That's very helpful, Declan. I will watch out for your findings and report any others that come along.. All the best, Cearbhall "Good design enables - Bad design disables" Tel: 01-2864623 Mob: 087 9922227 Em: cearbhall.omeadhra@xxxxxxxxxx _____ From: vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Declan Meenagh Sent: 28 April 2008 21:51 To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [vicsireland] Re: FW: Ubuntu and Visually impaired users I tired Ubuntu and it wasn't good, to put it mildly. The magnification is worse than the default on windows, and I couldn't get the screen reader working. The interface for the magnification is completely unusable. You have to specify how many pixels you want the magnified image to take up. There is no drag and drop, and when you mess up, the magnifier covers the entire screen, magnifying its self, and you have to kill the desktop. In theory, Linux based computers are the only option for exporting, but with the current state of technology there is no point. I'm going to experiment with Ubuntu over the next few months, and I'll email any progress. On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 7:25 PM, Cearbhall O Meadhra <cearbhall.omeadhra@xxxxxx> wrote: Dear VICS members, I was very concerned when I saw the discussion last week about helping Nigerian people to use computers. I was also alarmed when Gerry Ellis asserted that hardware needed to be licensed and that this presented an obstacle to assisting people who are excluded from purchasing computers on grounds of costs. I did some research and was referred to this group Camara who specialise in resolving this very issue. They find that the hardware is not a problem and can be distributed without incurring any licensing issues. The software is, of course, subject to licence. For that reason they install Linux-based systems on computers and, as we know, this means that screen readers such as Kopernicus come into focus. I have started a dialog with Camara whose leaders are very interested in having the input of VICS into this issue. Would anyone like to help with this initiative? All the best, Cearbhall "Good design enables - Bad design disables" Tel: 01-2864623 Mob: 087 9922227 Em: cearbhall.omeadhra@xxxxxxxxxx _____ From: Kirsty Palfreyman [mailto:kirsty@xxxxxxxxx] Sent: 28 April 2008 18:03 To: cearbhall.omeadhra@xxxxxx Subject: Fwd: Ubuntu and Visually impaired users Good afternoon, First response from the Linux group below. I shall also bring the topic up at our next Camara team meeting (one week tomorrow). I'll be in touch, Kind regards, Kirsty ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rory McCann <rory@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 28 April 2008 14:19 Subject: Ubuntu and Visually impaired users To: camaradublin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Cc: Eoghan Crosby - Camara <eoghan@xxxxxxxxx>, Kirsty Palfreyman <kirsty@xxxxxxxxx> Hi all, I've just had a quick look, and there seems to be a few built in technologies for helping visually impaired users. There's some info on the ubuntu website: http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/accessibility and http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/804features/accessibility/ I don't know how good they are and how they'd compare to the windows world. It might be interesting to get some visually impaired people to try it out. Maybe someone has done that sort of thing before. Rory (who is swamped in work ATM) Eoghan wrote: Hi all, is there any Linux thigy to aid the visually impaired, see below for request: Note to Visually Impaired Computer Society (VICS) Ireland "I have spent eight loving years and I have acquired a lot of skills in computer technology through many blind and sighted friends in Ireland. My dreams are to be able to impact these knowledge to needy blind persons in Africa because they're still using type writers." Dear Kirsty, Thank you for taking my phone call this morning. I am a member of the visually Impaired Computer Society (VICS) and rang to see if Camara had any answer to a discussion which has recently arisen amongst prominent VICS members. This is about sending second hand computers to Nigeria. I think the members are correct to be concerned about licensing issues in relation to software but not correct to say that VICS should not get involved in any way. My enquiries pointed me to Camara and the work that you and your volunteers are doing. I would be very interested in discussing this issue more closely with you and your technical team to see if VICS should get involved. If you feel that it would help to device a project dealing with this issue, I would be happy to introduce you to our chairman and would hope that your representative might address the forthcoming AGM of VICS in May. I have attached some of the discussion for your information. My contact information is shown below: Yours sincerely, Cearbhall E. O'Meadhra Colibri Consultant Group "Passion for Excellence" From: Cearbhall O Meadhra <cearbhall.omeadhra@xxxxxx> On Apr 21, 6:13 pm, Eoghan <eog...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: How many are signed up to the Ubuntu Party night Rory? We may be able to get a few drinks organised by the CS dept in UCD? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ http://groups.google.ie/group/camaradublin?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- -- Kirsty Palfreyman Volunteer Coordinator Camara The Digital Hub 10-13 Thomas Street Dublin 8 w.www.camara.ie e. kirsty@xxxxxxxxx t. +353 (0) 87 326 0730 -- www.DeclanMeenagh.com DMeenagh@xxxxxxxxx || Declan.P.Meenagh@xxxxxxx Minds: administrator/ents officer, Omega: webmaster, DA: webmaster, 1st Biology Class rep