Notices by aaron (fireborn@dragonscave.space)

@matt I'm not a fan of vibe coding, but in this case I am going to turn a blind eye, pun intended, and say “finally”

Don't mind me, just using my timeline as a test case

After a short break, I’m returning to accessibility training services.

I provide one-on-one training for blind and visually impaired users across multiple platforms. My teaching is practical and goal-driven: not just commands, but confidence, independence, and efficient workflows that carry into daily life, study, and work.

I cover:
iOS: VoiceOver gestures, rotor navigation, Braille displays, Safari, text editing, Mail and Calendars, Shortcuts, and making the most of iOS apps for productivity, communication, and entertainment.
macOS: VoiceOver from basics to advanced, Trackpad Commander, Safari and Mail, iWork and Microsoft Office, file management, Terminal, audio tools, and system upkeep.
Windows: NVDA and JAWS from beginner to advanced. Training includes Microsoft Office, Outlook, Teams, Zoom, web browsing, customizing screen readers, handling less accessible apps, and scripting basics.
Android: TalkBack gestures, the built-in Braille keyboard and Braille display support, text editing, app accessibility, privacy and security settings, and everyday phone and tablet use.
Linux: Orca and Speakup, console navigation, package management, distro setup, customizing desktops, and accessibility under Wayland.

Concrete goals I can help you achieve:
Set up a new phone, tablet, or computer
Send and manage email independently
Browse the web safely and efficiently
Work with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations
Manage files and cloud storage
Use social media accessibly
Work with Braille displays and keyboards
Install and configure accessible software across platforms
Troubleshoot accessibility issues and build reliable workflows
Make the most of AI in a useful, productive way
Grow from beginner skills to advanced, efficient daily use

I bring years of lived experience as a blind user of these systems. I teach not only what manuals say, but the real-world shortcuts, workarounds, and problem-solving skills that make technology practical and enjoyable.

Remote training is available worldwide.

Pricing: fair and flexible — contact me for a quote. Discounts available for multi-session packages and ongoing weekly training.

Contact:
UK: 07447 931232
US: 772-766-7331
If these don’t work for you, email me at aaron.graham.hewitt@gmail.com

If you, or someone you know, could benefit from personalized accessibility training, I’d be glad to help.

#Accessibility #Blind #VisuallyImpaired #ScreenReaders #JAWS #NVDA #VoiceOver #TalkBack #Braille #AssistiveTechnology #DigitalInclusion #InclusiveTech #LinuxAccessibility #WindowsAccessibility #iOSAccessibility #AndroidAccessibility #MacAccessibility #Orca #ATTraining #TechTraining #AccessibleTech

today in what the fuck is apple doing, VoiceOver voices now degrade as your frone heats up.

Sometimes I think I at least have a basic understanding of what I'm doing with computers. Other times, like right now, I think I have no fucking idea.

@dentangle Debian, Fedora, Elementary are good places to start. All imperfect in 1 way or another, with elementary coming out on top for having an announcement that the system is booted and how to enable the screen reader. Debian has the soundcard seleptor that allows for working around HDMI audio traps.

The only reason I responded to it, the only reason I approved it at all actually, is because it embodies every single one of the Linux stereotypes that people say happens and they are told they are wrong or making it up. There are a few more negative comments in the pending queue that I'm just not going to touch

I woke up to a comment so smug, so perfectly soaked in gatekeeping and faux-righteous posturing, it earned its own blog post.
You want freedom? You want GNU/Linux to mean something?
Then maybe start by not telling disabled users to go fuck themselves with a smile.
This commenter thought they were defending "software freedom." What they were really doing was kicking people out of the room. Dismissing accessibility. Mocking effort. Pretending that cruelty is some kind of rite of passage. They quoted Stallman like it was scripture, ignored real-world experience like it was noise, and wrapped it all in condescension dressed as virtue.
I’ve spent over a decade in this ecosystem. Writing patches. Rebuilding broken stacks. Helping blind users boot systems upstream doesn’t even test. I didn’t "just install Arch and whine about the terminal." I lived in it. I survived it. I held it together when maintainers disappeared and no one else gave a damn.
But apparently, because I didn’t call it GNU/Linux™ and because I dared to talk about how this OS chews people up and spits them out, I’m lazy. I’m weak. I should "get a dog."
So I wrote a response. Line by line. No mercy. No euphemisms.
This isn’t just about one comment. This is about every time someone’s been told they don’t belong because they couldn’t learn fast enough, code well enough, or survive long enough. It’s about everyone who was pushed out while the gatekeepers patted themselves on the back for "preserving the spirit of free software."
You want a free system? Start by making it livable. Because freedom that demands you crawl bleeding through a broken bootloader isn’t freedom. It’s abandonment dressed in ideology.
And if this kind of gatekeeping is your idea of community?
You can keep it.
https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/you-dont-own-the-word-freedom-a-full-burn-response-to-the-gnulinux-comment-that-tried-to-gatekeep-me-off-my-own-machine/
#Linux #GNU #FOSS #Accessibility #BlindTech #FreeSoftware #Gatekeeping #DisabilityInTech #OpenSource #Orca #ScreenReaders #ArchLinux #BurnItDown #blogpost

The state of Linux accessibility in 2025. This started out as a rant but became a series. Please feel free to leave feedback, comments, and subscribe via rss or email for more stuff as I release it. https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/i-want-to-love-linux-it-doesnt-love-me-back-post-1-built-for-control-but-not-for-people/

After having things explode one-too-many times at this point, I've decided to give Nix OS a serious try. Having to learn another programming language to use my computer does not fill me with joy, but maybe it'll work. Or maybe I'll hate it and just end up switching to something that isn't Linux at all.

I didn’t plan to write about Wayland yet. But Xorg is dying — not eventually, but now. GNOME’s dropping X11 support. RHEL already removed it. Ubuntu and Fedora are next. And if you rely on accessibility, you don’t get to wait this one out.
So here’s Post 4 of I Want to Love Linux. It Doesn’t Love Me Back.
I’m using Wayland now. Primarily. Not because I love it. Because the fallback is disappearing, and I want to be there helping fix what comes next. GNOME with Orca actually works. KDE and COSMIC are making progress. I’ve talked to the people involved. They care.
But a lot is broken.
MATE — the desktop most blind users preferred — isn’t on Wayland.
ocrdesktop doesn’t work. xdotool is gone.
wlroots compositors still don’t reliably support Orca’s keybindings, especially on laptops.
This isn’t GNOME’s fault. They’re the only reason accessibility on Wayland works at all.
But the old excuses are gone. “Just use Xorg” isn’t going to be an option much longer.
So yeah. I’m a Wayland shill now. Because I’m using it. Because I have to.
And I want to make sure we’re not excluded from what comes next.
https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/i-want-to-love-linux-it-doesnt-love-me-back-post-4-wayland-is-growing-up-and-now-we-dont-have-a-choice/
#Linux #Wayland #Accessibility #Orca #GNOME #KDE #COSMIC #FOSS #a11y #BlindTech #xorg

Steam just dropped screen reader support in the latest Big Picture Mode beta. On the Deck. On SteamOS. On Linux.
Not hacked in. Not community-patched. Built-in. From Valve.
There's an accessibility tab. There's a screen reader. There's high-contrast mode, UI scaling, color filters, reduced motion, and more.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but: I need a Steam Deck now.
Accessibility isn’t just coming to gaming — it’s here, and it’s official.
Let’s make some noise so they keep going.
🔗 https://www.theverge.com/games/689922/steam-is-adding-screen-reader-support-and-other-accessibility-tools
#Accessibility #Gaming #SteamDeck #ScreenReader #Linux #valve

@BrodieOnLinux @davetaylor2112 They haven't. It's a third-party service patching the cleints working on reviving MSN/aIM/AOL/ICQ/Yahoo and others.

Whelp, guess I'm adding msn messenger to my list of available contact methods

@BrodieOnLinux There's a project called the oneCore API to get modern windows applications to run on Windows xp. Unfortunately, every app running under app compat is inaccessible to screen reader users. I had to solve this oh-so-critical problem.

This is my first, and probably only, post from Windows XP.

The fact that Enafore can load at all is surprising.

I highly recommend *never* doing this. Don't connect xp to the internet. Don't open a browser, and certainly don't log into an account.

@J3317 @BrodieOnLinux I totally agree. Speech-to-text with things like Open AI's whisper modal is really good now. Even as someone who doesn't need this tool I use it to transcribe audio messages I'd rather read than listen to.

GrapheneOS: Where Licenses Matter More Than People

I chose to write this.

https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/grapheneos-where-licenses-matter-more-than-people/

#GrapheneOS #Accessibility #FOSS #Blind #DisabilityTech #Inclusion #GPLv3 #espeak #a11y #Security #FreeSoftware #DisabilityRights #Android #Rant #TechShame

**update**: If you are using this post as some kind of call-to-action to harass and attack the GOS developers, please don't.

That damages everyone. You, them, and myself. It's not helpful.

**Update two**. I have made the decision to pull this post. It is not a good starting-point for a discussion, and just encourages defensiveness on both sides – when there really aren't sides here at all.

As a FOSS contributor, I am deeply ashamed at the way I approached this out of frustration.

@alexchapman @BrodieOnLinux This is wild. I had no idea that this would actually get any traction. It hasn't before. Amazing.

@BrodieOnLinux This honestly makes me worry for the future of software development, not because programmers will lose their jobs -- that isn't happening -- but these AI generated bug reports are going to make actual reports and actual issues take longer to fix. Triage is already a nightmare. A bad actor could weaponise this to keep a security hole open for longer by just flooding slop reports.