Ok, I'm pretty sure I'm missing something really obvious--that is, it will be really obvious to everybody but me!!! I added speakup_ltlk to my /etc/initramfs-tools/modules and ran update-initramfs -u. I don't get speech at bootup though it does work if I load it manually after login. Is there an additional place where I need to specify this? -- Cheryl "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."