On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 02:41:58AM -0700, Tony Baechler wrote: > >>I think that Debian is officially supporting the blind, just not as fast > >>as one would like or in the manner that Michael seems to think is > >>necessary. Official Debian support for SpeakUP is all I really care about on this mailing list, or what I'd respond to. The State hasn't helped me at all with the computer or with learning braille, because I can't get to their classes on my own. Bus schedules and unpredictable Dial-A-Ride service leaves me with little choice but to immediately turn around and return home once I get to the classes. They're held at 8:30am, and there's no possible way I can get to them before 10:45am, so I cannot qualify for JAWS or any of the other goodies you folks talk about. All I have is a home built PC with Linux, and a hardware synth my aunt bought for me. It's taken me a year to save up for a refurbished linux compliant printer. Dunno how long until I can afford the printer cable and toner cartridge so I can discuss my situation in detail with the NFB, and hopefully get out of what I consider to be solitary confinement, where society has seemed to have abandoned me. Anyway, before I lost my sight, I was beginning to explore Debian, and I'm at least somewhat familiar with it. When Debian is released with Orca, I'll explore that. I've dist-upgraded to Lenny 4 times now, and have had to reinstall Shane's Etch CD just as many times. SpeakUP always works for me, unless I try compiling my own kernels, end up wrecking something, and have to go the full re-install route yet again. Would I like official support for SpeakUP in Debian? You betcha Maybe then I'll be able to start learning things rather than fighting to keep things running, or keep from being silently locked out of my computer with no clue how to fix it. Since everything seems to be on wiki pages, and Orca's virtually unusable to me without those wiki pages, I'm in a catch-22 situation. The only sighted help I have is one person who is computer illiterate, and has a panic attack when she looks at the monitor. Believe me, I'm trying here, and have already been hospitalized from the stress, vomitting up blood from the ulcers. The only comfort I take from all this griping is that this message will likely get rejected by the SpeakUP mailing list, and you won't have to witness it. <laughs> Sorry for the off-topic rant. I know you folks have enough of your own problems. I'm only asking for an end to all the catch-22 roadblocks everyone has set up for those of us who've been abandoned by the Dept of Rehab. My only other option seems to be selling pencils on the nearby offramp until someone in authority notices me, and California drivers really suck about not hitting or shooting pedestrians, even when they can read English signs around a person's neck. <snickers> Michael
