Bug 757130

Summary:	RFE: add screenreader support to anaconda
Product:	[Fedora] Fedora	Reporter:	Michał Zegan <webczat>
Component:	anaconda	Assignee:	Anaconda Maintenance Team <anaconda-maint-list>
Status:	CLOSED INSUFFICIENT_DATA	QA Contact:	Fedora Extras Quality Assurance <extras-qa>
Severity:	high	Docs Contact:
Priority:	unspecified
Version:	rawhide	CC:	anaconda-maint-list, bcl, jonathan, vanmeeuwen+fedora
Target Milestone:	---
Target Release:	---
Hardware:	Unspecified
OS:	Unspecified
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version:		Doc Type:	Bug Fix
Doc Text:		Story Points:	---
Clone Of:		Environment:
Last Closed:	2014-12-05 16:36:21 UTC	Type:	---
Regression:	---	Mount Type:	---
Documentation:	---	CRM:
Verified Versions:		Category:	---
oVirt Team:	---	RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team:	---	Target Upstream Version:
Bug Depends On:
Bug Blocks:	757099

Description Michał Zegan 2011-11-25 14:36:47 UTC

Hello.
I'm blind and I use linux.
It would be very useful for me to be able to install fedora linux without any sighted assistance, but I know it's currently impossible.
I think that it should actually become possible.
That will require some anaconda support, some details below:

In the case of a livecd, if I would start orca in it, I probably would be able to use anaconda.
However, anaconda should somehow detect that orca is running, so that after installation and reboot, firstboot will automatically run it.
In another bug, I wrote some details about proposed changes in firstboot, namely the ability to enable a screenreader with a keypress.
If the anaconda would be used with a screenreader, it should make firstboot automatically enable it without any keypress by default.

Also, some things regarding the non-livecd installation media:
It's possible to somehow start orca from the livecd (it would also need improvement), but it is not possible to do it if you use a media that doesn't have a livecd.
My proposed changes are to add an ability for anaconda to run the screenreader in this case too.
In the dependent bug, I described the way we could then run a livecd or install with a screenreader: with a boot menu entry that we could go to and press enter.
In the case of non-livecd, anaconda should react to the boot option itself and run a screen reader, namely orca.
It would then make it possible for blind people to install it.
It would require that the installation cd would have the sound support, espeak synthesizer, speech-dispatcher and the orca screenreader, the at-spi2-core and at-spi2-atk, and related things.

The installer should then enable sound, start up at-spi2 and run the orca screen reader, so that it would be possible to configure it and then to install fedora.
It would also be good if the installer would not only enable the screenreader and set it up to run on firstboot, but also move orca settings to the installed system somehow.

Comment 1 Chris Lumens 2011-11-29 14:31:25 UTC

Can you also give any advice to design decisions we can make in the new UI to be more readily accessible?  For instance, are there certain widgets that are harder for a screenreader to deal with than others?  Is a GUI or a text interface preferred?

Comment 2 Michał Zegan 2011-11-29 14:51:55 UTC

The text interface would be easier for us to deal with, but I think it'll be better to add the support to the gui one.
For example, not all blind people from the windows world could go with the installation in the text mode.
About the gui widgets, standard gtk widgets should work correctly by default.

Comment 3 Michał Zegan 2011-12-03 09:07:18 UTC

Custom widgets are not accessible by default, but they may be made accessible using ATK interface.
I don't know anything about using it.
Also, those widgets should be navigable by keyboard.

Comment 4 Brian Lane 2013-05-06 23:44:54 UTC

It would probably make more sense to make a custom livecd for orca, espeak, etc. support. Can you help give us an idea of how well (or not) the new ui rewrite works with orca?

Comment 5 Michał Zegan 2013-05-10 16:31:25 UTC

Actually I was somewhat annoyed as to the state of the linux accessibility some time ago and I've stopped using linux for a while, so I didn't test the new fedora installer.
As to creating a special livecd, I think it's not a good idea to separate that, I feel it could be better if I could just take the fedora livecd and turn on what I want.

Comment 6 David Shea 2014-12-05 16:36:21 UTC

If there are any improvements we can make to screen reader support, we would like to know, but as it is we have nothing to go on.