Access to Linux

There is an effort to make Linux more accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. Since it's an inexpensive operating system, Linux makes good sense for users on a modest budget. An ongoing project, called BLinux, will enable visually impaired users to install and run Linux on their systems. To simplify this process, installation-specific HOWTO documentation files are printed in braille and recorded on audio tape, so a blind user can install Linux without having a second computer to read the on-line documents. Once Linux is running, the user can take advantage of the extensive on-line HOWTO files that are in formats that can be handle d by speech software and screen readers.

The people behind BLinux will continue to add adaptive features previously unavailable under Unix. Some of the new features will include support for braille and speech, a Web browsing facility, and more. The BLinux Web site -- http://leb.net/blinux/ -- is well worth a visit. You can find the source code on the archive site at ftp://leb.net/pub/blinux .