(Forward it to interested deb-devels if necessary or to ther right Deb person).
Hi, I have on one pc the very great chance to use Debian 2.1 with a hardware braille-display. But actually on another pc I'm suffering from the refusal of my old braille display (not brltty supported) to let me work under Deb. So on pc1 I've a great pleasure to work, on another nothing more than frustration! Okay there is now an Ocularis project around Deb. But blind do prefer braille; SuSE seems to have understood this. Then, what about braille support and voice while installing for Deb ??? Is Ocularis the one and only idea ? Is there any release date ? SuSE did it; but I LOVE DEBIAN and want to continue using Deb, without having to change. DEB is GREAT! I thing deb is a good dist for blind, because of a much developed console-mode philosiphy/apps. In general ways I do appreciate much more the Debian philosophy. Short inst experience journal: to solve on my 2nd pc this access problem, my friend Frederic Peters (Deb devel), have tried to install screader + Festival: impossible to run this combination (75 % of total processor capacity is used for that)!!! If devs are happend, I recommend the porting of Euler (tts) + mbrola for Linux; see http://tcts.fpms.ac.be link to Mbrola. Now follows the article. Grtnx, Osvaldo La Rosa - Deb user - BE >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 16:02:07 +0200 >Hi Listers! >Maybe the folloing article about the new Sscreen-reader SuSE-Blinux >is interesting for some of you... >******************************************************************** >**** *** >SuSE Linux 7.0 suitable for partially sighted and blind people >The first Linux-distribution which supports installation and >applications >in Braille! >Since the mid-eighties, more and more partially sighted and blind >people have been able to work on computers. This was made possible >by the invention of the Braille-device (Braille-Zeile). This is an >additional device which is connected to the serial port of the PC. >Via the Braille-device, the blind person can read the information >displayed on the >screen line by line and check his/her own entries. >As part of the new version 7.0, SuSE Linux has now developed the >screen reader SuSE Blinux - a piece of software which enables >partially sighted and blind people to work with Linux comfortably. >SuSE Blinux is neither an independent distribution nor a kernel >patch but rather a so-called daemon, i.e. a program that runs in >the background. One advantage of this >is that SuSE Blinux does not compromise system security in any way. >Furthermore, blind users have unrestricted use of all applications >of the >new SuSE Linux version which run on the text console. They can even >compile their own kernel. >During the boot-process of the installation-CD the system >recognises a Braille-device, if connected to the system. If this is >the case, the SuSE-specific installation tool Yast2 switches to >text-mode. At the same time, even before the LogIn, the screen >reader is started. This makes SuSE >Linux the only system in the world which offers Braille-support >during installation. Blind users can follow the complete >LogIn-process and install and configure their own system. They can >then work on the text console, using the Braille device and >possibly a voice system. >Braille writing, as it is taught in schools, is made up of a >combination of 6 dots per character. Computer-Braille, however, >uses 8-dot combinations. In this way all 256 characters which can >be displayed on the >screen can also be output in a Braille module. More options for >transferring the information from the screen become available. E.g. >lower >and upper case letters or various colours can be differentiated. All >those >who are familiar with 6-dot Braille will not find it difficult to >convert >to 8-dot Braille. Reading Braille information from a Braille device >does, >however, require disproportionately more effort from the user: >While users without sight-impairments can scan the screen at a >glance and pick out the relevant data, blind users have to work >their way through the screen contents line by line. >This is why SuSE Blinux supports the user during screen navigation >by putting the Braille device at the position of the relevant >information. To >put it more clearly: The Braille device represents exactly that >line on the screen on which the cursor is currently positioned. >Data which are not >relevant at the moment are of course still available on the screen. >With every move of the cursor the Braille device jumps to the >current line of the cursor. Therefore, the user can immediately >follow any changes on the >screen. Cursor routing, e.g. for correction purposes, can be >achieved via >special buttons above the characters on the Braille device. With >these, the cursor can be placed on any character. In this way blind >users can operate all applications which are cursor-based. All >actions which are not >immediately visible on the Braille device are communicated through >acoustic signals. >For each application special settings can be specified which >describe the >application in more detail. These settings are called ?profiles?. >In the profiles, attributes, i.e. particular settings, can be >specified. One such >attribute could be an instruction such as ?display the text from >line 3 onwards? or ?display the block with the menu contents only?. >Various function keys help with the use of attributes and the >display of text. Bold script for example can be represented through >a specific colour. This >colour is assigned to a particular function key or combination of >keys. All function keys can be freely assigned. Specific key >combinations can be >used to set markers for important information: pre-defined lines on >the screen can then be accessed directly. >To make working on the computer even easier, SuSE Blinux can be >used to control a hardware synthesizer. This synthesizer provides >voice support to >the user. Basically, voice output delivers all the information >available on the screen. The user is supported during the >navigation in that only the relevant data are read initially. As >with text output, special conditions or settings, so-called >language filters, can be defined in the >profiles for language output. Special abbreviations or characters >are specified which are read as a complete word, a sentence, a >signal or as limitations during voice output. Possible commands >could be "Read the whole screen ", "Read the line only" or "Spell >the word". Depending on the synthesizer used, several languages >can be reproduced (- the software >does not influence this). >SuSE Blinux offers automatic profile switching: the program >recognises the >application displayed on the screen and makes the necessary >adjustments. Configuration files can be specified not just for >particular applications, >but also for specific users. This means that every user can specify >his/her own profiles or language filters. As soon as he/she logs in >to a machine, his/her individual settings are available. This could >be particularly interesting for users such as schools. >One of the major advantages of SuSE Blinux is that it allows users >to handle Internet applications to a very large extent. Many >text-based applications run under Linux. This facilitates the use >of the internet for >blind people enormously. Thanks to SuSE Blinux, used with a Braille >device >or voice output, surfing the net or sending email via Pine are not a >problem. Support for SuSE Blinux will be offered from the very >beginning: >current plans specify that on two days per week, for 5 hours each, >specialists will be available on the phone and via email to answer >all questions and offer competent advice on more complex problems. >A further advantage: screen readers usually cost between DM 200 and >DM 5000. The new >SuSE Linux version 7.0 offers the screen reader free-of-charge! >On Braille-devices: >There are many different types of Braille-devices available. The >more sophisticated devices with 80 characters correspond to the >length of a normal line on the screen and represent the information >as it is. Braille-devices with 40 characters, however, offer half >the normal line on >the screen. Cost will be a major factor when deciding on a >Braille-device, >as the difference in price is still considerable. SuSE Blinux >supports commonly used Braille devices from the major >manufacturers: all Braille-devices supplied by the German companies >Papenmeier and Handytech >and by the Dutch company Alva are compatible. When it comes to the >manufacturer Baum, only the Vario40 and 80 are supported. Further >work on >other models is in progress. >********************************************************* >Homepage of SuSE: >http://www.suse.com >German Homepage: >http://www.suse.de >Bye, >Schoeppi >_______________________________________________ >Blinux-list mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list >_______________________________________________ >Blinux-announce mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-announce osvalDo la rOSa [EMAIL PROTECTED] Net-Tamer V 1.12.0 - Registered ------080150200023012003NTI--
