Linux For The Visually Challenged

This Topic is dedicated to my good friend paul88ks. Paul is a fellow muzo (musician) – he plays keyboards and synthesiser , while I play the fool (and very well, IMO – in my opinion).

Paul is an intrepid soul, the stuff the pioneers and frontiersmen (and women) were made of, I suspect, and has embraced Linux as I have done, in his late 50s.

In another Topic, Paul was lamenting trying to read fonts and view icons, etcetera, under Linux, and within a browser, I believe it was Firefox, although he started using Opera recently, as well.

Above - Paul at work - you call that work, Paul?

Paul wears glasses, as do I. I am 57, and over the last 13 years, I have progressed or deteriorated from first getting reading glasses to also

• getting bifocals (sunglasses), for driving – top part for reading traffic signs, bottom for the dash/speedometer

• getting bifocals, for viewing TV – top part for watching TV, bottom part for reading the small buttons on the remote – kept stabbing wrong buttons in the middle of my wife's favourite TV shows, laugh out loud

Paul's lament got me to thinking (takes some doing), and so here is what I have come up with so far.

Now of course, there are those of us far more visually challenged than just having the light burden of having to wear spectacles to read. If one looks at the signature of Australia's Nick A u, we can see that there are 567,701 – five hundred and sixty seven thousand, seven hundred and one – members in Bleeping Computer, plus whomever joined since Nick (including myself).

Some of these may be persons whom are legally blind, if not manifestly or totally blind. If so, I would particularly welcome their input.

For those in the above category, I am guessing that some may have, for example

1. A Braille keyboard

2. Audio software which is trained to tell them text which is on screen

3. Other aids

To that effect, you can see from above that I am not inserting emoticons (funny faces), abbreviations except for TV, Australian dialect (hard for me). Even forward slashes, etcetera for its shortened alternative – unless I learn that the software can accommodate it. I used Nick A u instead of its usual form. You get the picture? I would urge contributors to do the same.

If we get sufficient interest, this Topic might be pinned. That is not my sole purpose for writing this Topic, rather it is for Paul and myself, and hopefully many more.

This introduction can be easily edited (by me, within a 24 hour window) or deleted by Staff, if it goes to pinning.

Being only a newcomer (12 months seriously) to Linux, I will take any constructive criticism I get. I will valiantly try not to say – it is a case of the blind leading the blind. Oops – too late.

Wizard - or Wiz

This Topic, initially, will focus on two to three broad areas, with regard to ease of visual reading.

They are

1. Desktop – icons and the text below them

2. Browser contents reading, both globally and site by site

The third one is sometimes intimately linked to changing the desktop and that is to do with system wide changes, including within other applications.

I am using my home base environment to begin with, which consists of, currently

Linux Mint Mate 17 dot zero (main operating system)

Zorin O S 9 Core

I have in recent times put Peach O S I Bare Bones on my wife's laptop, and will comment on that as well.

In terms of Browsers, I use Firefox as my main browser, but have also recently installed Chromium on Linux Mint, as I was having problems with accessing the Peach website recently, and was troubleshooting, now solved.

Our household is totally Linux, so I cannot compare to Windows or Macintosh, or other Operating Systems, but those Members who are visiting might wish to contribute, for the benefit of all. Only in so far as relates to Linux.

Thank you for your co-operation

Wizard or Wiz

I guess to some degree I fit in here also, as in my early 40's was forced to wear bifocals not to see, but to read. Can't recall the particular disorder, only that several family members has (or had) the same, all on my mother's side. At any rate, recall from my very young years my grandfather wearing glasses that looked like the ends of a Coke bottle with a crack slightly over half way down, and obviously were so heavy that he had to use a band to keep them in place. 

If it weren't for the technology of today, I'd be legally blind. 20/240 in the left eye & 20/280 in the right (w/out glasses) & that's likely worsened, that was 3 years ago. Needless to say, as an early teen, was picked on for wearing 'Coke bottles' myself. Without glasses, everything is a blur. Even then, my vision was 20/180 w/out glasses, and the first ones that I wore gave me bad headaches from the sheer strength alone. My parents (or should I say my sperm/egg donors), waited until I was in late the 7th grade (& a threat by guidance counselors to notify Social Services) before accepting or being force-fed the fact that I needed glasses, despite the fact they were told so when in the 1st grade. Had to sit in the front of the class just to be able to make out what was on the chalk board. Couldn't play certain sports like softball because I couldn't see one coming my way. Was always tired. 

All because of an issue that I had no control over, went from a straight A student in the 1st through 3rd grade, to average in the 4th & barely passing the 5th through 7th grade. Came the 8th grade, and though had glasses, was so far behind academic wise, there was little hope, being picked on didn't help matters, I flunked the grade & refused to return to school the next year. Yes, I paid the price for that decision, but is a long story and beyond the scope of the Topic. However, I did later not only get my GED at the age of 16 (the legal equivalent of high school graduate), but passed well above the minimum score. So I scored a huge victory over the the kids who picked on me, by beating them to graduation by well over 2 years, just days past my 16th birthday. 

Am getting to the point now to where I likely need new ones, because those my bifocals are no-line, am constantly having to use the upper section of my glasses to read, evidently the lower section, the part to help one read/see fine print, everything's a blur. This makes the 3rd pair of these in 10-11 years, and even though my 20" monitor was less than 2 feet from my face, had to go to a 24" to read print well, like on the forums & email, though that monitor sits in the far corner of my desk, still at just inches from the reach of my hand, should be able to read easily. Yet many times words 'swims', and am having to constantly having to backtrack to correct misspellings. 

I agree that with Linux, the fonts could stand improvement. There are Microsoft Fonts that can be added easily, which I have installed on all of my Linux OS's, however this seems to help with LibreOffice and email clients than general Web usage. Haven't tried the option on Linux (I presume a similar setting is there), but one on Windows 7 tried the Magnification app to 125%, the print was too large, in addition to the other penalty, that of not being able to see the Web page as a whole in front of me. On forums, because of the way things are centered, it wasn't an issue, but if on the main MSN homepage (don't laugh), it was one. 

Am hoping that native Linux fonts improves & who knows, there may be a well hidden, little discussed area where there are settings to improve readability. 

Sure would be a shame to have to jump to a 28' (if exists) or 32" monitor barely an arm lengths away to read comfortably. Have had this 24" since Christmas of 2013 (just 15 months). 

Noteworthy to the subject, there has been a few members of forums who has asked me essentially similar questions, by PM, in regards to the Topic subject, over the course of the last 2-3 years. So it's not like this is confined to just a few, there's others that's either silently suffering or has returned to Windows for some Font improvements. Though again, for Office users, there's no need for that. 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2863497/how-to-install-microsoft-fonts-in-linux-office-suites.html

As stated in the article, don't bother trying to install this through the Software Manager (Linux Mint) or Ubuntu Software Center, it'll just hang. One has to navigate that Terminal & accept the Agreement, though it's very simple to do. Once this command below is copy/paste in the Terminal & your password entered: 

sudo apt-get install ttf-mscorefonts-installer

You'll come to a page that says <Ok> at the bottom. There are two different ways to move beyond that point, but I'll provide the simplest. Just retype what you see <Ok> (left arrow key, capital O, lowercase k & right arrow key) & press Enter, the next is a screen that's acceptance of the EULA (by default, it may be marked as No, arrow key to Yes), the rest will take place in a minute or so. Some users has reported that the Tab key has to be pressed rather than Enter, I've not had to, on at least 20 installs. Though it took me some time (like 3-4 months) to figure out how to install these Fonts, because there were no plain & simple instructions on this. Seems like it would be a top Google hit, it was more like hitting pages of archives written in some weird code. I'm a Linux user, not a coder, and I have no idea of what <G> & other codes means after posts. It was like 2013, the modern Linux desktop was well established, so I have no idea of why there were many pages in 2012 (in Google Groups) of nothing but code as an answer to a simple question. Why didn't they just encrypt their conversation if they didn't want the page displayed in readable format, was the way I took it. 

Cat

Edited by cat1092, 20 March 2015 - 04:48 AM.

WOW! Wiz,I am honored and humbled to have a topic dedicated to me and my poor vision. I am, as of this moment,getting ready to go play my "Gig" as we call it here in the U.S.  Since I am short on time ,this will be brief

Seeing that all you have been so kind helping me installing my Linux Distros-I have 4 at the moment Zorin,Ubuntu,Linux Mint Mate 17.1 and Peach- I have gone through all of them and found,after searching many hours how to enlarge the Fonts,Icons,and everything else. They are all different in every distro- and will soon come back and write detailed instructions on how to accomplish this seemingly momumental task.Got to go for now,but will post again in a couple of days- it's the weekend and i will be working- until then- Happy Computing!

There are a lot of people out there with visual and other handicaps who need help with their computers and definitely not just Paul and Cat !  For example, the UK government is trying to get all Social Security claimants to make on-line claims and to update information on existing claims on-line. Apart from their very real technical problems in getting this to work it creates real problems for the claimants.

The elderly, the disabled and the poor are the very sectors which have the lowest IT skills and access to IT equipment.

Like Cat, I was diagnosed as short sighted when I was 10. Unlike him, happily, my eyesight has hardly changed since then apart from the normal changes to be expected with increasing age such as less flexible focusing.

This could be a very important topic. There has been some discussion on these lines elsewhere on BC, if wanted I could dig out the references.

Chris Cosgrove

 

 

 I have gone through all of them and found,after searching many hours how to enlarge the Fonts,Icons,and everything else. They are all different in every distro

Paul, am really happy that you've dove into the OS's, and found the settings for this. It's encouraging to know that there is hope, and that one doesn't have to pay for a new OS to reap this benefit. 

Good Luck! 

Chris touches on an important subject above, it's the very same in the US. Claimants are encouraged to file online, which works out well for middle to upper class citizens are are retired or filing for disability benefits. However the lower class retirees, disabled & poor often has little to no IT skills & very limited access to the equipment, even if where they reside provides Free Internet. There are public libraries with access to computers, but what good is that if one can't use it? Furthermore, if they bring a friend along to help, there's forms to fill out, and one must have everything on hand to begin the application process (everything includes a lot, even some things such as marriage licenses, past & present, that on the surface, appears to have nothing to do with the claim). Not having this or that just shoves that person right the back of the line, which also applies to future appeals & hearings. 

Meaning that many who needs the benefits the very most, often takes much longer to be awarded. Not just because of low IT skills, also not learning to keep up with simple documents along the course of life. 

I'm grateful that I had an attorney after the first automatic denials, however I asked for & kept copies of everything, beginning with the minute I went on medical leave of my last employment. The day I met him, after my initial denials, when I handed over copies of my records, he told me that I had already done the bulk of his work (though he didn't discount the fee ), and that he could get me a hearing within the next 16 months because of this, rather than the usual 24 to 36 months. 

On the day of the hearing in front of a Federal Judge, less than 15 minutes into the hearing, he abruptly stopped the evidence portion of the hearing & awarded me an immediate fully favorable bench decision. I was like in a semi state of shock at the swiftness of it, because of all of the horror stories I had read of these same judges (including this one) in denying claims, some over a missing receipt, or a doctor's notations with no signature. Yet I knew the minute I walked off the job what lay ahead & was prepared for the 'big day' & within 5-6 weeks later, everything that was owed me came in. 

At the same time however, I wasn't exactly well off myself. Just knew of too many others who went through the same battle (at least a couple that died in the midst), and with each hearing that a claimant loses due to 'lost or missing' documentation, the chances of winning becomes slimmer the next time. This may sound brutal or inhumane, yet the following fact is true. These judges sees not being prepared for a hearing (nor having an attorney) as a direct show of disrespect for their authority, and they don't forget it when the same person shows in their chambers again. 

I wasn't going to take the chance of being in any of these positions. Have always been proactive in whatever I accomplished in adult life, this was the most crucial event to that date, and losing wasn't in my plans. That's why I won with relative ease & wasn't another 'horror story' statistic. 

Cat

Edited by cat1092, 20 March 2015 - 11:53 PM.

I will stick to my planned approach, but do not think that I don't appreciate the input. I may come back later on and quote some of that material and respond where appropriate.

We will begin with Zorin OS9 Core edition 64-bit, which I use often. Unless otherwise discovered or notified, I can assume that my findings and solutions will apply across all current Zorin versions.

I am choosing Zorin to deal with first over my beloved Mint (which is far more popular) for reasons that will become apparent as you read on.

DESKTOP

Zorin (which is Ubuntu-based) uses the Gnome 3 desktop by default. The default view is called Windows 7, and looks like this:

As you can see from this, Zorin's theme is blue, just as Linux Mint's is green. With all the bubbles, however, there can be visual confusion – only Aptik stands out, so my choice is the Galaxy wallpaper, shown below.

Note the panel at the bottom of the desktop. The icon at the left (with pointer) is the Zorin Menu, like Windows Start button. The main body is the AWN (Avant Windows Navigator) - like Windows Quick Launcher. Its equivalent in Linux Mint is The Panel, in Ubuntu the Unity Launcher (which is to the left), in Enlightenment under for example Gobo Linux, The Shelf ... you get the picture. To the right of screen is a part resembling Windows System Tray. We will look at some of these icons and the packages behind them soon, specifically as to how they are affected or not by changes we are about to make.

Zorin also has a feature called “Zorin Look Changer”, which in my case provides alternative desktops named Windows XP and Gnome 2.

A PC World article relevantly says

 

Though Windows 7 is the default desktop style, the Zorin Look Changer also lets you make your desktop look and act like Windows XP, Windows 2000, Mac OS X, Ubuntu’s Unity interface, or the ever-popular Linux standard, GNOME 2.
The Windows 7, Windows XP and GNOME 2 interfaces are available in the free versions of Zorin OS. Users of the software’s paid premium editions, priced starting at 10 euros, get the others as well. (July 2014)

Again, my disclaimer is that I do not currently have time to try all options but I assume that these solutions will be available on al Desktops. If not, please let us know.

In my next Post, I will be showing you screenshots detailing how you can make the Zorin desktop more legible, more easily readable.

Wiz

I will stick to my planned approach, but do not think that I don't appreciate the input. I may come back later on and quote some of that material and respond where appropriate.

 

We will begin with Zorin OS9 Core edition 64-bit, which I use often. Unless otherwise discovered or notified, I can assume that my findings and solutions will apply across all current Zorin versions.

 

I am choosing Zorin to deal with first over my beloved Mint (which is far more popular) for reasons that will become apparent as you read on.

 

DESKTOP

 

Zorin (which is Ubuntu-based) uses the Gnome 3 desktop by default. The default view is called Windows 7, and looks like this:

 

 

 

As you can see from this, Zorin's theme is blue, just as Linux Mint's is green. With all the bubbles, however, there can be visual confusion – only Aptik stands out, so my choice is the Galaxy wallpaper, shown below.

 

 

 

 

Note the panel at the bottom of the desktop. The icon at the left (with pointer) is the Zorin Menu, like Windows Start button. The main body is the AWN (Avant Windows Navigator) - like Windows Quick Launcher. Its equivalent in Linux Mint is The Panel, in Ubuntu the Unity Launcher (which is to the left), in Enlightenment under for example Gobo Linux, The Shelf ... you get the picture. To the right of screen is a part resembling Windows System Tray. We will look at some of these icons and the packages behind them soon, specifically as to how they are affected or not by changes we are about to make.

 

Zorin also has a feature called “Zorin Look Changer”, which in my case provides alternative desktops named Windows XP and Gnome 2.

 

A PC World article relevantly says

 

 

Though Windows 7 is the default desktop style, the Zorin Look Changer also lets you make your desktop look and act like Windows XP, Windows 2000, Mac OS X, Ubuntu’s Unity interface, or the ever-popular Linux standard, GNOME 2.
The Windows 7, Windows XP and GNOME 2 interfaces are available in the free versions of Zorin OS. Users of the software’s paid premium editions, priced starting at 10 euros, get the others as well. (July 2014)

 

Again, my disclaimer is that I do not currently have time to try all options but I assume that these solutions will be available on al Desktops. If not, please let us know.

 

In my next Post, I will be showing you screenshots detailing how you can make the Zorin desktop more legible, more easily readable.

 

 

Wiz

Wiz - since you have offered to do a  How-To on ZorinOS9. i will throw in my 2 cents worth as we go along. Currently I have Windows 7 Home premium/ZorinOS9/Ubuntu14.4/Linux Mint Mate 17.1/and Peach OSI.

I just wanted to say this before this goes into detail,that Windows 7 acts in the same way when first installed, the overall Fonts of the system,The Title Bar at the Top(that's what I call it) and pretty much every other app or webpage,are ridiculously tiny,unless you have 20/20 vision or better.To its credit, this is easily fixed in the Control Panel and I think most Windows users know how to do this.So,This being a Topic about Linux that's all i will say about it.

I think I am going to write the entire instructions for the 4 Distros I have in one document and then post it. that way i can check it for errors and such before i throw it out there.

I will start with Zorin OS9 as well.I did want to say that installing Microsoft true type Fonts did not help fix this problem except in the use of the Libre office suite.It did not change anything else. More to come,as i have the entire week off.Wiz- looking forward to your first post on this!! 

Have you looked at the work of the Vinux project?

An extract - "Vinux is a Ubuntu derived distribution optimised for the needs of blind and partially sighted users.

By default Vinux provides two screen readers, Braille support plus an accessible suite of applications.

When you boot the Vinux image, you are greeted by Orca which enables you to navigate the graphical desktop environment with keyboard navigation.

As of Vinux 5.0 which is still in development Vinux will ship with Unity Gnome-Shell and the Mate Desktop environments."

Version 12.4.02 Ubuntu is currently used by them though so although not bang up to date, I thought there may be some ideas there that may help?

Their website: http://wiki.vinuxproject.org/home

Richard.

Richard, thanks for your input to this important Topic.

Any ideas, including OS's that will break down barriers for the visually or hearing challenged is highly appreciated. 

Hope to see more of you around.

Cat

@Richard S

Thank you so much for the tip - I will look into it!

Wizard or Wiz

BTW - By The Way - don't forget what I said earlier in this Topic about emoticons - I am not sure how the profoundly blind may pick them up, but will be interested to hear, I hope!

Edited by wizardfromoz, 25 March 2015 - 02:34 AM.

You may also like to look at TalkingArch.

TalkingArch started as Chris Brannon's personal project to help him more easily install Arch Linux with speech. With much help and input from the community, and with the wonderful work of the Archiso team powering the back end, TalkingArch has grown to become one of the best available live images for rescue and recovery, as well as for installing Arch Linux. Although it is not an official Arch Linux install image, the aim of the project is to stay as consistent as possible with the official install image and Arch principles, while adding speech and braille support to allow Arch Linux to be installed by blind and visually impaired users.

http://talkingarch.tk/about.php

And Emacspeak

 

Emacspeak provides complete eyes-free access to daily computing tasks. By providing fluent spoken access to local and remote electronic information, the system opens up the wealth of information available on the Internet to visually impaired users. See this case study for details.

Emacspeak introduces several improvements and innovations when compared with screenreaders designed to allow blind users to interact with personal computers. Unlike screenreaders that speak the contents of a visual display, Emacspeak speaks the underlying information. As an example, using a calendar application with a screenreader results in the blind user hearing a sequence of meaningless numbers; In contrast, Emacspeak speaks the relevant date in an easy to comprehend manner.

The system deploys the innovative technique of audio formatting to increase the band-width of aural communication; changes in voice characteristic and inflection combined with appropriate use of non-speech auditory icons are used throughout the user interface to create the equivalent of spatial layout, fonts, and graphical icons so important in the visual interface. This provides rich contextual feedback and shifts some of the burden of listening from the cognitive to the perceptual domain.

Finally, Emacspeak like Linux is completely free; in contrast, commercially available screenreaders typically double the cost of a personal computer. These innovations have together resulted in the system significantly increasing the ability of visually impaired individuals throughout the world to more effectively use information technology for work and leisure.

http://emacspeak.sourceforge.net/

Edited by NickAu, 24 March 2015 - 04:16 AM.

cat1092 and wizardfromoz ... you're welcome! I'll follow this topic with interest.

Cheers.

Richard.

In Hash 7, previously, I showed you the Galaxy wallpaper that is my usual wallpaper under Zorin.

Let's look more closely at the icons formerly on the left-hand side, now rearranged to the top, to save screenshot space.

Home is Home, Trash is Trash. The next 4 out of 5 are partitions on my external hard disk drive and one from my internal. Aptik of course from Tony George, but there because I could not pin it to my AWN at the time, although Timeshift pinned. I will find a workaround.

I have a loose icon floating around the nebula, what no Linux user should be without, and that's Mint iso. See below.

I am going to show you what happens, after a few mouse-clicks, to make these icons and their text more legible.

Textually, steps are:

1. Go to Zorin Menu, bottom left-hand corner, and click
2. Choose System Settings from right pane and click (you can shortcut this, but it may be worth seeing the System Settings in its entirety)
3. Choose Universal Access (bottom category) and click
4. You get the following
5. 
6. Note that Large Text's default is off
7. Drag on the word Off, and to the left, you get
8. 
9. Already, the text in this window is larger.
10. Closing that window, changes are saved and applied. The top of my Desktop now looks like this. In reality, the text below the icons is significantly larger than it was previously
11. 
12. And my stray icon, initially, looks like this, note how the text on a long name is crowded and overlapping
13. 
14. ... but then, Zorin's AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the rescue, a mouse over produces this
15. 

Are these changes Global?

We'll see in the next Post, where I will also deal with Firefox and its built-in Assists for the visually challenged.

@NickAu

Thanks, Nick, for the leads - I will be sure to look into them, and I hope others do too.

Wizard or Wiz

Edited by wizardfromoz, 25 March 2015 - 03:02 AM.

So we've seen some immediate changes to the Desktop by choosing Large Text, and the question I asked was

 

Are these changes Global?

The simple answer is Yes and No.

In Hash 7 above, I said

 

Note the panel at the bottom of the desktop. The icon at the left (with pointer) is the Zorin Menu, like Windows Start button. The main body is the AWN (Avant Windows Navigator) - like Windows Quick Launcher. Its equivalent in Linux Mint is The Panel, in Ubuntu the Unity Launcher (which is to the left), in Enlightenment under for example Gobo Linux, The Shelf ... you get the picture. To the right of screen is a part resembling Windows System Tray. We will look at some of these icons and the packages behind them soon, specifically as to how they are affected or not by changes we are about to make.

Let's revisit that panel, The Awn, etcetera.

Only two things change - one on the far left, and one on the far right

The Quick Tip on the Zorin (Start) Menu enlarges, as does, at the right, the numeric display of the time.

The rest of my main AWN (panel) comprises the following:

Firefox, Thunderbird, Files (Nautilus), Rhythmbox, Screenshot, GParted, Terminal, Libre Office (specifically Writer), Synaptic Package Manager, Software Updater, TimeShift, GIMP, UNetbootin, and my Text Editor (gedit).

I am not going to go through all of these - try some of them yourself to see results, if any.

To begin with, the icons have not changed in size, but nor did those on the rest of the desktop.

BUT - let's look at the two Mozilla products - Firefox and Thunderbird. Next Post, that is.

In that Post, I will also be showing you, in Firefox (and perhaps Thunderbird), the versatility and power of a simple set of keystrokes:

Ctrl-+ and Ctrl-- ... that is Control Plus, and Control Minus

Until then

Wizard or Wiz