http://developers.slashdot.org/developers/06/03/19/0726241.shtml (FOSS and Disabled Communities Out of Touch)
http://software.newsforge.com/software/06/03/13/1628249.shtml?tid=150 (FOSS community, disabled users must learn to communicate) The biggest accessibility problem is with blind people. But also people with RSI and other motor disabilities sometimes have a problem. There is also a problem in vocational training centers, which train non-disabled people from low socioeconomic communities. This E-mail message is being BCC'ed also to the managers of such training centers. Several months ago I was in contact with them and asked them about FOSS related training. They told me that they are doing no such training, due to absence of demand for those skills. What can we do in Israel to address the difficulties of people with disabilities and people from low socioeconomic classes? 1. Lobby OpenOffice and AbiWord developers to add a no-BiDi setting to their software (to support Hebrew+Arabic blind users of word processing). 2. Israeli FOSS businesses should be in contact with vocational training centers to encourage them to train people to work with FOSS and inform them about existence of demand for such a training (for example by customers of those FOSS businesses). Please contact me in private if you need help in matchmaking. 3. Developers of Israeli Linux distributions (such as Ahad) - please check not only for seamless Hebrew support but also for seamless blind support. 4. Webmasters - follow Shlomi Fish's example, ask about and ensure that your Web site is accessible to blind persons. Avoid putting files of lecture audio recordings without also ensuring that a textual transcript is available as well (for deaf people). Design your Web site to be standards-compliant (to support browsers adapted to the needs of blind persons). --- Omer (Accessibility Coordinator in Hamakor) -- Delay is the deadliest form of denial. C. Northcote Parkinson My own blog is at http://tddpirate.livejournal.com/ My opinions, as expressed in this E-mail message, are mine alone. They do not represent the official policy of any organization with which I may be affiliated in any way. WARNING TO SPAMMERS: at http://www.zak.co.il/spamwarning.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
