Making windows login accessible to physically disabled

[Adrian Luck]

Hi I work for the British education department in a unit that is looking at ways to help physically disabled studnets to access their educational curriculum using computer systems and software.

One of the biggest problems we have at this moment is that it is often very difficult for physically disabled students to logon to networked windows school systems, since they do not have the ability to manipulate a keyboard and mouse to enter their name and password. The software that they use to recieve inputs from their switches or communication devices will only run after login.

My question:
Is it possible to have a python script run before Windows login, that could be listening for an input from a serial port. Upon recieving the right input signal the script would login a user to a windows networked system?

This would enable non verbal physically disabled people who cannot physically use a standard keyboard and mouse to login using an input from their communication device.

Can any one help?

[bartonc]

Hi I work for the British education department in a unit that is looking at ways to help physically disabled studnets to access their educational curriculum using computer systems and software.

One of the biggest problems we have at this moment is that it is often very difficult for physically disabled students to logon to networked windows school systems, since they do not have the ability to manipulate a keyboard and mouse to enter their name and password. The software that they use to recieve inputs from their switches or communication devices will only run after login.

My question:
Is it possible to have a python script run before Windows login, that could be listening for an input from a serial port. Upon recieving the right input signal the script would login a user to a windows networked system?

This would enable non verbal physically disabled people who cannot physically use a standard keyboard and mouse to login using an input from their communication device.

Can any one help?

The short answer is: Yes, a python script can be run at startup (Window's really doesn't care what mechanism a startup program uses).

The really tricky part would be figuring out how to hook into the logon process. I have recently discovered several free programs that may take you in the, generally, right direction: Take a look at bootskin or LogonStudio. They're free, developed by startdock.