Accessibility Team

[John Levin]

On 8 Oct 2004, at 11:43, Henrik Nilsen Omma wrote:

> First, sorry for the long email to the list. Despite what it looks 
> like, the following is not a rant :) It's just that these issues do 
> often require some background.

No apology necessary - in fact it's emails like this that make me glad 
to be involved in Ubuntu.

> I don't want to advocate any major changes for Warty, not even 
> changing default options. I'm developing more detailed description of 
> my ideas in the wiki under 'Ideas for Hoary'. I absolutely agree that 
> these features should not be a nuisance for the general public, as 
> that would only make the whole feature set generally unpopular. So, I 
> certainly would not want them to be turned on by default either. 
> Personally, I use only the sticky-keys, and would also be annoyed if 
> other features were started by default.
>

There's a'MyUbuntu' page on the wiki:
http://wiki.ubuntu.com/MyUbuntu
I'd very much like to read about how you use Ubuntu, what software you 
need, difficulties etc. I hope that others will contribute such 'case 
studies' as well.

<snip>

> True, these utilities may only be needed by 1% of the population,

To be pedantic: 1% of the population is a very large number of people

<snip>

> I also want to briefly comment on your idea of creating an 'Accessible 
> Ubuntu Derivative'. I don't think that is necessary or even desirable. 
> We can create a distro that is highly accessible in its standard 
> edition, without being in anyone else's way. Derivative versions are 
> extra work to maintain, and also sends out the wrong message. With the 
> stated goals for Ubuntu of being highly accessible, this should 
> clearly be a part of the standard version. Derivative version would 
> tend to be delayed or inferior in other ways compared with the 
> standard one. 'Separate but equal' will never really be equal, as 
> history has shown. This is a common theme regarding disability issues 
> generally, such as physical accessibility. It is always better to make 
> public transport and buildings generally accessible that to provide 
> custom solutions, because they never work as well. A custom wheelchair 
> lift will never be as reliable as one made for general use, and will 
> take much longer to fix when it breaks, etc. With software, adhering 
> to this principle is relatively easy in comparison with providing 
> public transport in London, say.

Very good point. I think there might be a problem with Ubuntu, where a 
number of stated aims clash - namely, to keep Ubuntu down to one cd, 
yet have fully a full suite of software, not just access apps, but also 
a full range of languages and fonts, perhaps a lighter desktop for 
older hardware, a server (as opposed to desktop) version, etc.

Does Ubuntu have a policy on derivative versions? The question of a 
light, feather-ubuntu and / or a server version has been raised on the 
users mailing list.

>
> Thanks, for reading this far. I plan to do a solid job with the Ubuntu 
> Accessibility Team, but I also intend not to be a pain to others, be 
> they users or developers. Some years ago I myself had no knowledge of 
> or interest in these issues, so I can appreciate that point of view as 
> well. If any of the suggestions I make cause problems or annoyance for 
> other user groups, newbies, power-users or developers, I'd like to 
> hear about it, because a solution suitable for everyone can usually be 
> found.
>
> - Henrik

Thanks for the intelligent, reasoned and very interesting email,

John