Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Some Open Source Accessibility Resources

I've been on an Internet fact-finding mission, looking for anything that could make computer use easier for people with limited mobility and motor control. Of course, I always like to find open source and freely available solutions if possible. Here are some promising things I've found so far.

  • Dasher "Dasher is an information-efficient text-entry interface, driven by natural continuous pointing gestures. Dasher is a competitive text-entry system wherever a full-size keyboard cannot be used." It's available for Windows and Linux. Debian's "apt-get" apt-got it for me, and it's also on the Ubuntu live CD, so my student and I can try it out on her computer easily.
  • Linux Accessibility Resource Site"A summary of the work of the Linux Accessibility community. Currently edited by David Bolter and hosted by the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC)" Every resource I've checked out from this list has been a good one.
  • GOK is an open source on-screen keyboard. "The gok project aims to enable users to control their computer without having to rely on a standard keyboard or mouse. Many individuals must control the computer using alternative input methods. Using innovative dynamic keyboard strategies, and leveraging gnome 2's built-in accessibility framework, the gok will make control more efficient and enable use of the gnome 2 desktop. With the right hardware support and the gok individuals will have full access to applications that support the AT SPI, and therefore, full access to the functionality these applications provide." This is also apt-get-able, and I've been experimenting with it, too.

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