Allison Brown is both a suburban mom and manager at an information technology corporation. She balances week days on the job with leisurely family weekends when you'll find her biking with her kids, attending soccer games, and occasionally dining with her husband at a favorite Seattle restaurant.

Allison leads an active life, but without a suite of assistive technology products she wouldn't be able to make out the expressions on her children's faces, read a restaurant menu, or e-mail.

Born with low vision, Allison uses a screen magnifier on her computer and a portable magnifier to read menus and signs. Her screen magnification software magnifies her computer screen at home and at work, enabling her to read text and see images. She also relies on a screen reader to have text read aloud, which also reduces eyestrain and headaches.

This combination of products enhances the different aspects of Allison's personal and professional life, enabling her to focus on what matters most—like the look on her daughter's face when she blasts the final goal of division soccer championship.

Dozens of accessibility settings and products for people with all types of vision impairments are available on Microsoft Windows. Learn how to make your computer easier to see.

Current Solutions

• Screen magnification
• Portable magnification
• Screen reader on Windows Vista