orca screen reader does not read Ubuntu mate installer

[Zack Benton]

Orca Screen reader will not read installer window
I am testing the Ubuntu 20.04 beta in a virtual machine
here are the steps to reproduce this issue
Step one: Boot the live image as normal
Step 2: when you hear the new Ubuntu logo sound, try starting the orca screen reader with super+alt+S
You then should hear screen reader on.
If you press tab or alt+tab, you only get the install window title spoken along with as superuser and nothing else.
This used to work in one of the earlier daily builds but it appears that something has been broken.

[Zack Benton (zbenton)]

This was tested using the beta of Ubuntu mate in a virtual machine.

[Bill (franksmcb) (franksmcb)]

Using the 20200422 ISO this is working in a bare metal install.

[Zack Benton (zbenton)]

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try downloading that particular build and check. I also tested the beta by booting it from a flash drive

[Zack Benton (zbenton)]

I downloaded the particular build you mentioned and it worked flawlessly, thank you. Is there any reason why this doesn't work in the beta image, Out of curiosity?

[Zack Benton (zbenton)]

I should have been more clear explaining where this bug exists. Usually, I think it gives you the option to either try Ubuntu, or install. If you are automatically in the installer window instead of being placed within the Mate desktop, it will not read the install window for some reason. If you select the Try ubuntu option, everything works fine after the mate desktop comes up. Is there a way to invoke the try ubuntu option rather than selecting install?

[artemiy novitzkiy (artemiy-22)]

I installed the official release of ubuntu mate 20.04 and faced this problem. I think I managed to identify it more accurately. This is how it looked in my case:
After recording the ISO image on a USB flash drive, I booted the system in BIOS emulation mode (the boot mode is important here because if you boot in efi mode there is no problem).
After the welcoming sound I pressed the key combination Super + ALT + s.
In my case the Orca turned on, but I could not do anything, because clicking on the cursor arrows and the tab key did not give any result (Orca simply pronounces the name of the pressed key, but does not tell where the cursor is).
Important notes: 1. With the help of a sighted assistant I found out that if you run the installer from the screen that appears when loading, the installer is not accessible for Orca. Ubuntu 19.10 had no such problem. The whole dialog that appears before loading the live system is not available; 2. If you boot the system into live mode and run the installer, then for Orca it will also be not available.
To fix the situation you need to enable support for assistive technologies and change the user session. after that the installer becomes available and a blind user can install the system on his own.
There are no problems described above, if you boot the system in EFI mode.

I would be very grateful if you help solve these problems. The current situation complicates the installation of Ubuntu 20.04 for those blind users who, for one reason or another, use BIOS emulation rather than EFI.

[Maksym Bilak (bmivzkrp-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi All.

I cannot confirm this problem because I use EFI. However, users using the system in normal BIOS emulation mode have told me about this problem. All exactly as described in the previous comment. Indeed, this problem has existed since the release of the Ubuntu 20.04 beta.

[Maksym Bilak (bmivzkrp-deactivatedaccount)]

Sorry. Of course, I mean the beta version of Ubuntu-MATE 20.04.

[Zack Benton (zbenton)]

I do believe I have bios legacy mode enabled and that may be the problem for me. I'll try enabling UEFI support. I'm trying to install this on a Dell inspiron 3521. At least I now know that I'm not the only one having this problem.

[Maksym Bilak (bmivzkrp-deactivatedaccount)]

But keep in mind that when you use EFI, you immediately get into a user session (that is, you ll end up in a MATE work environment).

[artemiy novitzkiy (artemiy-22)]

Hi. The situation hasn’t changed after the release of Ubuntu-20.04.1. The error still remains.

[Jason Holt (eternal-novice)]

I am having the same problem with 20.10. I am blind and have no idea what boot mode I am in. I only know the keystrokes to make this PC boot from usb.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Bill (franksmcb) (franksmcb)]

This is occurring with 20.10

Alt+Super+S starts screen reader
Alt+Tab changes to super-user installer

Orca is working in other applications during the session (ex Firefox) however the screen-reader is not processing anything with the Ubuquity installer window.

[Bill (franksmcb) (franksmcb)]

Could there be any relation to this previous bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/197887

[Guy Schlosser (guyster)]

I'm not sure if this helps or not, but along with not being able to read the installer in Ubuntu Mate 20.10 and 21.04, I also cannot read such programs as gparted if I drop and launch them from a terminal. I am booted with a live USB image in uefi mode. I can reproduce the gparted issue by dropping to mate terminal, issuing sudo -i, then gparted. No speech, and alt+tabbing yields gparted as super-user. This is a huge problem for me, because Ubuntu live images have always been a troubleshooting tool when I work on people's computers.