Accessible-Coconut(AC) is a community driven GNU/Linux operating system which is completely accessible for persons with visual impairment. AC is derived from Ubuntu-MATE. The goal is to make a free and open-source eyes free desktop environment.

AC is packed with plenty of utilities which makes it a feature rich OS ready to be used without hurdle of exploring and finding out essential software packages that an average computer user requires in daily routine.

Accessibility Solutions:

Before mentioning any other utilities, first let's explore the accessibility services it offers to assist users with visual impairment in navigating and accessing various components of the system.

• Screen reader: Provides alternative access to the desktop by using speech synthesis and Braille.
• Six key input: Type text in any text field using only six keys of the keyboard with Braille knowledge in a Perkin's Brailler mode.
• Screen Magnification facility’s.

Books and Paper Reading:

Users with visual impairment requires special software in order to read accessible books and other documents. Through Optical Character Recognition technology scanned documents can also be made accessible. AC provides following utilities in this area.

• Print reading: Facility to read printed books using a scanner in almost all the major languages in the world including English, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic etc.
• Daisy-player: play books in daisy format.
• Ebook speaker: Read electronic books in various formats including Epub, PDF, Text, etc.

Educational Packages:

AC also comes with some highly beneficial educational software:

• Typing tutor: Improve typing skill in different languages of the world in a gameful way.
• Math tutor: For developing math skills in a gameful way.
• English offline Dictionary.
• Accessible Periodic Table.

Multimedia Functionalities:

A full fledge system may sound incomplete without multimedia services. Here's what AC offers in this regard:

• Audio and Video players.
• Accessible audio and video editing solutions.
• Media conversion: Multimedia converter with batch file conversion support which can convert to more than 100 different formats.
• Musical instrument: Play musical instruments using the keyboard of the computer.
• Professional Image Editor.
• VCD/DVD video extractor.

System Utilities:

Following are some utilities it offers to manage the OS efficiently:

• Accessible disk management and partitioning solutions.
• Direct keyboard shortcuts : Easy keyboard shortcuts for many facilities including recognizing screenshot, knowing battery status, controlling brightness etc.
• Console (TTY) screen reader friendly.
• CD/DVD Writer.
• Bluetooth manager.
• Bootable pendrive making tool.
• OS Boot entries customizer.
• System configuration viewer.

Essentials:

Besides all the packages for sophisticated needs, the OS of course have the basics:

• Web Browser
• Email Client.
• Messenger.
• PDF viewer.
• Complete Office Suit.
• Bit Torrent Client.
• Text Editor.
• On Screen Keyboard.
• And much more.

System Requirements:

Before considering to install Accessible Coconut, have a look at the minimum system requirements.

• 2GHZ Dual Core processor or better.
• 2GB RAM or more.
• 16GB of free hard drive space.
• DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media.

Installation:

The OS can be installed independently with the screen reading solution after burning it on a USB stick via any burning utility such as Rufus.

Get Support:

Although BHP hosts various Social Media Forums for any technological discussions, but if you require dedicated support with regards to Accessible Coconut then check out their official forums:

• Google Group (Mailing List).
• Telegram Group.

Conclusion:

Accessible Coconut is a feature rich fully accessible linux distribution based on Ubuntu. It is actively developed. It is out of the box packed with lots of Reading, Educational, Multimedia, System Utilities and Essencial programs. For anyone looking to get hang of linux environment without facing too many troubles, AC is highly recommended. Not only basic users, advance computer users will also find it highly benificial.