am not have accessing yet any Wiki page. Of course if you suggest me a Wiki page with have public editing possibility, I welcome doing this. To any user possible doing a good working fallback session style desktop, need doing other steps, because for example the factory awailable GNOME main menue not possible accessing keyboard the third System menue awailable functions. Because not have better method yet, I deleted entire top panel, created a new panel, and added following applets before I not found jconti/gnome3 PPA and the GNOME3 ported indicator-applet packages: - clock - Notification area - Main menu applet If any user would like installing indicator-applet-complete GNOME3 ported package and want add the all indicator applet in the panel, to get good visual lookup not need adding I think the clock and notification area applet, but I am not full sure this, so this is need confirming a sighted or partialy sighted user. This changes resulted me an one column dropdowned main menue with are possible accessing all now missing importanter menu items (actual username related submenue with possible changing the status and launch system settings preference tool, shutdown, switch user, logout menu items). Have a disadwantage this method, if you press ALT+F1 keystroke, Orca does'nt spokening the first awailable menu item, because the first menu item is not focused automaticaly I think the GNOME Main Menu applet. If future hopefuly resolving developers following bug, this step doesn't need: https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=662913 Launchpad bugreport link is following: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/846254 Because I added the all indicators applet my top panel, if I press Super+S keystroke, I see all installed indicators, similar with Natty. I very wait when Precise officialy awailable the GNOME3 ported indicator applets, but before this is happening, developers need resolving following bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/724369 If I remember right, when an user installed the gnome-session-fallback package and first doing the session change, the ALT+F1 and ALT+F2 keybindings are disabled, so this keystrokes need assigning with proper functions in the GNOME Control Center Keyboard preference pane. Need going the keybindings page, choosing the system section and associate the proper commands with the ALT+F1 and ALT+F2 keybindings. I using now my testing Precise system this way with GNOME3 fallback session without any problems. The best desktop session switch method I think Luke suggested command, but I don't no why not working right the suggested command with I pasted my letter in Orca-list. Possible not a full elegant way session change method with editing the /var/lib/AccountsService/actual username related file and changing direct the session if have a better alternative, better put I think Luke working command a Wiki page, because this command doing session change on the fly if I understanding right Luke pasted letter part. The pasted letter part is following: Ok, here is a command that should change your session to unity-2d, without you having to log out and stop lightdm. This should worok 100%. You need to know what your user ID is, not your user name your user ID number. To find this out, open a terminal and run: echo $UID Make a note of the number you hear, you will need it in the next command. To make the change, run this command: dbus-send --type=method_call --system --reply-timeout=1000 --dest=org.freedesktop.Accounts /org/freedesktop/Accounts/User$uid org.freedesktop.Accounts.User.SetXSession string:ubuntu-2d Where $uid is your user ID number, mine is 1000. accessibility at login will certainly be fixed for precise, and may be fixed in oneiric as well, depending on how invasive the fix is. Hope this helps. Attila -- Ubuntu-accessibility mailing list Ubuntu-accessibility@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility
