In Progress

Initiative to provide a subsystem for blind, low-vision, and color blind users

Contact: Alfonso Sabato Siciliano <asiciliano@FreeBSD.org>

This project will provide a starting point for a “Vision Accessibility Subsystem” for blind, low-vision, and color blind users.  New features will include a Braille refreshable display framework, a communication channel for the virtual terminal console, a speech synthesizer, high-contrast TUI utilities, and an accessibility book to document assistive technologies available on FreeBSD.

The project deliverables include:

  • Modification of the TUI utilities in the base system to provide a high contrast option, probably handling the “NO COLOR” environment variable for GUI terminal emulators and vt(4).  Manuals will be updated to describe the new options.
  • New option to run bsdinstall(8) in high contrast by using a startup dialog menu to choose “Install” or “High Contrast Install”.
  • New communication method for vt(4) and a speech synthesizer. Manual(s) will be updated to describe the new features.
  • A braille devices framework, probably as a port of https://brltty.app with its braille refreshable displays “drivers”. If time permits, also include its speech capability feature.
  • New utility to implement bsdinstall(8) dialogs as a simple text interface suitable for screen readers.
  • New “Speech Install” option to run bsdinstall(8) via the new CLI utility. This feature will be provided as a Proof of Concept (videos and demos for conferences and social networks) as the speech synthesizers and BRLTTY are released under GPL-like licenses.
  • New “Accessibility” book in the doc repository to describe the new Vision Accessibility Subsystem and the tools in the ports tree.