Ease of Access from Control Panel in Windows 7
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
Overview of accessibility features in Windows 7
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windows7
Feature
Description
Ease of Access Center
Provides a centralized location in the Control Panel where you can adjust
accessibility settings and programs. You can also get recommendations for
settings to make your PC easier to see, hear, and use.
Magnifier
Magnifies the screen or a portion of the screen to make text, images, and
objects easier to see.
On-Screen Keyboard
A visual, on-screen keyboard with all the standard keys that you can use
instead of a physical keyboard. On-Screen Keyboard also lets you type and
enter data with a mouse or other pointing device.
Narrator
Reads aloud on-screen text and describes some events (such as error
messages appearing) that happen while you're using the computer.
Speech Recognition
Enables you to interact with your computer using only your voice while
maintaining, or even increasing, your productivity.
Change text size
Lets you make text and objects larger and easier to see without losing
graphics quality.
Personalization
You can add a personal touch to your computer by changing the
computer's theme, color, sounds, desktop background, screen saver, font
size, and user account picture. You can also select specific gadgets for your
desktop.
Touch
If you've got a touch-screen monitor, you can just touch your computer
screen for a more direct and natural way to work. Use your fingers to
scroll, resize windows, play media, and pan and zoom.
Keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard combinations of two or more keys that, when pressed, can be
used to perform a task that would typically require a mouse or other
pointing device. Keyboard shortcuts can make it easier to interact with
your computer, saving you time and effort.
Sticky Keys
Instead of having to press three keys at once (such as when you must
press the CTRL, ALT, and DELETE keys simultaneously to log on to
Windows), you can press one key at a time when Sticky Keys is turned on.
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
Mouse Keys
Instead of using the mouse, you can use the arrow keys on the numeric
keypad to move the pointer.
Filter Keys
Ignore keystrokes that occur in rapid succession and keystrokes that are
held down for several seconds unintentionally.
Visual Notifications
Replace system sounds with visual cues, such as a flash on the screen, so
system alerts are announced with visual notifications instead of sounds.
Captions
Get information via animations and video that some programs use to
indicate that activity is happening on your computer.
Overview of accessibility features in Windows 8
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windows8
Feature
Description
Ease of Access
Center
Provides a centralized location where you can adjust accessibility
settings and programs. You can also get recommendations for
settings to make your PC easier to see, hear, and use.
Magnifier
Magnifies the screen or a portion of the screen to make text,
images, and objects easier to see.
On-Screen
Keyboard
A visual, on-screen keyboard with all the standard keys that you
can use instead of a physical keyboard. On-Screen Keyboard also
lets you type and enter data with a mouse or other pointing
device.
Use Text Prediction
Use this option if you want the On Screen Keyboard to suggest words
for you as you type so you don't need to type each complete word.
Narrator
Reads aloud on-screen text and describes some events that occur,
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
Feature
Description
or error messages that appear, while you're using the computer.
Speech
Recognition
Enables you to interact with your computer using only your voice
while maintaining, or even increasing, your productivity.
Change text size
Lets you make text and objects larger and easier to see without
losing graphics quality.
Personalization
You can add a personal touch to your computer by changing the
computer's theme, color, sounds, desktop background, screen
saver, font size and more.
Touch
If you've got a touch-screen monitor, you can just touch your
computer screen for a more direct and natural way to work. Use
your fingers to scroll, resize windows, play media, and pan and
zoom.
Keyboard shortcuts Keyboard combinations of two or more keys that, when pressed,
can be used to perform a task that would typically require a
mouse or other pointing device. Keyboard shortcuts can make it
easier to interact with your computer, saving you time and effort.
Sticky Keys
Instead of having to press three keys at once (such as when you
must press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys simultaneously to log on
to Windows), you can press one key at a time when Sticky Keys is
turned on.
Mouse Keys
Instead of using the mouse, you can use the arrow keys on the
numeric keypad to move the pointer.
Filter Keys
Ignore keystrokes that occur in rapid succession and keystrokes
that are held down for several seconds unintentionally.
Visual Notifications Replace system sounds with visual cues, such as a flash on the
screen, so system alerts are announced with visual notifications
instead of sounds.
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
Overview of Accessibility Features in Windows XP
Description
Features
Double-Click Speed
Choose how fast to click the mouse button to
make a selection.
Highlight or drag without holding down the mouse button.
Click Lock
Set how fast the mouse pointer moves on screen.
Pointer Speed
Set how quickly a character repeats when a key is struck.
Character Repeat Rate
Dvorak Keyboard
Layout
Choose alternative keyboard layouts for people who type with
one hand or finger.
StickyKeys
Allow pressing one key at a time (rather than
simultaneously) for key combinations.
Filter keys
Ignore brief or repeated keystrokes and slow down the repeat
rate.
On-Screen Keyboard
Displays a virtual keyboard on the computer screen that allows
people to type data by using a pointing device or
joystick.
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
Word 2010 AutoCorrect
AutoCorrect in Word is one of those features that will save you lots of time and effort.
AutoCorrect is used to correct typos and misspellings and also to substitute the characters you
type for symbols.
At the precise moment you finish typing a word – by pressing the spacebar, typing a period, or
using some other punctuation – Word searches the list of typos and misspellings it knows about.
If it thinks you’ve made a typo, it will correct it automatically for you. AutoCorrect is set up by
default with a list of typical misspellings and symbols that uses commonly make, but you can
modify the list that AutoCorrect uses.
Using Word’s AutoCorrect is also a great way to save time typing out long pieces of text, too.
For example, you could set up the abbreviation cdc in the AutoCorrect list to be substituted by
the phrase Centers for Disease Control. Once set up, each time you type “cdc” and press the
spacebar, those letters will be replaced by “Centers for Disease Control”.
The AutoCorrect list is global across all the Microsoft Office 2010 programs that support this
feature, which means that when you add or delete a word from the list in one Microsoft Office
program, the other Office programs are also updated.
Word AutoCorrect Options
You can customize the way that Word AutoCorrect works: click the File tab > Options >
Proofing, and then click the AutoCorrect Options button near the top of the window.
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
The AutoCorrect window has many tabs, but when it opens, it will display the AutoCorrect tab.
The options at the top are basically a list of yes/no questions in the form of checkboxes,
described as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
Show AutoCorrect Options buttons – after an auto correction has been applied, if you
hover over the corrected word you’ll see the AutoCorrect Options button appear (see
below). This checkbox turns it off.
Correct TWo INitial CApitals – with this option checked, this sentence would become
“Two Initial Capitals”
Capitalize first letter of sentences – fairly self-explanatory.
Capitalize first letter of table cells – similar to the above option, except that table cell
contents are treated in isolation. When you tab to the next cell, or press the spacebar, for
example, the capital letter is applied to the first letter of the first word in the cell.
Capitalize names of days – Word recognizes the names of the days (there are only
seven, after all) and when this option is checked, day names with lowercase initial letters
are corrected.
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
•
•
Correct accidental usage of cAPS LOCK key – Word can detect when you’ve
accidentally left the Caps Lock button on and corrects the text you type.
Replace text as you type – this section is geared towards setting up “shortcuts” for long
pieces of text that would be tedious to type in. To set up “cdc” to be converted to
“Centers for Disease Control”, see the image below.
Once you’ve made changes on the AutoCorrect window, click OK to save them. The changes
you make take immediate effect.
AutoCorrect Options Buttons
Replace text as you type
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
Universal Access for Mac OS X
Sticky Keys enables the user to enter key combinations by pressing keys in sequence
rather than simultaneously. This will benefit users who are unable to press or have
difficulty pressing shortcut key combinations.
Turning On Sticky Keys
By default, Sticky Keys may be turned on in the Universal Access panel of System
Preferences:
1. Chose Apple menu > System Preferences, and click Universal Access.
(Alternatively, click on the System Preferences icon
in the dock.)
2. Click on the Keyboard tab.
3. Check the radio button labeled On in the Sticky Keys section (Figure 1).
4. If desired, check the box labeled Press the Shift key five times to turn Sticky
Keys on or off. This will allow you to enable or disable Sticky Keys using the
shift key rather than via system preferences.
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013
How To Know That Sticky Keys is Working
By default, OS X will play a sound when enabling or disabling Sticky Keys and when a
modifier key is pressed. Further, an overlay icon will be shown for each modifier key
that is pressed. If the option to Show Universal Access status in the menu bar is
enabled in the Universal Access system preferences, a marquee will appear next to the
Universal Access icon in the menu bar stating that Sticky keys is on (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Sticky Keys Marquee.
Turning Off Sticky Keys
To turn off Sticky Keys, check the Off radio button in the Sticky Keys section of the
Universal Access system preferences. If the options to enable or disable Sticky Keys
via the shift key was checked, pressing the shift key five times will also turn off Sticky
Keys.
Shar Powell, ATP
Oregon Technology Access Program
TIES Presentation 4/15/2013