You gave great advise. so tell the "Somebody will probably jump all
over me here, ....." to make a simpler sound Linux install. I've been
following the list for years, still awaiting something better than our
win 98, Jaws and Eudora. It just has not yet come, at any cost. Will
David Andrews wrote:
Hello>:
I have a couple observations -- some of which won't be popular on a
Linux list. First, it is a bit tricky to install ZoomText and JAWS on
the same computer. Secondly, it is an even worse idea to run both at
the same time.
I suspect you are right that only using each half way is causing your
friend problems. Whether visually impaired or totally blind, a person
will ultimately benefit from learning how to do things in Windows, or
another OS, with keystrokes. It can help to have an idea of what the
screen looks like, but not absolutely necessary. I think a good
teacher could use analogies to convey various ideas to a student.
I am not convinced a switch to Linux will solve your friend's
problems. Somebody will probably jump all over me here, I assure you I
am not a Linux basher. I have a Sun Cobalt server in my basement after
all.
However you point to one of the problems with Linux yourself, when you
say "What distro should I use." At some point, most Unix and Linux
discussions ultimately degrade into a "my distribution is better than
yours." It is counter productive and dissipates much of the advantages
that the OS may have.
Linux is not for the faint of heart, or newbie. If you set everything
up for your friend, and maintain it, it might work for him/her, but it
may not. There can be long commands to memorize, etc.
Further, relatively speaking there are many more blind and visually
impaired Windows users than Linux users, so there is a community of
users, lists, tutorials, trainers, consultants etc. out there. This
pool of resources is not as large in Linux, and ultimately they start
arguing about the relative merits of their particular installations.
Write me off list, and we can discuss other training alternatives,
etc. It is possible that another approach might work. I would guess
you are a sighted person, and may have a mouse orientation. I am not
trying to be critical, just realistic.
Dave
At 04:59 AM 7/6/2006, you wrote:
Hi, I have just subscribed. Hello to everyone. I was hoping for some
advice. My friend is visually impaired and has been struggling with
windows for the last year. The GUI is what is causing him the most
problems. As he has never been able to see well enough to grasp
concepts such as tabs, menus and the desktop, he often gets lost and
doesn't know where he is. His learning has come to a halt and he is
getting frustrated, so I have come here. I have wanted to try Linux
myself and thought I could learn a little along the way by setting it
up for him.
On windows he uses Zoomtext (screen magnifier) and Jaws (screen
reader). I think this causes him more problems as he won’t rely on
either completely.
So I am looking for a simple setup that allows him to play music,
read emails and browse the web. Can anyone recommend which Linux
distros I could use and what I should install for accessibility with
your reasons please?
This would be a great help.
Thank you
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