Accessibility features configuration guide

Start with the settings for your desktop. Features depend on the desktop version, image, and application. A setting shown in upstream documentation might be absent from your image. Test essential tasks before you choose a desktop; see the desktop comparison.

Find your settings

Press Super (often the Windows key), open the application launcher, and search for Settings. On GNOME, you can also open Settings with gnome-control-center.

Desktop	Where to start	Availability notes
GNOME	Settings → Accessibility	Screen Reader, Zoom, Large Text, contrast, typing and pointer assistance.
KDE Plasma	System Settings → Accessibility (or search for Accessibility)	Screen Reader, keyboard filters, mouse navigation, bell and zoom settings vary by Plasma version.
COSMIC	COSMIC Settings → Accessibility; also check the accessibility applet	Test each required feature on your image. A visible shortcut or toggle does not prove that all apps support it.
XFCE	Settings Manager → Accessibility, or xfce4-accessibility-settings	Enable Assistive Technologies for Orca; keyboard assistance and keypad mouse controls are here.
Niri	User configuration and desktop utilities	There is no single accessibility settings panel. Screen reading requires a full Niri session; see below.

Sources: GNOME accessibility, Plasma accessibility, XFCE accessibility, and COSMIC settings.

Change one setting at a time. Note its old value and how to turn it off before you change keyboard filters, zoom, or pointer behavior. User-session settings do not necessarily apply to the login screen, installer, or disk-unlock prompt.

Screen readers and speech

Enable and configure Orca

Orca reads accessible application controls through speech or a braille display. It needs to run in your desktop session, with a speech service that works and voice.

1. On GNOME, open Settings → Accessibility → Seeing → Screen Reader. The default Super+Alt+S shortcut toggles it; press it again to turn it off.
2. On Plasma, open System Settings → Accessibility → Screen Reader and enable it. Plasma uses Orca. Konsole is a terminal emulator, not a screen reader.
3. On XFCE, enable Assistive Technologies in Accessibility, then log out and in if requested. Start Orca from the application menu. Use Session and Startup → Application Autostart if you need it at each login.
4. On COSMIC, try the Screen Reader toggle in Accessibility. Check the behavior on your release. System76 documents limits in its shortcut reference.
5. On Niri, start a full session through the display manager or niri-session. Nested Niri and a plain niri process do not expose the same accessibility interfaces. Follow the Niri accessibility guide for Orca startup and version requirements.

If Orca is present, run orca --setup from a terminal to open its preferences. Choose a keyboard layout, voice, language, rate, and volume. Start with a slow rate. Read the Orca manual for its modifier key, commands to read text, and application-specific controls.

If the toggle gives no speech, check output volume and the selected sound device. Try orca --version in a terminal to check whether Orca is installed. If it is missing, report your image and desktop to TunaOS support. Do not assume that a package installed in a development container can read the host desktop. Follow the host package guidance before you change the host image.

Test a real workflow

Open Settings, a text editor, and a browser. Use Tab and Shift+Tab to move between controls. Check that Orca speaks focus, control names, values, and typed text. Read a web heading and link, save a file, then repeat after login.

Test GTK and Qt apps separately. If one app is silent, try another app before you change the whole session. Custom controls and inaccessible documents can limit what Orca reads.

Text-to-speech and dictation

To read selected content, use an application's read-aloud feature where available; configure its voice and language in that app. Orca's speech settings do not control every application's text-to-speech engine.

Speech-to-text is a separate tool, not an Orca mode. TunaOS does not promise that one tool provides dictation on all desktops. In an app that offers dictation, select the microphone and recognition language, grant microphone access, and dictate a short sentence into a test document. Check punctuation and correction controls. Check whether the app sends audio to a service before you use private text. If the feature is absent, use the keyboard or on-screen keyboard as you check the app's supported speech-input options.

Visual and reading assistance

• GNOME: In Accessibility → Seeing, try High Contrast, Large Text, and Zoom. Open Zoom options to change magnification and how zoom follows focus.
• Plasma: Search System Settings for Colors, Fonts, Cursors, and Accessibility. Choose a high-contrast color scheme, increase font and cursor size, and configure Zoom where available. Dark mode alone does not guarantee high contrast.
• XFCE: Use Appearance → Style and Fonts, Mouse and Touchpad → Theme, and Display for scale options. Available themes depend on the image.
• COSMIC: Check Accessibility, Appearance, and Displays for available contrast, text, and scale controls. Test magnification with the applications you use.
• Niri: Follow its accessibility guide for zoom controls supported by your version. Use output scale and app text size where needed. Back up ~/.config/niri/config.kdl before edits; see the Niri quick-start.

For optional fonts such as OpenDyslexic or Atkinson Hyperlegible, download font files from the font project's official site. Place them in ~/.local/share/fonts/, then reopen the app. Select the font in its preferences. Try a short page before you change every app. Font preference is individual; these fonts do not guarantee that text is easier to read. Remove the added files to uninstall them.

Increase the space between lines and browser text size if useful. Reduce animation in desktop settings where offered, and disable app notifications that distract you. Check that the pointer, text selection, and keyboard focus remain visible in both light and dark apps. Use Ctrl+plus, Ctrl+minus, and Ctrl+0 for browser zoom.

Motor assistance and keyboard-only work

In GNOME Accessibility → Typing, Plasma Accessibility, or XFCE Accessibility → Keyboard, enable one filter and test it in a text editor:

Setting	Effect	What to adjust
Sticky Keys	Press modifiers and a letter in sequence, instead of together.	Test Ctrl, then C to copy selected text.
Slow Keys	Accept a key only after you hold it down.	Increase the acceptance delay in small steps.
Bounce Keys	Ignore repeated presses within a delay.	Set a delay that still permits intentional repeated letters.

COSMIC and Niri might not offer the same filters in your version. Use the settings that are present; do not copy settings commands from GNOME and expect them to change another compositor.

Common app navigation uses Tab/Shift+Tab, arrow keys, Enter to activate, Space to toggle a checkbox, and Esc to close a menu. Alt+Tab switches windows on many desktops. Check your desktop's shortcut settings for conflicts. See Plasma shortcuts, the COSMIC quick-start, and the Niri quick-start for window and workspace commands. Practice these tasks without a mouse: open an app, save a file, and open settings.

For pointer alternatives:

• In GNOME Accessibility → Pointing & Clicking, try Mouse Keys or Hover Click (dwell click). Set a comfortable dwell delay, then test a click and a drag.
• In Plasma Accessibility, check Mouse Navigation; in XFCE Accessibility → Mouse, enable mouse emulation with the keypad. These controls generally need a numeric keypad.
• In Mouse and Touchpad settings, adjust pointer speed, tap-to-click, and scroll speed. Touchpad gestures depend on the desktop; retain a keyboard route to each task.
• An on-screen keyboard can help if your desktop provides one. Test it in your applications and at login separately.

There is no verified universal setup for an eye tracker for TunaOS. Before you choose a device, check its vendor's Linux, Wayland/X11, calibration, and click-emulation support for your desktop. Test movement, selection, and recovery after the device loses focus with a fallback input device. X11-only pointer tools might not work on Wayland.

Hearing assistance and media

In GNOME Accessibility → Hearing, enable Visual Alerts and choose the window or screen flash. Plasma Accessibility → System Bell offers visual bell controls. Test with an application that emits a system bell; app sounds may use a different notification path. Avoid alerts that flash if they cause discomfort.

Enable notification banners in your desktop and each important app. Check that a message remains visible long enough to read, including while Do Not Disturb is active or you lock the screen. Do not rely on sound alone for important events.

In your media player or call app, select a subtitle/caption track or enable captions in its settings. Check caption language and timing with a short clip; media without captions needs a transcript or a caption service. Audio description is a separate narrated track for visual content: select it in the audio-track menu when supplied. It does not replace captions.

International input and right-to-left text

A keyboard layout defines the keys; an input method also composes characters and presents candidate choices. A change to the interface language does not by itself add either.

1. On GNOME, open Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Add Input Source. Select your language and layout or input method. Older versions may place this under Region & Language. Use Super+Space to switch sources. See GNOME input sources.
2. On Plasma, use System Settings → Keyboard → Layouts for layouts. For a composition engine, check the installed input-method settings (often IBus or Fcitx 5). On XFCE use Keyboard → Layout; COSMIC has Input Devices → Keyboard. On Niri, follow its keyboard configuration and the input framework's session instructions. Layout selection alone does not start an input-method engine.
3. For Chinese, select an available Pinyin or other preferred engine. For Japanese, a Japanese engine such as Mozc; for Korean, Hangul. For Indic and Southeast Asian languages, choose the relevant layout or composition engine. Availability depends on installed language support. If absent, ask support about your image. Do not run package commands for a different TunaOS base.
4. For Arabic or Hebrew, add the language's layout. In the editor, select right-to-left paragraph direction where needed. Test mixed text, numbers, and punctuation; a layout does not set every document's paragraph direction.
5. Type a sentence in a plain text editor and browser. Check candidate selection, the source switch, and font glyphs after login. Test each sandboxed app. Do not start multiple input frameworks in the same session.

When a feature does not work

Record the TunaOS image/tag, desktop version, Wayland or X11 session, application, and the smallest steps that reproduce the problem. State whether the same task works in another app and whether it fails before or after login. Remove private text from logs and screenshots. Use the support page for help; report missing image components separately from application accessibility failures.