Mail Archives: opendos/1997/02/02/20:29:45
It is pleasing to note that there has been some discussion on this list of
the desirability of ensuring that OpenDOS is accessible to people who use
speech synthesizers to read the screen. I would personally not be opposed
to the inclusion of an option that would enable direct writing to video
memory, provided that it could readily be deactivated by users who
preferred to rely on the BIOs. I would encourage the developers of OpenDOS
to consider the needs of people who are using braille display devices and
speech synthesizers when designing improvements to the operating system.
I plan to download OpenDOS later this week and to test it with one of my
computers, which uses a speech synthesizer for output. I have heard that
some multitasking environments under DOS interfere with the operation of
screen access programmes that drive braille displays and speech
synthesizers. These programmes are essentially TSR applications which
monitor screen output, for example by capturing text that is sent to the
BIOS. They also control the keyboard to enable the user to review the
screen selectively and to modify the parameters of the braille display or
speech synthesizer while other programmes (for example, word processors,
DOS utilities, or command.com) are running.
The availability of a multitasking, text-based version of DOS with support
for internet access would be a significant advantage to many people with
vision impairments and related disabilities who require alternative output
devices. It is desirable therefore that future versions of OpenDOS be
compatible with screen reading software, including the multitasking
system, the network support and any other options that are to be added.
Regards,
Jason White.
- Raw text -