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[Tim Jones <tim.dalinian.jones@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Original bug report: “Reported by truant on 2011-04-29”
Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot release date: 2011-10-13
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin release date: 2012-04-26
Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal release date: 2012-10-18
Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail release date: 2013-04-25
Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander release date: 2013-10-17
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Trusty Tahr release date: 2014-04-17
Today's date: 2014-06-28 

I am astonished to discover that this “bug report” has been languishing here unaddressed for three years and two months. So despite... 
• the very valid comments about the crippled usability of Sticky Keys without a modifier key status indicator, from multiple end users (which I fully endorse – there are times when only logging out and logging in again will rectify an unknown and non-viable modifier key latched/locked combination);
• “First-class accessibility for those with special interaction needs” being a publicly stated aim for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin since at least 2011-10-20; [1]
• SIX missed opportunities to address this critical accessibility problem between Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot and Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Trusty Tahr
...it seems that Canonical either have a worse than useless bug-tracking system (less likely) or assign the needs of people with disabilities a rock bottom priority (more likely, but depressingly disappointing).

I've been using Sticky Keys on Apple Mac OS X for a decade, and
occasionally on Micro$oft Windoze, and on both OS's the modifier key
status indicators are a crucial component in making Sticky Keys work for
unidextrous typing and computer control. The OS X technique of 'sound on
modifier key-press' plus 'user-positionable translucent modifier key
icon overlays' to show the current latched/locked modifier key
combination is far more user friendly than the tiny panel icon in
Windoze. Yet a 'one icon per modifier key' panel applet for Ubuntu,
integrated into the System Settings > Universal Access > Typing >
Sticky Keys, ought to be relatively easy to implement; indeed one end
user has coded a 'one icon per modifier key' panel applet, and although
it doesn't work on the Gnome Flashback environment I'm using, it does
show what's needed:

pic: » http://i.stack.imgur.com/TnURl.png 
caption: Image starting from left: Icon, Shift, Locked Caps, Ctrl, Alt, Super, Locked AltGr (Small circle to indicate locked state)
source: » http://askubuntu.com/questions/402315/how-to-add-a-keyboard-modifier-state-applet-to-unity-panel  

As an Ubuntu noob, I'm unfamiliar with how best to get Canonical's
attention drawn to fixing this problem. If more experienced Ubuntu
community members can suggest ways in which to get this long-overdue
error corrected, those of us who need a fully functional Sticky Keys
implementation would be most grateful.


[1] “First-class accessibility for those with special interaction needs” being a publicly stated aim for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin since at least 2011-10-20 – see 'Precision Planning; Prepping for 12.04 LTS' by Mark Shuttleworth » http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/810

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/773078

Title:
  Should display the StickyKeys status in some way (a11y)

Status in Unity:
  Confirmed
Status in “unity” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: indicator-application

  Following an upgrade to Natty, I can no longer determine what state my
  stickykeys are in.  No special steps are needed to reproduce this
  issue, just being in a Unity session.

  Previously this information was provided by the gnome-panel-applet
  called "AccessX Status" which displayed a row of icons which would
  show either latched or locked for each modifier key. In GNOME 2.x, I
  would right click a panel, select "Add to Panel" and choose "Keyboard
  Accessibility Status"

  This would give me a line of 6 square icons representing Alt, Ctrl,
  Super etc. These icons change state depending on which keys are being
  (temporarily or permanently) locked by stickykeys.

  While stickykeys seems to work - in that keys are latched/locked as
  one would expect - the lack of information about their state renders
  the feature considerably less usable.  For some users, myself
  included, this is a critical a11y failure and requires using the GNOME
  2.x environment instead of Unity.

  This is now the third time I've reported this bug/problem, hopefully
  I've got it in the right place this time!  Apologies if not, and
  please do let me know where I should be reporting this if not here.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
  Package: indicator-application 0.3.2-0ubuntu1
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
  Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic x86_64
  Architecture: amd64
  Date: Fri Apr 29 10:28:52 2011
  ExecutablePath: /usr/lib/indicator-application/indicator-application-service
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Alpha amd64 (20100827)
  ProcEnviron:
   SHELL=/bin/bash
   LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
   LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
  SourcePackage: indicator-application
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-04-28 (0 days ago)

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