Ease of Access and Assistive Technology on Windows 7

Computer Access for Individuals with Visual Impairments

EASE OF ACCESS CENTER

Accessibility settings automatically turned on every time the user logs on to the computerTo be used on a personal computer, or on a computer that the user has his/her own account on

To find the Ease of Access Center on a Windows 7 PC, go to the start menu, and select “Control Panel” from the menu on the right.

First, Click here

Then, Click here

In the control panel, select “Ease of Access”. This option is highlighted above.

In the Ease of Access Center, select “Optimize visual display”.

Click here

• High Contrast: – Use high contrast to heighten the color contrast of some of the screen’s

text and images. Doing so will make text and images easier to identify.• Hear text and descriptions read aloud:

– Turn on Narrator: Check this to have the screen’s text read aloud.– Audio Description: Check this to hear a description of what is happening

in videos (when available).

Scroll down for more options (shown on next slide).

• Turn on Magnifier: Check this to have Magnifier run when you log on to your computer. Magnifier will enlarge any part of the screen where the mouse is pointing.

• Make the focus rectangle thicker: Check this to make the rectangle around the selected item in a dialog box thicker and easier to see.

• Set the thickness of the blinking cursor: Check this to make the blinking cursor in dialog boxes thicker and easier to see.

• Turn off all unnecessary animations: Check this to turn off some animation effects.• Remove background images: Check this to turn off all unimportant, overlapping

content and background images.

Once finished, click OK

• Clicking OK in the “Make the computer easier to see” window brings you to the window above.• Quick access to common tools:

– Always read this section aloud: Check this if you wish to have the contents of this window read aloud.

– Always scan this section: This option is not of great use to someone with a visual impairment.– This window also gives you an opportunity to start Magnifier and/or Narrator, as previously

described.• Explore all settings:

– Scroll down to view full list of options.

Scroll down for more options (shown on next slide).

• Having already chosen “Make the computer easier to see”, the next step in making the computer more accessible for the visually impaired is to choose “Make the mouse easier to use”.

Click here

• Mouse pointers– Choose pointers (arrow and blinking cursor) that is most appropriate for the user’s

vision.• Control the mouse with the keyboard

– Turn on Mouse Keys: Check this to control the movement of the mouse pointer with the numeric keypad. This is not of particularly great use for the visually impaired, unless other physical limitations to mouse access exist.

Scroll down for more options (shown on next slide).

• Make it easier to manage windows:– Activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse: Check this to

make it easier to select a window. This is more useful for someone for whom it is physically difficult to click the mouse.

– Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edge of the screen: Check this to prevent windows from automatically resizing and docking when they are moved to the edge of the screen.

Once finished, click OK

• To return to the main Ease of Access window, click “Ease of Access” in the navigation bar, as shown above.

Click here

In the Ease of Access window, select “Speech Recognition” to set up a voice activation system for dictation and computer navigation.

Click here

• After selecting “Start Speech Recognition”, the user will be led through the tasks listed below. Including setting up a microphone and learning how to use the speech recognition feature.

Click here, and then follow the set-up

instructions.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS

Accessibility programs for use as needed, or for use on a public computer on which the user does not have his/her own account

To start MagnifierTo find the Magnifier program, go to the start menu, and click on the box that says, “Search programs and files”. Type “magnifier” into the box, and the program should appear in the options in the above menu. Click it to run Magnifier.

First, Click here

Then, type in search here

Finally, click here to start the program

• Magnifier will open a small window to allow you to choose the percentage of magnification. It will begin at 100% (normal size), and each click of the plus sign will increase the magnification by 100 (200%, 300%, 400%, etc.). Move the mouse to explore the screen.

To start NarratorTo find the Narrator program, go to the start menu, and click on the box that says, “Search programs and files”. Type “narrator” into the box, and the program should appear in the options in the above menu. Click it to run Narrator.

First, Click here

Then, type in search here

Finally, click here to start the program

• Main Narrator Settings:– Echo User’s Keystrokes: Check

this if you wish to for the computer to speak the keys you strike as you type.

– Announce System Messages: Check this if you wish to have message boxes read aloud.

– Announce Scroll Notifications: Check this if you would like the computer to announce the status of the scroll bars (how far down you have scrolled (in a percentage, etc.)

– Start Narrator Minimized: Check this if you would like the Narrator Settings box (shown here) to be minimized on the desktop, rather than open, when you start the program.

When you have finished with main settings, click here (Voice Settings on

next slide).

• Voice Settings:– Select Voice: Choose the

voice that you would like the narration to be given in

– Set Speed: Narration speed can be set anywhere from 1 (for slow) to 9 (for fast) using the drop-down list.

– Set Volume: Narration volume can be set anywhere from 1 (for soft) to 9 (for loud) using the drop-down list.

– Set Pitch: Narration pitch can be set anywhere from 1 (for low) to 9 (for high) using the drop-down list.

When you have finished with

voice settings, click here.

• The Main Narrator Settings Window will reappear.– While using Narrator,

you can minimize this window by clicking the “-” icon.

– When you wish to stop running narrator, click “Exit”.

Click here to minimize the window, while running the

program.

To exit the program, click

here.

Windows Resource

• To read about accessibility options offered by Windows, go to:– http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/

What-accessibility-features-does-Windows-offer