Resource Guide for Individuals with Vision Difficulties and Impairments
About Vision Difficulties and Impairments
Vision difficulties and impairments include low vision, color blindness, and blindness. Among adult computer users in the United States, 1 in 4 (27%) have a vision difficulty (see study). There are many options for individuals with vision difficulties to modify the computer displays and appearance so it is more legible, or receive information through sound or touch. Those who are blind cannot use a computer monitor and but have the option to receive information from their computers through hearing or touch offered through screen readers and Braille displays.
Assistive Technology
Products compatible with Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, made by independent assistive technology manufacturers, are included in the assistive technology catalog. People who have vision difficulties and impairments may be interested in the following assistive technology:
- Screen enlargers (or screen magnifiers) work like a magnifying glass. They enlarge a portion of the screen as the user moves the focus—increasing legibility for some users. Some screen enlargers allow a user to zoom in and out on a particular area of the screen.
- Screen readers are software programs that present graphics and text as speech. A screen reader is used to verbalize, or "speak," everything on the screen including names and descriptions of control buttons, menus, text, and punctuation.
- Speech recognition systems, also called voice recognition programs, allow people to give commands and enter data using their voices rather than a mouse or keyboard.
- Speech synthesizers (often referred to as text-to-speech (TTS) systems) receive information going to the screen in the form of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, and then "speak" it out loud. Using speech synthesizers allows blind users to review their input as they type.
- Refreshable Braille displays provide tactile output of information represented on the computer screen. The user reads the Braille letters with his or her fingers, and then, after a line is read, refreshes the display to read the next line.
- Braille embossers transfer computer generated text into embossed Braille output. Braille translation programs convert text scanned in or generated via standard word processing programs into Braille, which can be printed on the embosser.
- Talking word processors are software programs that use speech synthesizers to provide auditory feedback of what is typed.
- Large-print word processors allow the user to view everything in large text without added screen enlargement.
Technical Support Articles
Adjusting Computers for Vision Needs
The following tutorials explain options helpful for individuals with vision impairments.
Accessibility Tutorials for People with Low-Vision
Windows Vista
Accessibility Tutorials for People Who Are Blind
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