State of accessibility in linux

[Andrew Wagner]

Hi all.
I'm pretty new to this list. What is the state of accessibility for linux
users? I read somewhere that there was at one time a goal of having a screen
reader that functioned from boot up to shut down. Is that the case now? Is
there a linux distribution where the installation is local and accessible?
What projects need to be done? I have a goal to find/create a linux
distribution to get my (blind) girlfriend off her dependency on Microsoft.
One of these days...