Windows XP [Electronic resources] : Visual Quickstart Guide, Second Edition

Chris Fehily

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Accommodating Disabled Users

Windows XP can be set up to assist disabled users.

Accessibility is Microsoft's umbrella term for tools that make a computer easier to use for people with poor eyesight, hearing, or mobility. Accessibility tools are:

Accessibility Wizard

Accessibility Options

Magnifier

Narrator

On-Screen Keyboard

Utility Manager

Tip

Accessibility tools are for everyone. Graphic designers and developers can use Magnifier for pixel-level design work. And On-Screen Keyboard is handy if you find yourself with a broken keyboard.

Accessibility Wizard

Accessibility Wizard helps you choose accessibility options step by step. Use it to learn about Windows' accessibility functions without exploring each setting individually.

To run the Accessibility Wizard:

1. Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > Accessibility Wizard.

2. Click Next.

Accessibility Wizard guides you through the available accessibility options (Figure 4.56 ).

Figure 4.56. The Accessibility Wizard asks questions and sets accessibility options appropriately. In this introductory screen, you set the size of onscreen text.

[View full size image]

Tip

Settings in the Accessibility Wizard also are available in Control Panel's Accessibility Options utility.

Accessibility Options

Control Panel's Accessibility Options utility lets you adjust accessibility settings for vision-, hearing-, or mobility-impaired users.

To set accessibility options for vision-impaired users:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Accessibility Options > Accessibility Options > Display tab (Figure 4.57 ).

Figure 4.57. To toggle between high-contrast and standard colors, press Alt+left Shift+Print Screen.

2. To make Windows and other programs use a color scheme that increases legibility, check Use High Contrast; then click Settings to pick the scheme.

3. To make the cursor (insertion point) blink faster or slower, drag the Blink Rate slider.

4. To make the cursor wider so that it's easier to see, drag the Width slider to the right.

5. Click OK (or Apply).

Tips

Some high-contrast color schemes include large and extra-large fonts.

See also "Magnifier" and "Narrator" later in this section.

To set accessibility options for hearing-impaired users:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Accessibility Options > Accessibility Options > Sound tab (Figure 4.58 ).

Figure 4.58. ShowSounds, which works a little like TV closed-captioning, substitutes text captions for speech and other sounds. Programs labeled "Windows XP Compatible" generally support this feature.

2. To display a signal onscreen when Windows plays a system sound (such as a warning beep or incoming-mail beep), check Use SoundSentry.

3. If you turned on SoundSentry, select a visual signal, such as flashing the title bar or the entire screen.

4. To turn on captioning for programs that support it, check Use ShowSounds.

5. Click OK (or Apply).

To set accessibility options for mobility-impaired users:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Accessibility Options > Accessibility Options > Keyboard tab (Figure 4.59 ).

Figure 4.59. StickyKeys is useful for people who have trouble pressing more than one key simultaneously FilterKeys is for people who have trouble pressing keys quickly or lightly. ToggleKeys is useful for everyone, disabled or not.

2. To make the Shift, Ctrl, Alt, and Windows logo keys toggle on or off by pressing and releasing them (rather than holding them down), check Use StickyKeys.

3. To have Windows ignore brief or repeated keystrokes, check Use FilterKeys.

4. To make the computer beep whenever you press Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock, check Use ToggleKeys.

5. To make programs display extra keyboard help (if available), check Show Extra Keyboard Help in Programs.

6. Click the Mouse tab (Figure 4.60 ).

Figure 4.60. MouseKeys is designed for people who have trouble using the mouse, but it's also handy for making precise moves in graphics programs.

7. To use the numeric keypad to move the mouse pointer and to click, double-click, or drag, check Use MouseKeys.

8. Click OK (or Apply).

Configuring the Keyboard" earlier in this chapter.

If you watch the keyboard (rather than the screen) when typing, you may find ToggleKeys useful for warning you that you've TURNED ON CAPS LOCK ACCIDENTALLY.

In MouseKeys mode, press 2, 4, 6, or 8 on the numeric keypad to move the pointer. Press 5 to click, + to double-click, to right-click, Insert to start dragging, or Delete to end dragging. Hold down Shift to move in small, precise increments or Ctrl to jump in large increments.

The keyboard shortcuts for toggling Accessibility options on and off are:

StickyKeys. Press Shift five times in a row.

FilterKeys. Hold down the right Shift key for eight seconds.

ToggleKeys. Hold down the Num Lock key for five seconds.

MouseKeys. Press left Alt+left Shift+Num Lock.

See also "On-Screen Keyboard" later in this chapter.

To set general accessibility options:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Accessibility Options > Accessibility Options > General tab (Figure 4.61 ).

Figure 4.61. Automatic Reset is useful when several people use your computer but only some require accessibility options. Notification is useful to alert people who might turn on an accessibility feature accidentally. SerialKey is appropriate for people who can't use a standard keyboard or mouse.

2. To make Windows turn off all accessibility features after a period of inactivity, check the box in the Automatic Reset section; then select a length of time.

3. To display a confirmation message or beep every time you use a shortcut key to turn an accessibility feature on or off, check the boxes in the Notification section.

4. To turn on support for special input devices (keyboard and mouse replacements attached to a serial port), check the box in the SerialKey Devices section; then click Settings to define the device's chosen port name and data rate.

5. To apply these accessibility settings to all future logons or new user profiles, check the boxes in the Administrative Options section.

6. Click OK (or Apply).

Magnifier

Magnifier is a magnification program for visually impaired users; it displays a special panel at the top of the screen that shows an enlarged version of the area of the screen near the pointer or cursor (Figure 4.62 ). When you first open Magnifier, the Magnifier Settings dialog box appears (Figure 4.63 ).

Figure 4.62. Magnifier acts as a magnifying glass that follows the pointer or cursor around the screen.

[View full size image]

Figure 4.63. Select Invert Colors for a high-contrast color scheme that improves visibility in the magnification window.

To open and configure Magnifier:

1. Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > Magnifier.

2. In the Magnifier Settings dialog box, select the magnification level; specify whether the magnified area tracks the mouse pointer, highlighted area, or insertion point; or change the color scheme.

3. To hide the Magnifier Settings window, minimize it; to exit, click Close or Exit.

Using the Free Utility Programs" in Chapter 6. After installing it, right-click an empty area on the taskbar; then choose Toolbars > Taskbar Magnifier.

Narrator

Narrator is a text-to-speech (TTS) program for visually impaired users; it uses a voice synthesizer and your system's audio hardware to read aloud the contents of the active window, menu options, text that you've typed, and text and captions of other screen elements. When you first open Narrator, the Narrator dialog box appears (Figure 4.64 ).

Figure 4.64. Narrator is designed to work with Notepad, WordPad, Control Panel programs, Internet Explorer, the Windows desktop, and Windows Setup; it may not read words aloud correctly in other programs.

To open and configure Narrator:

1. Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > Narrator.

2. In the Narrator dialog box, specify whether new windows, menus, or shortcut menus are read aloud when displayed; whether typed characters are read aloud; or whether the active item on your screen is read aloud.

3. Click Voice to adjust the synthesized voice's speed, volume, or pitch.

4. To hide the Narrator window, minimize it; to exit, click Close or Exit.

Configuring Speech Recognition and Translation" later in this chapter.

Narrator, like Magnifier, is less capable than full-featured commercial alternatives. If you need a TTS program to use a computer, buy a third-party program or find a charitable cause or government program that donates such software. Try TextAloud ($30 U.S.; www.nextup.com) with AT&T Natural Voices (www.naturalvoices.att.com).

On-Screen Keyboard

This virtual keyboard lets mobility-impaired users click the mouse (or other pointing device) to type. The program that's accepting your typed characters must be active while you're using On-Screen Keyboard.

To open and configure On-Screen Keyboard:

1. Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > On-Screen Keyboard (Figure 4.65 ).

Figure 4.65. On-Screen Keyboard displays a facsimile of a full keyboard that floats atop the active program.

[View full size image]

2. Use the Keyboard menu to choose the onscreen keyboard's layout.

3. Use the Settings menu to add a click when you select a key; choose a font; or set the typing mode.

4. To close On-Screen Keyboard, choose File > Exit (or click Close).

Utility Manager

Utility Manager manages Magnifier, Narrator, and On-Screen Keyboard from a central location.

To open and configure Utility Manager:

1. Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > Utility Manager (Figure 4.66 ).

Figure 4.66. The first time that you open Utility Manager from the Start menu, a warning message tells you that some of Utility Manager's features are available only if you start it by pressing Windows logo key+U.

or

Press Windows logo key+U.

2. Select an accessibility tool; then click Start or Stop.

3. Use the check boxes to tell Windows to start any or all tools when you log on, lock your desktop, or start Utility Manager.

4. Click OK (or Apply).

Tip

If your keyboard has no Windows logo key, use On-Screen Keyboard to open Utility Manager with the keyboard shortcut. This maneuver turns on features that are otherwise unavailable.