VmWare

[Christopher Moore]

Doug,
You should probably give the ubuntu live cd a try before attempting to 
install it on a hard drive.  Check out:
live.gnome.org/Orca to get the scoop on how to obtain the ubuntu live 
cd.  

Gnome accessibility has been in the works for several years, and much 
has been accomlished in terms of the underlying archetecture.  However, 
in my opinion the end user experience is still far short of MS windows 
with a screen reader 
or the linux console apps.  On the other hand, the Orca team at Sun 
Microsystems has been working hard to improve accessibility and the 
product is more stable than in the past.  My major complaint is poor 
responsiveness.  When I'm using speakup, I get almost immediate feedback 
to keystrokes and commands. I can't say the same about orca.  

But, I urge you to try it out and make suggestions to the Orca team.

Chris