LinuxPlanet: The StartX Files: Seeing Linux Without Sight

“Being blind, one popular misconception maintains, means to give
up using the computer to do anything. This is, of course, utter
nonsense. Braille screen readers have been around for years, giving
visually impaired users the ability to read screens with up to 80
character-lines. There is even an 8-dot Braille system that goes
beyond the standard 6-dot Braille and completely mimics the
256-character set most PCs use.”

“So using a computer not too difficult of a proposition for the
blind. Still, running a windows-based interface is a bit pointless,
since what is really only used is the text. And which operating
system offers a dizzying array of text-based tools? Anyone from
Microsoft want to take a raise their hands? Hm? That’s what I
thought.”

“One of the strongest efforts in making Linux more available to
the visually impaired is the BLinux group, who’s mailing lists
cover the vast range of issues needed to get more access software
out there. BLinux coordinates the efforts of several voice
applications and Braille device modules, including Emacspeak,
BrlTTY, Braifo, and UltraSonix, to name a few screen readers.”

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