Need advice on setting up laptop for partially sighted friend

[parker.hugh]

Hi, I have been using linux for a couple of years and picked up a little knowledge along the way, but still consider myself a newbie. I've never used Kubuntu before as I heard it was more resource hungry than Xfce which I become familiar with.

I have a friend who has developed a progressive eye disease called glaucoma. This has slowly caused hazy and blurred vision and his eyesight has deteriorated gradually over past few years.

He now cannot use his laptop anymore, but I heard that Kubuntu might be adapted to help him. Someone also mentioned Windows 10 accessibility might help but I would prefer to avoid it if possible and stick with Linux if it could be adapted with a high contrast desktop. Also is there any packages that read out out loud to the user depending where mouse cursor was pointed?

At the end of the day I would like to try to setup any system that allows my friend to be able to use his laptop once again. Does anyone have any advice to guide me in the right direction?

[GreyGeek]

In System Settings --> Accessibility are several tabs to adjust the desktop environment (audio and screen)

This is in addition to adjusting the background color, default font and its size.

[Goeroeboeroe]

I have no idea about how to customize the desktop etc.
A few years ago I tried ORCA, a screenreader for Gnome. I couldn't get it to work on KDE. Maybe that's possible by now, I don't know. Orca is supposed to read out Firefox, LibreOffice, and some other programs. I had a quick look at their documentation, but that's very, very short.
For only a browser there's an excellent extension for Google Chrome, called ChromeVox. If a site is build a little bit accessible, ChromeVox can read it out. And you can interact with the site. ChromeVox is at least as good as NVDA and Narrator on Windows. But you have to use it in combination with Google Chrome, and it only works for websites.
(Lots of sites won't work with a screenreader, but that's because they are not build in an accessible way.)

[SpecialEd]

I think you're going about this the wrong way round. Have you tried fora specifically for Blindness to see what they suggest?

[arochester]

Maybe...you should try Knoppix Adriane instead...>>> http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-adriane/index-en.html

[GreyGeek]

Excellent suggestion!
I've used Knoppix in the past and it is a very nice, well developed RPM based distro.

[woodsmoke]

Ummmm

Knoppix...

yeah...

wood used it a lot but stopped a few years go...

FOR PEOPLE with sight problems

woodlikessknoppixsmoke