The importance of open source when it comes to accessibility may not seem that big a deal at first, but it is. Visual alerts: Replace system sounds with visual cuesįor information on changing accessibility settings or toggling the different tools on and off, visit Gnome's help by pressing F1 on Gnome desktops.On screen keyboard: Helps users who cannot type at all, but who can use a mouse.Bounce keys: To ignore rapidly pressed keys or if a key is accidentally held down.Sticky keys: Helps users who have trouble pressing multiple keys at once, and users who have use of only one hand.Mouse keys: Controls the mouse using the number pad.

High-contrast mode: Helps users who have trouble seeing text unless contrast is corrected, such as white text on a black background, or vice versa.Magnifier: Helps users with visual impairments who need larger text and images.Screen reader: A text-to-speech system to read what's on the screen.Unlike proprietary alternatives, Fedora (and other Linux distros with the Gnome desktop) includes accessibility tools out of the box, such as: Because I use Fedora, my article is written based on my experience with that Linux distribution. In this article, I'll discuss some of the advantages, as well as areas that need improvement. Gnu/Linux distributions provide great advantages over proprietary alternatives for people with disabilities.

Welcome to the communityīefore I dive in, I suggest that you read 6 reasons people with disabilities should use Linux, which provides background for my article.

Qt toolkit accessibility screen reader