Hi there,
Sighs.
first and foremost that article link did not work in the one browser most
common in command line Linux...at least not without turning off sending a
user agent header. Which I did to read the article.
Speaking personally?
While I respect that Red hat believes they are aiming for inclusion,
there are some aspects of what I read that, again speaking personally and
objectively makes this person unqualified for the job they are being
advertised to do.
lets start with one glaring point.
Fedora is aiming to be accessible. however accessibility is not, and has
never been entirely about blindness, which is before You even
consider the absolutely disturbing idea that a single person with a single
sight loss experience is qualified to develop anything for other users.
he may share a label with these millions, but he does not share an
experience with them.
That he states he has not educated himself on other tools created for
populations other than his own, makes him unqualified to create
accessibility solutions. what is redhat planning a token insert
condition person to manage the rest of access?
After all, even one of the comments outlined a desire, but since they are
not blind, they are not included at the fedora table..why?
then there is his limited, outdated, and frankly concerning awareness of
even screen reader options in Linux.
Speakup for example not only works with hardware speech...ever heard of a
sound card? no idea those were obsolete, but it can work with embedded
speech synthesis as well, is incorporated in Debian, and has an active
development base.
Finel <spelling> is another active screen reader project for Linux, this
expert has not even heard of it.
Something to consider though is that I am a media
professional..catching factual errors in the first paragraph. Linux had
the best accessibility, for whom? by what definition? to perform what
tasks? and the first effort came from sun Micro..says who?
Where did this new staff-member go to university? His software
engineering degree is at what level?
did they also say minor in disability studies at least?
Sorry!
This individual is only qualified to create, from his personal
understanding access for himself, perhaps a handful of his friends.
However actual inclusion, say use the human rights code as a basis
generally means that an individual, where they are, can use the tools
defined as best by them, to access your services, including our website.
I can personally name three red hat users who have been involved in, and
working regularly with fedora years before this person had even heard of
Linux...and one of them is a computer scientist if memory serves.
One interesting discussion on a Linux list focused on accessibility is how
important it is that all aspects of Linux, console and gui work so
that the individual can choose how they are going to use the system.
managing a learning disability? Perhaps paraplegic? want to use your
voice? and so forth.
gGui is clunky time consuming and sounds reprehensible generally out of
the box. then, the programs associated with said system themselves are
not fully functional either.
one thing, speaking personally, working against Linux is likely a strong
point for seasoned users...Linux is clay. You can mold a system into
what
You desire, at least if you are knowledgeable enough.
why is that a problem from an accessibility standpoint?
Because by in large adaptive technology works as extensions of, if not
substitutions for physical body processes. hands, ears, eyes, brains,
a combination of these even if only a single diagnosis is on the table.
Factor in that humans learn and interact WITH technology differently, and
a clay structure is challenging.
generally though you do not say remove your hands for a different set when
banking, and again when shopping etc., or your eyes for that matter.
To claim that Linux ever had the best accessibility of any operating
system is frankly hysterical, not only because of the number of
populations involved, none of whom are fully represented by this
individual, but because sometimes it can take more than one Linux program
to manage a task.
Say to clap, you seem to need one for the right hand, on for just the
left, and a third to bring them together.
To be Honest, and I say this as a former Xerox adaptive technology
staffer, the best operating system for accessibility, i. e.
incorporated tools for multiple populations who read, write, and interact
with technology differently is likely Apple..for several reasons.
Still, what is profoundly concerning here is that the redhat team actually
believes that accessibility applies to a single population, and is
staffing someone who, by their definition is only qualified because he is
a member of that single population. and hands down projected
stereotyping contributes more to a lack of accessibility than anything
else.
could Linux become actually inclusive? certainly,
would the process be easy? It depends, mainly on how much they are
willing to toss out this accessibility only means blindness, and all
blind people are the same dictionary they are using.
Do look forward to sharing this article on a few lists, and watching the
explosion. It is unfortunate comments are closed, Redhat could use an
education.
Just my thoughts though,
Karen
