Sandy,
If you are a new Linux user, you might want to try the Vinux distribution of
Linux. This was specifically put together with accessibility concerns in
mind.
Although Ubuntu can be used with speech and a magnifier, performance with
speech seems to be somewhat erratic and unreliable. Also,
Hello all,
I've updated the wiki page concerning Orca and Karmic, to add the
solution to the garbled speech
http://live.gnome.org/Orca/UbuntuKarmic
I've also tried to describe what is going on, why you have/don't have
volume control,etc.
There is still some more info I intend to add, but don't