** Description changed: BugLink: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1967702 [Impact] Blind system administrators rely on the speakup accessibility feature to be able to use screen readers in text mode, like "espeakup". Ubuntu has enabled CONFIG_SPEAKUP for a significant amount of time, although in recent releases it keeps being disabled. In Hirsute and Impish, it was accidentally disabled due to it moving from drivers/staging/ to drivers/accessibility/, and it was re-added by Tim Gardner in LP1942459. When it was recently re-enabled, the patch was never applied to ubuntu- unstable, and thus was never picked up by Jammy. We need to enable CONFIG_ACCESSIBILITY and CONFIG_SPEAKUP in Jammy and ubuntu-unstable. [Fix] We need to enable the following configuration items: CONFIG_ACCESSIBILITY=y CONFIG_SPEAKUP=m and the additional modules: CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_ACNTSA=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_APOLLO=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_AUDPTR=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_BNS=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_DECEXT=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_DECTLK=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_DUMMY=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_LTLK=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_SOFT=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_SPKOUT=m CONFIG_SPEAKUP_SYNTH_TXPRT=m [Testcase] Install the speakup accessibility tool: $ sudo apt install espeakup Check journalctl to see if it is able to load kernel modules: systemd[1]: Starting Software speech output for Speakup... modprobe[27013]: modprobe: FATAL: Module speakup_soft not found in directory /lib/modules/5.15.0-25-generic systemd[1]: espeakup.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE systemd[1]: espeakup.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'. systemd[1]: Failed to start Software speech output for Speakup. systemd[1]: espeakup.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 1. systemd[1]: Stopped Software speech output for Speakup. systemd[1]: espeakup.service: Start request repeated too quickly. systemd[1]: espeakup.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'. systemd[1]: Failed to start Software speech output for Speakup. We should see espeakup.service start correctly, instead of failing to load speakup_soft: + systemd[1]: Starting Software speech output for Speakup... + kernel: input: Speakup as /devices/virtual/input/input5 + kernel: initialized device: /dev/synth, node (MAJOR 10, MINOR 123) + kernel: speakup 3.1.6: initialized + kernel: synth name on entry is: (null) + kernel: synth probe + kernel: initialized device: /dev/softsynth, node (MAJOR 10, MINOR 122) + kernel: initialized device: /dev/softsynthu, node (MAJOR 10, MINOR 121) + systemd[1]: Started Software speech output for Speakup. + You can also try load the modules manually: $ sudo modprobe speakup_soft There is a test package available in the following ppa: https://launchpad.net/~mruffell/+archive/ubuntu/lp1967702-test If you install the test kernel, the speakup modules should load successfully. [Where problems could occur] We are enabling CONFIG_ACCESSIBILITY for all arches apart from s390x, and this shouldn't have any affect on config items being turned on, since it simply enables the speakup submenu to be shown. Enabling CONFIG_SPEAKUP* should not have any impact on users that don't use screen reader accessibility software, as it will only be loaded by users of espeakup. If a regression were to occur, users could unload the speakup modules.
-- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1967702 Title: Enable speakup kernel modules to allow the speakup screen reader to function To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1967702/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
