Applications Menu: This menu facilitates the opening of any installed application. Upon hearing the Welcome tune and Orca announcing itself, you can press Alt+F1 to access the Applications Menu. From here, navigate through menu items using the up or down arrow. Categories include Universal Access, System Tools, Sound and Video, Office, Internet, Graphics, Games, Education, etc. To access submenu items, press the right arrow key, and to navigate through submenu items, use the up or down arrow. For example, after pressing Alt+F1, use up or down arrow keys to move to Sound and Video, then press the Right arrow key and navigate through the submenu. You can quickly access any menu or submenu by pressing the first letter of the menu. For instance, to reach Sound and Video, press Alt+F1, press the up arrow once, and then press ‘S’ to select Sound and Video. If there are more than one menu starting with same letter you will have to press the letter repeatedly to reach the desired menu. To exit the Applications Menu, use the Escape key.

The easiest way to access any software is by pressing the left Windows(Super) key and typing the first few letters of the application’s name. Then, use the down arrow to view all the applications starting with those letters. Press the Enter key to open the desired application. For example, after pressing the Windows key, type ‘f,’ and all software starting with ‘f,’ such as Firefox, will be listed in the dropdown.

To close any opened application, use the key combination Alt+F4.

Places Menu: This menu provides quick access to various locations on your computer. After navigating to the Applications Menu by pressing Alt+F1, use the right arrow to access the Places Menu. Here, using the up or down arrows, you can browse through your locations where your data is stored. The menu includes Home, Desktop, Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Downloads, Computer, Partitions, and Recent Documents. The home directory serves as the primary location where data saved from applications is stored. Subdirectories such as Desktop, Documents, Music, and Downloads can be found here. After opening a location, you can create a new folder by pressing Ctrl+Shift+N. To copy a folder or file, use Ctrl+C, and to paste it into another directory, use Ctrl+V. To navigate to the Home directory, press Alt+Home, and to access the Desktop, press Alt+Ctrl+D. If you’re inside a folder, you can return by pressing the Backspace key.

Shutdown, Restart and Log out the system: Press Alt+F1 and press Up arrow to go to the Shutdown. Then press Enter twice to Shutdown the Computer. To restart the Computer you can select the restart from shutdown window. Inorder to restart the computer forcefully we can use the key combinations Alt+Ctrl+F1 and the then press Alt+Ctrl+Delete. In order to forcefully logout from the current session, we can press Alt+Ctrl+Backspace and the the system wil logout. Here select the user and enter the password to login again.

Orca screen reader: One can toggle Orca on and off using Alt+Super+S. To force restart orca screen reader, press Alt+Super+O, and to silence Orca, use Insert+S. Continuous reading can be initiated with Numpad Plus(+), while Insert+H activates the Learn mode. Press Escape to exit Learn mode. To access Orca preferences, press Insert+Space.
There are eight pages accessible with the Right and Left Arrow keys. Navigate within a page using Tab. For changing the language, go to the Voice page, then Tab until you reach the Person option. Use the Down Arrow to select the language, then press Enter twice. Apply the changes with Alt+A, and confirm with Alt+O. Adjustments to speech pitch, rate, and volume can be made using the sliders on the Voice page

System Settings
In the main menu we have the System tools menu and in the sub menu we have Administration, Preferences, System Settings, System monitor CPU-X etc.

Using CPU-X one can find out the hardware configuration of the computer. Here we have separate pages for CPU, Motherboard, System, Graphics and Caches. To navigate through pages use arrow keys and to move through the pages use Tab.

For comprehensive video tutorials, explore https://www.youtube.com/@zendalona/videos

The installation process is fully accessible to a visually challenged user.

Before you start, please note down carefully the partitions on your hard disk, their sizes and the operating systems residing on them. You will need at least 15 GB disk space to install the Accessible-Coconut. If it is not there, you will have to delete or resize an existing partition to free the required disk space. So decide in advance which partitions you could delete or resize. Also notes for installing in UEFI enabled systems is given at the end of this guide.

Following are the major activities needed for installation
1 Downloading Accessible-Coconut,
2 Creating a Bootable USB Flash Drive (Thumb Drive, Memory Stick, Pendrive),
3 Booting to Accessible-Coconut live mode using the Flash Drive,
4 Installing the Accessible-Coconut operating system,
5 Restart and remove the Flash Drive.

Activity 1: Downloading Accessible-Coconut.

To download latest version use the link: https://sourceforge.net/projects/accessible-coconut/files/latest/download

To download a specific version, visit the SourceForge page, navigate to the folder named after the desired version,
and proceed with the download. SourceForge page: https://sourceforge.net/projects/accessible-coconut/files/

Activity 2: Creating a Bootable USB Flash Drive (Thumb Drive, Memory Stick, Pendrive).

To make bootable Flash Drive you need following things
1. A flash drive with a minimum capacity of 8 GB (will be formatted).
2. Accessible-Coconut ISO image.
3. Software for installing ISO image to Flash Drive.

Here are some popular software options that can help install Accessible-Coconut to a Flash Drive.

1. balena Etcher: Available for Windows, GNU/Linux and MacOS.
Download link: https://etcher.balena.io/#download-etcher

2. Startup Disk Creator: Available for Ubuntu flavors and Accessible-Coconut only.
sudo apt-get install usb-creator-gtk

3. USB Image Writer: Available in Linux Mint and Accessible-Coconut.

4. Rufus: Available for windows only.
download link: https://rufus.ie/en/

5. UNetbootin: available for Windows, GNU/Linux and MacOS.
Download link: https://unetbootin.github.io

Now, do the following with any of the above listed software. Note that the USB stick will be formatted during this process.

Step 1: Launch the application.
Step 2: Insert your USB stick and remove any other USB storage medium for safety.
The software will update to set the device within the Device field.
If the Device selected is incorrect (perhaps you have multiple USB storage devices),
select the correct one from the device field’s drop-down menu.

Step 3: Choose the downloaded ISO image file of Accessible-Coconut.
Step 4: Select Start.
Step 5: Enter system password if prompted.
Step 6: Wait until the process is completed.
Activity 3: Booting to Accessible-Coconut live mode using the Flash Drive.

To install, let us understand that there are two types of installations: one with UEFI mode enabled and the other with Legacy mode. Most modern computers, especially those running Windows 8 and later versions, are installed in UEFI mode, while Windows 7 and earlier versions are generally installed in Legacy mode. If the computer is installed in UEFI mode, we should boot and install Accessible-Coconut in the same mode; likewise for Legacy mode. Attempting installation in the other mode will result in the operating system being installed but not detected by the computer.

Insert the Installation medium (Bootable Flash Drive) and restart the computer. For a visually impaired he/she may change the BIOS option to boot from Flash Drive in advance. If one has not done so in advance, seek the help of a sighted guide for the following. Looking at the screen a message indicating the button for entering boot options menu will be displayed at the top or bottom. The button may vary from system to system. It may be Del or F2 or F9 or F12. Keep pressing the appropriate button while the system is starting. This will bring up the boot options menu. Select the option to boot from the Flash Drive and press Enter.

Here, one should select the Flash Drive with ‘UEFI’ in brackets if the previous operating system is installed in UEFI mode. If your computer is already configured to boot from Flash Drive when one is loaded, this step is not required.

Note 1: In the BIOS, adjust the boot order by selecting items using the arrow keys. Use F5, F6, or the plus (+) and minus (-) keys to move items accordingly.

Note 2: If your Flash Drive is not listed in boot priority list check the Hard disk priority.

Note 3: In UEFI-enabled systems, accessing the BIOS or boot options by pressing keys is not possible. Details on how this can be achieved are provided at the end of this document.

Activity 4: Installing the Accessible-Coconut operating system.

Step 1: After the Accessible-Coconut is in live mode and also welcome to orca is heard, one should press installer launcher on the desktop.

Step 2: Now, on the first page, the default language is English. If necessary, change the language, and finally, press the ‘Continue’ button.

Step 3: The following page is for selecting the keyboard layout. If necessary, change the layout, and finally, press the ‘Continue’ button.

Step 4: The next page allows you to choose between a normal installation and a minimal installation. You can opt for the minimal installation if you don’t need all the software that comes with Accessible-Coconut.

Step 5: On the next page, under ‘Update and Other Software,’ there is an option labeled ‘Download updates while installing.’ Do not check this option because the upstream version may or may not be accessible.

Step 6: The most important step in the installation process is partitioning, during which you determine the location on your hard disk where the Accessible-Coconut will be installed. There will appear ‘Installation Type’ page with three or more radio buttons from which one can choose how to install Accessible-Coconut. One can navigate through these radio buttons by using up and down arrow.

Option 1: Installing alongside Windows or an existing operating system is the simplest method. This option installs Accessible-Coconut within the available free space or by shrinking existing partitions to accommodate it. It’s advisable to create a minimum of 30 GB of free space on the hard disk before initiating the installation process to ensure smoother operation. This free space can be created using Disk Manager for Windows or GParted for GNU/Linux. To duel boot Accessible-Coconut with Microsoft Windows  ‘Alongside Windows’ option is recommended.

Option 2: ‘Erase and Use the Entire Disk’ is also straightforward, but BEWARE: THIS WILL DELETE ALL EXISTING OPERATING SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS, AND DATA FROM YOUR HARD DISK. It will create a single partition occupying the entire disk and will install Accessible-Coconut.

Option 3: ‘Erase Ubuntu and Reinstall’ will delete existing Ubuntu and install Accessible-Coconut.

Option 4: To have enough control on the installation process, choose the last option namely ‘Something else’, select the ‘Continue’ button, Then a table appears, to navigate through this table one can use arrow keys. In the first column the ‘Device’ of the partition is shown and in the second column the ‘Type’ of each partition and in the Fifth column the ‘Size’ of each partition and in the sixth column the ‘used space’ is shown and in the seventh the ‘Operating System’ is shown. Select the partition to be deleted using the arrow key and press the delete key so that free space will be created.

The minimum partition required for the installation process is the root partition. To create it, select the free space and press Enter. This will bring up the ‘Create New Partition’ window. Then, press Shift+Tab twice to reach the mount point. Press the Down Arrow key once, and Orca will announce ‘slash.’ Now, Tab until you hear ‘Okay,’ and press Enter.

If you’re installing in UEFI mode, it’s necessary to create a partition with the type ‘EFI System Partition’ and a size of 100 MB. This can be done by selecting ‘EFI System Partition’ from the ‘Use as’ combobox in the ‘Create New Partition’ window.

Step 7: Now the system is ready for installation. Press tab till you reach ‘Install now’ button and press enter and the installation will start.

Please note that one can revert the installation process by selecting ‘revert’ or ‘back’ button or quit the installation process entirely by selecting ‘quit’ button. However once the ‘Install now’ button is selected the installation process will start.

Step 8: The next page is for selecting the timezone. You can select the timezone by typing the first few characters and then selecting the appropriate option.

Step 9: On the ‘Who Are You’ page, enter your username, password, etc., and choose to enable automatic login if you don’t require a password prompt at startup.

Activity 5: Restart and remove the Flash Drive. Installation may take ten to fifteen minutes, and the installer will prompt you to restart the computer upon completion. Now, click the ‘Restart Now’ button, and after one minute, remove the Flash Drive and press Enter to restart.
Note 1: UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface.

Note 2: Accessing the BIOS or boot options in UEFI-enabled Windows 8/10/11:
So one has to do following steps
Step 1: From windows, go to restart option and press Shift key and then Enter to restart.
Step 2: From the next window select ‘Troubleshoot’
Step 3: Select ‘Advanced Options’
Step 4: Select ‘UEFI Firmware Settings’
Step 5: Select ‘Restart’
Step 6: Now open Bios using Delete key, F2, F12 depends on system.
Note that in some laptops, one has to hold the function key before pressing these keys.

Note 3: Determining if the computer boots from the HDD/Flash Drive in UEFI mode or not:
Method 1: If there are no BIOS shortcut hints and the system boots directly to Windows,
it indicates UEFI mode.
Method 2: Confirm the existence of the ‘/sys/firmware/efi’ directory in your
GNU/Linux system; its presence indicates UEFI mode.

Note 4: If no partitions are listed, use ‘Fixparts’ located in the System Tools menu within the application menu.

Super+Home Open Home Folder

Super+Alt+up Increase the system volume,
Super+Alt+down Decrease the system volume,
Super+Alt+7 Mute system volume ,
Super+Alt+s Toggle screen reader,
Super+Alt+o For replacing screen reader,
Super+Alt+m Toggle Magnifier,
Super+Alt+b Say-Battery status,
Super+Alt+w restart wifi (for quick hotspot list updating),
Super+Alt+j Set screen brightness,
Super+space Change keyboard layout,
Super+Ctrl+Right Eject,
Super+Ctrl+Left Eject try-close,
Super+Alt+pagedown Screen off,
Super+Alt+pageup Screen on.
Super+Alt+end Touch-pad Off,
Super+Alt+Home Touch-pad On.
Alt+Ctrl+Delete For shutdown or restart the system.
Alt+Ctrl+F1, then Alt+Ctrl+Delete For restarting system any state.

Super+Tab Switch between panels and desktop.

Alt+Super+L Linux-Intelligent-OCR-Solution (Lios)
Alt+Super+D Take screenshot and ocr it using Lios
Alt+Super+F Firefox web browser
Super+I IBus-braille On.
Super+Alt+I IBus-braille Off.

Artha – English offline Dictionary
Audacious – Audio Player
Audacity – Sound recording and editing
Avidmux – Accessible simple video editing and processing tool
Blueman – BlueTooth manager
Brasero – CD/DVD Writing
Chromium – Web Browsing
CPU-X – View your system configuration
Curlew – Audio Converter
Daisy-Player – Play daisy audio formats
Disks – Simple disk partitioning tool
Document Viewer – Pdf viewer
Document Scanner – Simple easy image scanning
eBook-Speaker – Read ebook aloud
Firefox – Web Browsing
Gimp – Professional Image Editor
Gparted – Partition your storage devices
Grub-Customizer – Change boot entries of operating systems
IBus-Braille – System wide six or eight key Braille mode for typing text
Instruments – Play Instruments via LMMS
KDEConnect – Connect smartphones to your desktop devices
Libreoffice – Complete office suit
Lios – Document scanning and print reading solution(OCR)
LMMS – Produce music with your computer
Maths-Tutor – Game designed to enhance one’s calculation abilities in mathematics and enable them to self-assess
Onboard – View onscreen keyboard
Orca – Screen Reader
Periodic-Table – Accessible Periodic Table
Pidgin – Instant messaging client with support for multiple messaging protocols
Pluma – Text Editing and Viewing
Preload – Daemon to reduce application startup time.
Sharada-Braille-Writer – Simple text editor for typing in six key Braille mode
Snakes and ladders – Game featuring accessibility and educational modes
SMPlayer, VLC – Play audio and video
Startup Disk Creator – Make bootable pendrive
Transmission – Graphical BitTorrent client
Tuxmath – Game for practicing basic mathematics
Tuxtype – Game for learning and practicing Typing and Braille Layout
VCD-Imager – Extract video from VCD/DVD
XBoard – Accessible Chess GUI

One can download and install other languages for OCR using Tesseract-Language-Data-Installer in Graphics Menu.