Hi Steve,
Thanks for the welcoming words! Some comments below ...
Mats
-----stevealee gmail com skrev: -----
Hi Mats, It's great to see you here, bringing as you do, very
considerable experience. You have raised some great points that
highlight an important area that is missing and if implemented will
add to GNOMEs usefulness.
I wonder if reading support may also offer some interesting 'curb cut' possibilities for being used in other scenarios such as primary education and talking books.
But of course! When it's there, the tts reading and writing support will be a great resource in education - for literacy acquisition - in primary education, but also further on, for second language learning etc. This is also why this support - though being a very fundamental accessibility and AT tool - should ideally not be featured so much as such, but rather as a fun and neat gadget on the desktop - for anybody to use, for whatever purpose or reason. This relates to David's fwd-ed info on speech support in OLPC-Sugar.
I have a couple of quick thoughts before I retire.
1) I'm guessing the additions you suggest for Orca reading support
might be achievable in the $6K/6mo limits and we should look at
finding someone to do them.
Wonderful if this could happen!
2) We've just been discussing new magnification schmes using the
window manager and I wonder if magnification is useful for reading
support (in addition to highlighting). If so what are the
requirements?
Yes,the combination of speech support and magnification may be very useful for some persons with reading and writing difficulties related to visual perceptional difficulties, and/or difficulties with keeping focus. Particularly magnified focus - ideally with colour options - on the current line may be useful (ZoomText may be a reference for this)
3) Text-under cursor should be possible with accessible applications
that expose AT-SPI.
4) What are the minimal writing support that needs implementing?
I think this is indicated in my points about Orca:
The basic thing: To stop all unwanted speech - just what you want and need
Input echoing: character (ideally adding an option to replace tts letter name reading by recorded letter sounds - for early learners), word, sentence (added).
Reading: Add sentence by sentence reading.
(Possibly add alternative yellow background reading cursor)
Add reading highlighted word on double click, and selected text copied to the clipboard.
Also an alternative minimal set of (configurable) shortcut command keys (F-keys, Num kpd keys etc. - avoiding difficult key combinations)
Add a simple reading toolbar with the commands and entry to options setting.
I think this is the first minimal steps - next; go on with the more fancy reading text under mouse cursor stuff.
Steve Lee
