USB-drive based solution for impaired users, add-ons and updates for images for cloning

Due to needs in projects for blind or visually impaired users the Labdoo team Germany invested much time in investigation and setting up new and improved solutions for handicapped users. The work will still be ongoing during November, but we want to inform you about the work done and what you can expect soon.

add-ons for the images for cloning based on 16.06 LTS or USB disc drives using Knoppix Adriane

There are 2 solutions now to offer an optimized access for blind or impaired users.

1. The images for cloning based on 16.04 LTS come now with new software, themes, setting, desktop and much more. So any Labdoo laptop getting an image-based installation will bring software for impaired users to schools!
   • additional desktop Xfce http://xfce.org/ to offer e.g. zooming the screen by Alt + mouse wheel, easy configuration
   • pre-installed high contrast themes https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/natty/gnome-accessibility-themes/
   • pre-installed and pre-configurated software e.g. elinks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELinks, screen reader Orca https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca_(assistive_technology), Braille support, pico2wave (reads any text marked by mouse), screen magnifier and much more
2. Knoppix Adriane, a USB disc drive based tool http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-adriane/index-en.html
   Adriane is an alphanumeric user interface optimized for blind users. The idea is that a blind user gets a 16+ GB USB disc frive (4 €), coming with a Linux based operating system, LXDE desktop etc. The German Labdoo research team added educational content (Wikipedia for Schools in English or French).

• portable solution: a blind user can use the USB disc drive to boot any PC or Laptop and use it with an optimized solution for blind users
• coming with pre-installed English or French Wikipedia for Schools
• available in English, French or German language (user interface)
• special web browser elinks to access internet (if online access is possible)
• mail, SMS, word processing, OCR scan and text reading and much more available
• You can order USB sticks at Labdoo (Germany) or install USB drives yourself, using an image
• Install it on any 16 GB USB drive or larger, 8 GB would be to small

Knoppix Adriane can be run from an USB stick, but will not ne installed on Labdoo laptops themselves. You will find 2 prepared images for 16+ GB sticks here http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/images/ (look for Knoppix_Adriane)

documentation

Please give us some time to document and translate the wiki pages, but you will find it here:
EN: overview https://www.labdoo.org/content/programs-handicapped-users-barrier-free and technical [to follow]
DE: overview https://www.labdoo.org/de/content/programme-f%C3%BCr-behinderte-anwender... and technical https://www.labdoo.org/de/content/knoppix-adriane-technik

The German and Austrian hubs can send-in their USB disc drives and they will get an updated USB disc drive back :) customer service :)

maintenance for 14.04 LTS and for images without wikis ended

6 months after the new Lubuntu release 16.04 LTS was launched the German team stopped updates and support for the Lubuntu 14.04 LTS based images for cloning. They can still be found for a while in our 14_04_archive http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/images/14_04_archive/, but will not get new features, patches or other updates any-more.

Also the support for an image without wiki ended. 20 GB disc drive will nw be too small to run Labdoo solutions with wikis. Minimum 30 GB disc size is recommended.

Credits

We thank the German research team, Dirk and Lisa for working on a new English Adriane wikibook (coming soon), Thomsen and hub Rhein-Ruhr for the technical work done, Hub Bonn and Humanitas Activa e.V. for bringing in braille lines and work done for testing.

Please let us know your feedback. What is missing? What are your ideas?