BRLSPEAK and Oralux - Distributions for Visually Impaired

BRLSPEAK and Oralux are two specialist Linux distributions catering for our less fortunate friends and colleagues who happen to be blind or otherwise visually impaired. But even if you have a perfect 20/20 vision, it is worth taking a closer look at these projects - they are not only enormously useful, they are great fun too!

BRLSPEAK www.brlspeak.net is a project started by Osvaldo La Rosa some 3 years ago. The author is visually impaired and since he also happens to be a great fan of GNU/Linux and Free Software, he decided to create a mini Linux distribution for those who suffer from similar disabilities. From the author's web site: "Too many blind computer users believe that only Microsoft operating systems are accessible for them with braille or speech - this is not the case! There are alternatives, and one of them is GNU/Linux. If you are looking for a free, powerful, blind-friendly, stable, open source, network-enabled, multi-tasking, multi-user and command line-minded operating system, then you must absolutely learn about GNU/Linux!"

BRLSPEAK is a mini Linux distribution (the size of the downloadable ISO image is only 36MB) with two objectives. Firstly, it has been designed in such a way that blind persons can install it without any outside assistance, and secondly, they should be able to pre-configure and compile the braille drivers all by themselves. These drivers will be immediately operational upon boot. All stated goals were achieved in November 2001 and BRLSPEAK version 7.0 was released later that month. It was based on Slackware's ZipSlack (hence the inflated version number), which can be installed in a directory on a DOS file system (no hard disk partitioning is necessary) or a ZIP drive. A new beta version, several related utilities, as well as a repository of pre-compiled braille terminal drivers are currently under development.

Oralux www.oralux.org is a recently launched project, first announced in July 2003. The distribution's web site does not provide much information about the project origins or its authors, but it does have a fair amount of useful documentation in the form of FAQs. Its major advantage over BRLSPEAK is that it runs directly from a bootable CD and no installation is required. It is based on Knoppix, with the usual excellent hardware auto-detection and immediate availability after boot. The size of the downloadable ISO image is under 400MB.

Booting Oralux is half the fun. After the obligatory hardware detection and configuration, the user is greeted with the sound of a cockerel, the distribution's official logo, which gives the user an opportunity to adjust speaker volume. The next step is the language selection with English as the only supported language in version 0.04 (courtesy of the Flite synthesis engine), although future releases might include Spanish and German, if there is sufficient demand and enthusiasm to contribute to the project. This is followed by a keyboard selection and a chance to install DECTalk, a popular commercial application with support for English and French, which some users might have available on their hard disks. All instructions are given in a surprisingly clear and crispy voice.

As soon as the initial configuration is completed, the users find themselves in Emacspeak. Emacspeak is a complete audio desktop, a speech interface that allows visually impaired users to interact independently and efficiently with their computers. This is a very simple definition and it would be more accurate to say that Emacspeak is a massive suite of dozens of speech-enabled applications. The range is quite astonishing and it includes multimedia control tools, authoring and productivity applications, and even development tools and games. Fancy a speech-enabled front-end to ssh? Or editing support for Perl with aural highlighting and access to online help? Or a spreadsheet application with support for customizing spoken feedback on a per-sheet basis? Yes it's all there. Also included is a simple, but standards-compliant w3 web browser and vm mail reader with full mime support.

It goes without saying that the usability of many of these applications depends on external factors. One of the more important ones is the skill of the user to navigate Emacspeak and those who are already familiar with Emacs and its commands will have a substantial advantage. But those who are not do not need to despair. A few essential commands are given right within the initial screen and further links to tutorials and online documentation are also provided. The complete Oralux web site with FAQs is available on the CD. Other notable features include the ability to save user preferences on a floppy disk, hard disk or USB pen drive and support for braille terminals.

Besides providing visually handicapped persons with access to computers and technology, the above projects demonstrate the tremendous value of open source software and the GPL license. Thanks to these qualities, those most in need are able to modify software to better suit their own requirements and release the modifications for the benefit of those who find themselves in a similar situation. This in turn creates communities of users, developers and enthusiasts with one common goal - to create better software and, in case of BRLSPEAK and Oralux, to enhance the quality of lives of our less fortunate fellow citizens. Well done!

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