1. Ease of Access and Assistive Technology on Windows 7 Computer Access for Individuals with Visual Impairments

2. EASE OF ACCESS CENTER Accessibility settings automatically turned on every time the user logs on to the computer To be used on a personal computer, or on a computer that the user has his/her own account on

3. 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

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

5. In the Ease of Access Center, select Optimize visual display. Click here

6. High Contrast: – Use high contrast to heighten the color contrast of some of the screens 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 screens 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).

7. 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

8. 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).

9. 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

10. Mouse pointers – Choose pointers (arrow and blinking cursor) that is most appropriate for the users 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).

11. 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

12. To return to the main Ease of Access window, click Ease of Access in the navigation bar, as shown above. Click here

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

14. 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.

15. 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

16. To start Magnifier To 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

17. 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.

18. To start Narrator To 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

19. Main Narrator Settings: – Echo Users 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).

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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 http://windows.microsoft.com/en- US/windows7/What-accessibility-features-does- Windows-offer