Accessibility, what would the perfect blind Linux Desktop be like for you? - Feddit
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Accessibility is a really important field. Everyone should have the right to use a free and friendly Operating System. But its a pretty nieche topic, and I also think current ways of implementing it are not perfect. I created a Thread on Fedora Discussion (Link) but Lemmy is way more active so I would love to spread attention to this topic, and collect your ideas. - How should a blind Desktop be structured? - Are there any big dealbreakers like Wayland, TTS engines, specific applications e.g.? - What do you think would be the best base Desktop to build such a setup on? - Would you think an immutable, out of the box Distro like “Fedora Silversound”, with everything included, the best tools, presets, easy setup e.g. is a good idea? - How privacy-friendly can a usable blind Desktop be? Also, how would you like to call it? “A Talking Desktop”? I am excited for your comments!

I am very curious and want to help to make Linux more accessible.

I wrote with some people and got some insights:

  • everything text, like a read-mode-only browser or a plain Terminal is best for TTS engines.
  • TTS engines are difficult, some are really good but need many resources, some are worse but save resources
  • TTS needs to be optimized to be really fast in some cases, to keep up with the speed
  • some apps are better, some are worse, but probably most apps dont really suit blind people, as the whole GUI concept makes no sense

I am really curious. How would it be best for you, braille vs. voice, voice input vs braille vs. gestures?

What apps do you find best, how do you browse the web, find media to listen, how do you use Document editors and what purpose do they have for you?

Thanks a lot!

  • MostlyBlindGamerMAEnglish
    4·
    8 months ago

    Besides the interesting discussion on the fundamentals of Linux for accessibility, I think it’s also worth examining some of the points raised.

    I’d say the biggest risk in this line of reasoning is that creating purpose-built systems for a specific group of users often leads to a lack of support for relevant apps and even for the OS itself, since it’s not self-sustaining.

    The underlying principles and best-practices are there to make apps and the web accessible, and stripped-down versions are often limited in functionality and support, even if they’re easier to make accessible.

    CLIs and things like Markdown can be super accessible, but they’re also intimidating to lots of users. They’re also often harder to get help with.

    Anyway, this discussion on Stack Exchange will tell you most of what you need to know about blind-focused Linux: abandoned and discontinued.