Screen viewer for deaf/blind?

[MrWild]

A D/B friend would like to try Ubuntu but wonders if there is an text enlarging program. He uses "Zoom Text" for windows now. He says the standard windows magnifier "blows." Zoom Text enlarges the entire page, not an area of it. Easier curspr use. Easier use through apps.

Does Ubuntu have an enlarger, and is it better than Windows enlarger, or just good enough? He says the new Mac enlarger is getting good reviews, but he hasn't seen it yet. If he can see the screen to try Ubuntu, he'd love to give i9t a whirl.


Thanks

[epineh]

I did a quick google and found a few that will do it, once the kids settle later on tonight I can give a few a try on the router PC if it helps, and post a few screenshots.

I will try to use the easiest ones, something that Synaptic will install automatically as this makes things really easy.

Cheers.

Russell.

[trevis1st]

What type of screen is it? The sharper and more contrast the screen has the more they should be able to make out.

[Med-Pac]

Have you looked at installing a "standard" flat screen LCD? i have a friend who has similar vision issues. He has his cp hooked up to the tv. Not sure how he did it, but his screen is a 32" flat panel.

Mike

[epineh]

I tried the default accessibility magnifier (gnopernicus), it seems to work OK but the only problem I see is it won't show when the mouse is at the top of the screen, above the bottom line of the little magnifier screen.

Other than that it seems to work, I don't know much about these things if you want me to try something else let me know.

When I took the screenshot the mouse was positioned as the magnifier shows it but for some reason didn't show up in the image.

Cheers.

Russell.

[MrWild]

Can you do a full screen enlargement? Guys, when I say blind, he has to get his face up close to the monitor screen. Zoom Text uses the full screen as an enlargement. Not a magnified image in an image. As the mouse cursur moves, Zoom Text tracks the mouse so the cursur is always on screen as the screen covers the desk top. What I see in the screen capture is almost exactly like the Windows magnifier and he doesn't like it at all.

Using a different monitor isn't the problem. He has an LCD screen now. So, is there a Linux program for extrmely low vision folks?

[SWPadnos]

Originally Posted by MrWild Can you do a full screen enlargement? Guys, when I say blind, he has to get his face up close to the monitor screen. Zoom Text uses the full screen as an enlargement. Not a magnified image in an image. As the mouse cursur moves, Zoom Text tracks the mouse so the cursur is always on screen as the screen covers the desk top. What I see in the screen capture is almost exactly like the Windows magnifier and he doesn't like it at all. Using a different monitor isn't the problem. He has an LCD screen now. So, is there a Linux program for extrmely low vision folks?

You may be able to set the screen resolution very low, but set the desktop size large. The desktop will pan around as you move the mouse off-screen. If you set up a few resolutions, then using hte standard X keystrokes CTRL-ALT-+ and CTRL-ALT-- will switch between different "zoom levels".

This will give you larger images, but will have a couple of differences relative to ZoomText. First, it's effectively pixel replication - you're displaying fewer pixels which are larger. Second is that you won't see the wavy line effects that ZoomText gives you. They try to smooth out text, but from what I've seen (probably version 7 or 8, so it may be different now), letters like 'A' end up looking like staircases instead of thick diagonal lines.

Throw Firefox 3 into the mix, and you may have a winner. It scales images as well as text.

- Steve