Universal Access
The Universal Access preferences pane enables you to set options for making your computer easier to use by people with disabilities.Universal Access's features can be set in four different tabs:
- Seeing (Figure 117 ) enables you to set options for people with visual disabilities.Hearing (Figure 119 ) allows you to set options for people with aural disabilities.
Figure 119. The Hearing options of the Universal Access preferences pane.

Figure 120. The Keyboard pane of the Universal Access preferences pane.

Figure 122. The Mouse pane of the Universal Access preferences pane.

To enable access for assistive devices
| 1. | Display any pane of the Universal Access Preferences pane (Figure 117, 119, 120 , or 122 ). |
| 2. | Turn on the Enable access for assistive devices check box. |
- A screen reader is an example of an assistive device.
To set Seeing options
| 1. | In the Universal Access preferences pane, click the Seeing button (Figure 117 ). |
| 2. | Set options as desired:
.Display enables you to set black on white or white on black (Figure 118 ) screen display or convert color to grayscale. You can drag a slider in this area to enhance or reduce contrast.Figure 118. As odd as it may seem, some people find this image easier to see than the standard black on white image.[View full size image] ![]() |
Figure 40 ) may help you set your computer monitor so you can see it better. I tell you about the Displays preferences pane earlier in this chapter.
To set Hearing options
| 1. | In the Universal Access preferences pane, click the Hearing button (Figure 93 ), which I discuss earlier in this chapter, to adjust the volume. |
- Clicking the Flash Screen button shows you what the screen will look like when visually displaying an alert sound. Try it and see for yourself.
To enable & configure Sticky Keys & Slow Keys
| 1. | In the Universal Access preferences pane, click the Keyboard button (Figure 120 ). |
| 2. | To enable Sticky Keys, select the On radio button beside Sticky Keys. Then set options as desired:
five times.Beep when a modifier key is set plays a sound when a modifier key you press is recognized by the system.Display pressed keys on screen shows the image of the modifier key on screen when it is recognized by the system (Figure 121 ).Figure 121. Universal Access can show you which keys you pressedin this example, |
| 3. | To enable Slow Keys, select the On radio button beside Slow Keys. Then set options as desired:
|
Figure 62 ), which is discussed earlier in this chapter, so you can set other options for making the keyboard easier to use.
To enable & configure Mouse Keys
| 1. | In the Universal Access preferences pane, click the Mouse button (Figure 120 ). |
| 2. | To enable Mouse Keys, select the On radio button. Then set options as desired:
five times.Initial Delay determines how long you must hold down the key before the mouse pointer moves.Maximum Speed determines how fast the mouse pointer moves. |
| 3. | To make the mouse easier to see, drag the Cursor Size slider to the right. The mouse pointer gets bigger. |
Figure 62 ); click the Open Keyboard Preferences button to open it.
.Display enables you to set black on white or white on black (
five times.Beep when a modifier key is set plays a sound when a modifier key you press is recognized by the system.Display pressed keys on screen shows the image of the modifier key on screen when it is recognized by the system (
and 
five times.Initial Delay determines how long you must hold down the key before the mouse pointer moves.Maximum Speed determines how fast the mouse pointer moves.