Microsoft Accessibility Video Spotlights Visual Impairment Support

I have students that need vision support in accessing the computer at school and home. There are some nice features in the Microsoft Accessibility Options within Windows that I use to help them and use for me as well. For example: I have larger icons on my desktop, my Word documents are set at a larger font size and when on the Internet my browser display is set to be larger. These features and more might be an option you want to explore with your students at school or at home. These disabilities effect more of us than you might think.
I get occasional update news from Microsoft concerning their accessibility options in Windows.
They shared:
"Vision difficulties and impairments include low vision, color blindness, and blindness. Among adult computer users in the United States, 1 in 4 (27%) have a vision difficulty (see study). There are many options for individuals with vision difficulties to modify the computer displays and appearance so it is more legible, or receive information through sound or touch."
One of their employees, Karen, is featured in a short video on how she uses the accessibility options to change the background and font colors as well as magnification to help her read easier. There is also a piece on a portable reader she uses.
There is a handy resource guide with information on AT support tools and links to video tutorials on how to use the accessibility options in Windows. I have linked it below.

Microsoft Resource Guide: List of AT tools and tutorial links

To access the options for accessibility in Windows and change the resolution (taken from the MS Accessibility Update newsletter):

In Windows XP, display the Start menu by pressing CTRL+ESC (or the Windows logo key), then select:

Control Panel
In Control Panel, select:

Display
In the Display Properties dialog box, select:

The Settings tab.
On the Settings tab, under Screen Resolution:

Select a screen resolution value by moving the slider arrow. Less (lower) resolution makes items appear larger. More (higher) resolution makes items on screen appear smaller but allows more items to show on screen.
Find more Windows XP tutorials

In Windows Vista:
In Windows Vista, to open the Ease of Access Center, press Windows logo key + U, or select:

Start

Control Panel

Ease of Access

Ease of Access Center
Under Explore all settings, select:
"Make the computer easier to see."

Under See also, select:
"Personalize appearance and sound effects."

In Personalize appearance and sounds, select:
Display settings.

Under Resolution:
Select a resolution between Low (screen elements appear larger) and High (screen elements appear smaller).
Find more Windows Vista tutorials

I hope you will take advantage of the options within Windows that can make visual impairments a little easier to live with when on a computer.

Don't forget gh Accessibility CEO Dave Schleppenbach today on No Limits 2 Learning Live at 12:30 Pacific time.

All the best to you!
Lon

Windows Disability Settings and On-screen Keyboards Help with Keyboarding

Do you use Windows keyboard settings designed to accommodate disabilities? There are three excellent settings that can make your life easier: Sticky keys, Filter keys and Toggle keys.

Sticky keys: When turned on, Sticky keys allows you to press keys simultaneously which would normally take two hands, and it still lets you close the window. For example, it lets you hold down the CTRL key first and then ALT and then DEL and the computer will "hold" all three down in succession for you.

Filter keys: This control allows users with tremors or accidental extra keystrokes type without the keyboard picking up the second hit. If you struggle with banging extra keys or hitting one multiple times, this should help.

Toggle keys: For folks with visual impairments, when Toggle keys is on, a specific tone is played when CAPS, CAPS LOCK, NUMBER LOCK or SCROLL LOCK are on.

How do I access these features?

First, go to your Start button in Win XP. Then choose settings/control panel/accessibility options. Click on the keyboard tab and then check the boxes for each feature you want to enable. There is a settings button for each one that give you more options as far as shortcut key assignments that turn these features on/off and some preferences. When done, click OK.

If you have further issues with keyboarding, there are other options in the way of a "soft or virtual keyboard". Windows has their on-screen keyboard (link to MS tutorials) and there is also an excellent one called Click-n-type you can download for free. It also has a free word prediction add-on you can download too. If you are ready to throw a keyboard out the window, you can use a mouse or a track-pad to type on the screen without touching a keyboard at all.

Some supportive links:

Yahoo article on WinXP accessibility for keyboarding;

Introducing On-screen Keyboards from UK site

All the best to you!

Lon