Steve: >> 3) What do you see that is blocking progress (or hindering acceptance) >> of GNOME a11y. What do you think could be done to improve things? > > The issues I see when promoting Open Source a11y around the UK > (oatsoft.org, senit, schoolforge.org.uk) are that with a few > exceptions: > > 1) users including clinicians and suppliers don't see Linux as a option > 2) support organisations are concerned about the cost of having > another OS to support, especially one with many flavours. > 3) residual erroneous fears about open source > > I think Willie is right in saying that it really needs > evangelism/marketing effort in order alter opinions and get the great > work in GNOME to the users who can benefit. > > As Linux becomes a real option for consumers it would be fantastic if > those needing accessibility were drawn to it as it provides the best > options. e.g an eye tracking system would be a winner as commercial > systems are so expensive
Perhaps it would be useful if someone put together some marketing information comparing how much it costs to make a Windows or MacOS machine as accessible as Linux is for free. It would be handy to put together the cost for different kinds of accessibility use cases. I think it would be useful to frame Linux a11y as being a vehicle for providing affordable accessibility to the world. Many people with disabilities cannot afford expensive software. Providing free software solutions opens new opportunities for people with disabilities to find jobs and to interact with people. We should make more of an effort to push the humanitarian angles of Linux a11y. It is my understanding that MSAA (MicroSoft Active Accessibility) doesn't work with common programs like Office, and that users need to buy special MSAA-enabled versions of Word Processors, Spreadsheets, etc. I would think this would make setting up a functional a11y Microsoft machine quite expensive. No? Considering that in the U.S.A. Section 508 requires that publicly funded institutions (such as libraries and schools) need to provide accessible access to the internet, it would be helpful to show the cost savings using Linux based a11y solutions. I'd think this sort of information would make sense to include or reference prominently on the Wiki and in other GNOME marketing blurbs. Brian _______________________________________________ gnome-accessibility-list mailing list [email protected] http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-accessibility-list
