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!
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.