The Emmabuntüs Collective is pleased to announce the release, on January 26, 2026, of Emmabuntüs Debian Edition 5 (EmmaDE5) version 1.05, available in 32-bit and 64-bit, based on Debian 12.13 “Bookworm” and featuring the Xfce and LXQt desktop environments.
This update was designed to allow our users, when necessary, to refurbish computers based on a 32-bit architecture.
This update of our distribution mainly focuses on accessibility improvements, developed as part of our collaboration with our friends at A.S.I. YOVOTOGO and the “Togolese Federation of Associations of Persons with Disabilities” (FETAPH). The goal is to soon equip specialized centers for people with visual impairments across Togo including the Saint Augustine Multipurpose Center in Lomé and the Maison du Handicap initiated by Mutualistes Sans Frontières.
These improvements were made possible thanks to the work and valuable feedback of our blind and visually impaired volunteers: Stéphane, Philippe, Gloupy, and Quentin. We warmly thank them for their tests, their experience, and their suggestions for improvement.
The deployment of this version in Togo will begin in early February 2026, with initial training provided by our friends Jean-Pierre and Elias, and ongoing maintenance handled by the Togolese association JUMP Lab’Orione.
The new accessibility features are activated only at the user’s request, through a dedicated interface, so as not to disrupt our long-time users.
Corrections and Improvements in version 1.05
System Base and General Features
- Based on the Debian 12.13
- Improved Italian translation
- Assignment of sound volume to 50% by default
- Added Wine installation script
- Fixed choice of country and time zone
- Fix related to the use of proprietary firmware in the ISO
- Removed non-functional Deborah
- Update: Firefox 140.7.0esr, Thunderbird 140.7.0esr, Debian beginner’s handbook 12.10.2, deb-get 0.4.5-1, Ventoy 1.1.09, CTparental 5.3.01-1m, TurboPrint 2.59-1
Accessibility Improvements and Enhancements
- Accessibility window redesigned using YAD in order to have speech synthesis to navigate in this window
- Added MBROLA and Piper speech synthesizers
- Added caja for desktop management in accessibility mode
- Added LIOS (Linux-Intelligent-OCR-Solution)
- Added KDE-Connect
- Added laptop battery level information script
- Added Index Braille embosser installation script
- Added shortcut information to accessibility icons
- Added script to disable/restore the wallpaper for impaired people
- Added script to disable/restore startup screens for impaired people
- Added espeakup to enable speech synthesis to work with the screen reader in Linux console mode (in TTYs)
- Added nmap to identify printers on the local network
- Improved support for Braille readers
- Improved system update script
- Changed shortcuts to launch LibreOffice and Geany with the keyboard in 6-point mode
- Redesign of the accessibility manual in French and English
- Updated shortcut manuals in both French and English languages
This version will be available starting January 26, 2026, from our website at emmabuntus.org, or directly from the link download.emmabuntus.org.