Making Computers Accessible
Jerry Honeycutt
Chapter 10 from Inside Windows 2000 Professional, published by New Riders Publishing
Microsoft goes further than most companies to make its software easy to use for people with vision, hearing, and physical impairments. Think back to Windows 95, when it was one of the few operating systems to provide features such as high-contrast color schemes. They well document each software product's accessibility features in their print and online documentation. They also fund research into making computers easy for everyone to use, including people with vision, hearing, and physical impairments.
Windows 2000 Professional is the fruit of Microsoft's labors. The operating system has the best of Windows 98's accessibility features, rectifies a specific problem with them, and expands them. It provides varieties of ways to enable these features. Controlling them is easy, due to a status indicator that shows the features that are enabled and a wizard that helps users configure them to suit their needs. The operating system provides for virtually every user who needs assistive technology to help them. Also, the operating system fixes a usability problem that required users to enable emergency hotkeys in Control Panel before using them. This is a Catch-22 because users who need the accessibility features probably can't navigate Control Panel in the first place.
Most users never need the accessibility features. Nonetheless, they're worth learning for that inevitable moment when you have to teach your elderly aunt how to use Windows 2000 Professional. Administrators have even more impetus to learn them. Administrators must take responsibility for making sure that they know how the operating system's accessibility features work and that they're able to train users how to use them, if required. And if you need assistive technology to help you use Windows 2000 Professional, you'll find that it's easy to use, and open doors that you might have thought closed.
On This Page
Accessibility Issues
Most big companies employ people with disabilities, including folks who require computers to perform their jobs. Worldwide, approximately 500 million people have some sort of disability. In the United States alone, about 54 million people have disabilities and more than 30 million of those people have disabilities that might limit their ability to use computers on the job, mostly due to incompetent hardware and software design. Users don't have to have severe disabilities in order to benefit from assistive technology, though. Our aging population, many using computers, is having difficulty seeing the screen and navigating due to mild disabilities such as poor eyesight or an unsteady hand. Have you ever watched an elderly user with a mouse and wished you could help? The Table 10.1 shows the percentage of each age group that has disabilities. More importantly, it shows that the number of people with disabilities progressively rises with age.
The types of disabilities that affect users' ability to work with computers vary, but fall into the following three categories:
| • | Visual impairments run the gamut from mild near-sightedness to blindness, and they affect users' ability to see information onscreen. Users with visual impairments need high-contrast color schemes, enlarged fonts, and alternative output, including text-to-speech translators and Braille. |
| • | Users with hearing impairments, ranging from slight hearing loss to deafness, require visual instead of audible cues. A program might flash its title bar when an error occurs, for example, instead of beeping. In general, hearing impairments don't prevent people from using computers but assistive technology gives them a better experience. |
| • | For people with physical impairments, moving or controlling movements is difficult. These users have difficult using a mouse or keyboard. For example, they might bounce a key, which programs interpret as pressing the key twice, or they have trouble controlling the mouse pointer, making it hard to drag objects. Physical impairments range from unsteady hands to people using mouth-sticks. |
Table 10.1 Percentage of Disabilities Within Various Age Groups
| Age Group | Percentage with Disabilities |
0 to 21 | 10% |
This data is from the 1994-1995 Survey of Income and Program Participation by the US Census Bureau. (Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation.)
You aren't unfamiliar with accessibility aids. Ramps help people in wheelchairs get around stairs. Closed-captioning is useful for more than displaying the play-by-play action in sports bars; it enables people with hearing impairments to watch the premiere of Frasier (my favorite show). Large-print books and books-on-tape help bookworms enjoy their latest tome, even though they have trouble reading normal print. Notice the verbs in this paragraph and you should pick up on helps, enables, and enjoys; but I prefer to think of it as empowering users.
Microsoft's accessibility features are based on technology developed at the Trace R&D Center at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. These features help users overcome their disabilities and use the full capabilities of Windows 2000 Professional. For more information about Microsoft's efforts, see the company's Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/enable. This Web site describes the company's long-term accessibility strategy, includes product-specific accessibility information, and contains documentation for developers. It also includes an index of large numbers of third-party programs and other assistive technologies that help users with disabilities get the most out of using their computers.
More Help for Users with Disabilities
Microsoft wants to make sure that all users have access to information about the accessibility features in each of its products. In Windows 2000 Professional's help, the topic Accessibility for Special Needs describes the operating system's many accessibility features.
People with vision impairments that prevent them from reading help or other printed documentation can order publications from Recording for the Blind. Recording for the Blind distributes publications to members of its distribution service. More than 80,000 titles are available, including Microsoft's product documentation and various books from Microsoft Press. These titles are available on audiocassettes or 3.5-inch disks.
In addition to Recording for the Blind, Trace R&D Center at the University of Wisconsin--Madison publishes information about the products that help people with disabilities use computers. Trace Resource Book describes well over 18,000 products. You can get more information by contacting Trace R&D Center at (608)262-6966 or by using a text telephone at (608)263-5408. The organization's Web site is at http://www.trace.wisc.edu. Write to Trace R&D Center at the following address:
Trace R&D Center
S-315 Waisman Center
1500 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-2280
Following through on Microsoft's commitment to support users with disabilities, the company provides product support via text telephone (TT/TTD) devices. In the United States, call (206) 635-4948 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. In Canada, call (905) 568-9641 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Emergency Hotkeys in a Pinch
Users with certain disabilities can't always get to Control Panel in order to turn on the accessibility features they need. By way of experiment, try enabling any accessibility feature with your monitor's brightness and contrast turned down and without using your mouse. Try the same experiment with a single hand. Of course, if you aren't able to try my experiment, you already understand that this task is frustrating and just daunting enough to turn some users away from computers if the computers don't already have the accessibility features enabled.
Emergency hotkeys are a quick and easy way to turn on enough help to allow users to get to Control Panel and refine their settings. Table 10.2 shows each emergency hotkey and the accessibility feature it enables. It doesn't describe each accessibility feature, though. For more information about how to use each accessibility feature, see the appropriate section in this chapter. Each hotkey toggles an accessibility feature on and off and, in general, is squirrelly enough that it won't conflict with most programs. If for some odd reason an emergency hotkey does conflict with a program you use, you can permanently disable it. For instance, to turn on StickyKeys, an accessibility feature that allows users to build key combinations such as Ctrl+Shift+S one keystroke at a time, press Shift five times in a row.
Table 10.2 Emergency Hotkeys
| Press | To Turn on this Accessibility Feature |
Press Shift 5 times | StickyKeys |
Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock | MouseKeys |
Hold down right Shift for 8 seconds | FilterKeys with default settings |
Hold down right Shift for 12 seconds | FilterKeys with SlowKeys and RepeatKeys, using conservative settings |
Hold down right Shift for 16 seconds | FilterKeys with BounceKeys and RepeatKeys, using conservative settings |
Hold down Num Lock for 5 seconds | ToggleKeys |
Left Alt+Left Shift+Print Screen | High-contrast mode |
Some of the emergency hotkeys require key combinations that are difficult. Enabling MouseKeys by pressing Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock is difficult for single-handed typists, for example. In these cases, enable StickyKeys first by pressing Shift five times, and then enable the other accessibility feature by pressing each keystroke in the combination, one at a time. Alternatively, use the On-Screen Keyboard, which you learn about in "On-Screen Keyboard," later in this chapter.
When you press an emergency hotkey, Windows 2000 Professional makes a unique gurgling sound and displays a dialog box similar to the one you see in Figure 10.1, which confirms that you want to turn on that particular accessibility feature. This dialog box explains the feature that you're enabling so that, if you pressed the hotkey by accident or pressed the wrong hotkey, you can click Cancel to not enable it. Two traits are annoying about this dialog box. First, pressing Esc disables that accessibility feature's emergency hotkey so that you must enable again it in Control Panel. Second, the default button is Cancel, not OK, requiring users who really need the accessibility feature to have enough dexterity to use the keyboard or the mouse. Click Settings to adjust the accessibility feature's configuration, or select Turn off keyboard shortcut for this accessibility feature to permanently disable the emergency hotkey.
Figure 10.1: Windows 2000 Professional verifies that you want to enable the accessibility feature after pressing its hotkey.
See full-sized image.
Taking the Accessibility Exam
Versions of Windows prior to Windows 98 required that people use the Accessibility Options icon in Control Panel to enable the accessibility features, and they also required users to know which settings in that dialog box apply to their own circumstances. Considering the obscure names of these features (can Microsoft get any more cute than StickyKeys?), enabling them was difficult. The Accessibility Options icon is still useful for fine-tuning the accessibility features, and you learn more about that later.
Accessibility Wizard is a better way to configure the accessibility features, however. A one-stop shop for configuring users' computers to meet their special needs, it's the Windows 2000 equivalent of an eye exam in which the optometrist asks what looks better, A or B. The wizard asks similar questions, such as, "Does text look better this way or that way?" The result is a computer tailored to users' specific needs without complicated settings.
The pages that the Accessibility Wizard displays depend on how you answer its questions. If you indicate that you need extra help seeing the screen, it asks you to choose from the different ways that Windows 2000 Professional can configure the display. If you indicate that you have difficulty using a keyboard, it presents several features that you can enable. If you have a physical impairment that limits your ability to use a keyboard or mouse, consider using the emergency hotkeys, which you learned about in the previous section, to temporarily enable enough help to complete the wizard. The following instructions show how to use Accessibility Wizard to the point that it branches off in different directions, but look to the following sections to learn about additional pages it displays:
1. | On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Accessibility Wizard. | ||||||||
2. | On the Welcome to the Accessibility Wizard page, click Next. | ||||||||
3. | On the Text Size page, select the smallest text that you can read and then click Next. The current selection is the one with the wide border around it. The wizard adjusts various options to meet your requirements. | ||||||||
4. | On the Display Settings page, select the check boxes containing the options you want and then click Next. Select the Change the font size check box to make text in title bars and menus bigger (the default), the Switch to lower screen resolution check box to make everything on the screen larger, the Use Microsoft Magnifier check box to magnify portions of the screen, and the Disable personalized menus check box to prevent Windows 2000 Professional from hiding menu items, commands and shortcuts that you use infrequently. Click Next. On the Set Wizard Options page, select any or all of the following check boxes (see Figure 10.2 for an example of this page) and then click Next:
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5. | Follow the remaining instructions you see on the screen. For more information about completing Accessibility Wizard, see the following sections.  Figure 10.2: Accessibility Wizard displays additional screens based on how you answer these four questions. |
Few settings that Accessibility Wizard changes are in the Accessibility Options dialog box. Most are hidden in Control Panel's Mouse, Display, and Sounds and Multimedia icons.
Visual Impairments
If you selected the I am blind or have difficulty seeing things on screen check box on the Set Wizard Options page, Accessibility Wizard presents a series of pages that allow you to make information onscreen easier to see:
| • | Scrollbar and Windows Border SizeThis page shows four scrollbars. Click the smallest scrollbar that you can easily see. The size of the window border affects your ability to resize a window, so make sure that you'll be able to grab it with the mouse. |
| • | Icon SizeThis page displays three different icons that are progressively larger. Note that the current icon is the one with the wide border around it. Pick the smallest icon that you can easily see. If you have a large display, consider picking a larger size, ensuring that icon text doesn't wither away into squiggly nothingness. |
| • | Mouse CursorThis page presents nine mouse pointers arranged in a three-by-three grid. Top to bottom, the size increases; left to right, the color changes. The sample in the top-left corner is a normal mouse cursor. Click the smallest mouse pointer that's easiest for you to see. Larger mouse pointers are harder to use when accuracy is important, such as when using graphics programs or positioning text in a word processor, but they're terrific when you have difficulty following the pointer onscreen. |
| • | Display Color SizeThis page allows you to choose between various color schemes that Microsoft designed for users with vision impairments. In the Color schemes list, click the color scheme that's easiest for you to see. In the Preview area, you see a sample of the scheme you selected. |
You can further adjust the settings you learned about in this section, but not via the Accessibility Options dialog box. Change the sizes of windows, icons, and other objects in the Display Properties dialog box's Appearance tab. Change color schemes in the same dialog box. On the Mouse Properties dialog box's Pointers tab, select from different pointer schemes--some even include animation.
Hearing Impairments
If you selected the I am deaf or having difficulty hearing sounds from the computer check box on the Set Wizard Options dialog box, Accessibility Wizard presents a series of pages that allow you to substitute visual cues for sounds:
| • | SoundSentryThis page enables SoundSentry, an accessibility feature that displays visual cues for certain types of sounds. Click Yes to enable SoundSentry. |
| • | ShowSoundsThis page enables ShowSounds, an accessibility feature that causes applications to display captions when they produce speech and sounds. Click Yes to enable ShowSounds. |
After configuring either feature using Accessibility Wizard, fine-tune their settings by double-clicking the Accessibility Options icon in Control Panel. "Features for Hearing Impairments," later in this chapter, describes these settings in more detail.
Physical Impairments
If you selected the I have difficulty using the keyboard or mouse check box on the Set Wizard Options dialog box, Accessibility Wizard presents a series of pages that help you enable keyboard-related accessibility features:
| • | StickyKeysThis page enables the StickyKeys feature, which helps if you can't hold down two or more keys together by pressing each keystroke of a key combination, one at a time. Click Yes to enable StickyKeys. |
| • | BounceKeysThis page enables the BounceKeys feature, which causes Windows 2000 Professional to ignore repeated keystrokes, a common problem if you have unsteady hands. Click Yes to enable BounceKeys. |
| • | ToggleKeysThis page enables the ToggleKeys feature, which helps you track the status of the Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock keys by playing a sound any time you press them. Click Yes to enable ToggleKeys. |
| • | Extra Keyboard HelpThis page enables a feature that causes programs to provide extra keyboard help if you aren't using a mouse. The help it provides usually shows how to perform mouse-equivalent tasks by using a keyboard. Click Yes to enable extra keyboard help. |
| • | MouseKeysThis page enables MouseKeys, a feature that allows you to substitute the numeric keypad for the mouse. If you're using a mobile computer, you must enable the numeric keyboard (see your computer's documentation). Click Yes to enable MouseKeys. To learn what each key on the numeric keyboard does, see "Mouse Troubles," later in this chapter. |
| • | Mouse Button SettingsThis page switches the mouse buttons for left-handed users. If you're right-handed, click Right-handed. If you're left-handed, click Left-handed. |
| • | Mouse CursorThis page presents nine mouse pointers arranged in a three-by-three grid. Top to bottom, the size increases and, left to right, the color changes. The sample in the top-left corner is a normal mouse cursor. Click the smallest mouse pointer that's easiest for you to see. Larger mouse pointers are harder to use when accuracy is important, such as when using graphics programs or positioning text in a word processor, but they're terrific when you have difficulty following the pointer onscreen. |
| • | Mouse SpeedThis page adjusts the speed of the mouse pointer. If you have trouble positioning the mouse pointer precisely, slow it down by moving the slider to the left. If you find that you physically pick up and reposition the mouse because you run out of space on the mouse pad, speed it up by moving the slider to the right. |
Most of the options you learned about in this section, you can fine-tune using the Accessibility Options dialog box. The options on the Mouse Button Settings and Mouse Speed screens are on the Mouse Properties dialog box.
Administration
If on the Set Wizard Options dialog box you selected the I want to set administrative options check box, Accessibility Wizard presents a series of pages that help you administer the accessibility features:
| • | Set Automatic TimeoutsThis page allows you to turn off the accessibility features after the computer has been idle for a time. This option is useful if you share a computer with other users. To enable timeouts, click Turn off StickyKeys, FilterKeys, ToggleKeys, and High Contrast features when the computer is idle for N minutes, and then select the number of minutes the computer must remain idle before turning these features off. |
| • | Default Accessibility SettingsThis page determines how the operating system applies the settings you define using Accessibility Wizard. Click Yes to apply the settings to all new users who log on to the computer, or click No to apply the settings only to yourself. |
| • | Save Settings to FileClick Save Settings and choose the file to which you want to save the settings you define using Accessibility Wizard. You can take the file to any other computer and import its settings by double-clicking it. |
Accessibility Wizard makes deploying accessibility features to users who need them easy. Using the wizard, define the settings you want to deploy and, on the Save Settings to File page, save those settings to a file that has the .acw extension. Place the file on a network share and change each user's login script so that it imports the settings. The command to import the file is this: %SystemRoot%\System32\Accwiz.exe filename.
Features for Visual Impairments
Many features that are useful for people with vision impairments aren't actual accessibility features. They're normal means by which users configure their computers:
| • | Increase the size of anything on the screen using the Display Properties dialog box's Appearance tab. You can also choose from a variety of high-contrast color schemes that make reading text on the screen easier. Figure 10.3 shows this dialog box, which you learn inside and out in Chapter 4, "Personalizing Windows." |
| • | Windows 2000 Professional gives you the choice between using small and large system fonts. Using the Settings tab of the Display Properties dialog box, choose which system font you want to use for displaying information in varieties of places. |
| • | Using the Mouse Properties dialog box, choose from a variety of mouse pointers to make following the mouse on the screen easier. You can also adjust the speed of the mouse and other features that depend on the mouse you're using and its driver. |
| • | Change the blinking rate of the text cursor so that you can see it easier. I have good vision and still change the blinking rate so that I can see it. Adjust this setting using the Keyboard Properties dialog box.  Figure 10.3: The Display Properties dialog box's Appearance tab displays a sample of the current settings at the top. |
High Contrast
Although you can change color schemes using the Display Properties dialog box's Appearance tab, using the Accessibility Options dialog box is also easy. It also allows you to switch between your normal color scheme and high-contrast color scheme using an emergency hotkey. To toggle the high-contrast accessibility feature using an emergency hotkey, press Left Alt+Left Shift+Print Screen. The following instructions show you how to enable the high-contrast accessibility feature in Control Panel:
1. | In Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon. |
2. | On the Display tab, select the Use High Contrast checkbox and then click Settings to choose the color scheme you want to use. |
Screen Narration
Microsoft Narrator is an accessibility utility for users with severe vision impairments. It's a text-to-speech converter that reads aloud the contents of menus, dialog boxes, and windows so that users with limited vision can still navigate Windows 2000 Professional. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Narrator. When you start Narrator, it displays a dialog box, which indicates that you might need a more fully functional screen narrator. Prevent this dialog box from opening again by selecting the Do not show this message again check box.
Narrator repeats the names of keys you press. When you press Ctrl, for example, it says "Control" aloud in a scraggly monotone voice. Narrator also describes the foreground dialog box. Its says the title, reads any text on it, reads each option's label, describes each option's current state, and tells you what you must do in order to change each option's state. Narrator can be annoying in Microsoft Windows Explorer because it insists on pronouncing or spelling every item in the window, including icons, file names, and so on.
If you don't like Narrator's default voice, change it (at this writing, a single voice is available but I expect more when Windows 2000 Professional ships):
1. | In the Narrator window, click Voice. |
2. | In the Voice list, click the voice you want to use and configure its speed, volume, and pitch. |
Screen Magnifier
Microsoft Magnifier zooms in on portions of the screen to which you point, making fine details in that area easier to see. Figure 10.4 shows an example. Notice how the area enlarged by Magnifier, which you see at the top of the screen, is the area surrounding the mouse pointer on all four sides. Just as you can dock the taskbar to any edge of the screen, with the bottom edge being the default, you can dock Magnifier to any edge of the screen. Just drag the window to the edge you want to dock it. If you like, leave the window undocked so that you can resize it and it doesn't use as much screen real estate.
On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Magnifier. The first time users run Magnifier, it displays a dialog box that says the program provides minimum functionality and they might need a program that's more advanced. Select the Do not show this message again check box to make sure that you don't see it again. It also displays the Magnifier Settings dialog box, also shown in Figure 10.4, which you can minimize to get it out of the way. This dialog box contains several options, which are self-explanatory.
Figure 10.4: Similar to the taskbar, Magnifier moves icons and windows out of its way so they don't overlap with it.
See full-sized image.
Features for Hearing Impairments
I know this is obvious, but it bears repeating. If you're having trouble hearing sound, adjust the volume. Click the speaker icon in the taskbar, and move the slider up and down to adjust the volume. Also, change the volume in the Sounds and Multimedia Properties dialog box.
SoundEntry and ShowSounds are accessibility features that reflect sounds visibly. SoundSentry helps you know when Windows 2000 Professional is making sounds associated to events such as errors. The operating system gives visual warnings whenever it makes a sound through the internal speaker, ensuring that you don't miss an important message. Choose between flashing the active window's title bar, the active window itself, or the desktop:
1. | In Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon. On the Sound tab, select the select the Use SoundSentry checkbox and then click Settings to choose the visual cue you want to see when the computer makes a sound:
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SoundSentry works only with sounds that Windows 2000 Professional generates through the computer's internal speaker, not with sounds it generates through the computer's sound card. To use SoundSentry effectively, disable the sound card to force all sounds through the internal speaker.
ShowSounds causes programs to provide audible information visually. A software vendor must provide this capability in its program, and because most don't provide it, don't expect too much from this accessibility feature. Here's how you enable ShowSounds:
1. | In Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon. |
2. | On the Sound tab, select the Use ShowSounds check box. |
Features for Physical Impairments
Windows 2000 Professional has capabilities beyond the accessibility features that are useful for anyone with physical impairments, including people with unsteady hands or who have difficulty using a mouse:
| • | Using the Keyboard Properties dialog box, change the keyboard's auto-repeat delay and speed. These settings help you type if you have unsteady hands. |
| • | Windows 2000 Professional provides alternate keyboard layouts that make the most frequently used characters more accessible. Chapter 17, "Using Multiple Languages," shows how to change keyboard layouts. Use the Dvorak layout. |
| • | The Mouse Properties dialog box allows you to customize the mouse so that it's easier to use. Swap the left and right buttons, change the mouse's double-click speed, or slow down the pointer. |
Many programs provide additional help for users who rely on the keyboard instead of the mouse. On the Accessibility Properties dialog box's Keyboard tab, select the Show extra keyboard help in programs check box. Programs that support this feature provide additional information about using the keyboard instead of the mouse.
Key Combinations
Key combinations are common in Windows 2000 Professional, and you see them all over this book. They require you to press and hold down two or more keys at once. Single-handed typists or users who use a mouth-stick have difficulty doing this. StickyKeys enables those users to press each key separately and the operating system pretends that they pressed them simultaneously. To enable StickyKeys, use the following steps:
1. | In Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon. |
2. | On the Keyboard tab, select the Use StickyKeys check box and then click Settings to configure this accessibility feature further. |
StickyKeys treats modifier keys such as Shift and Alt differently, depending on the keyboard layout. On the United States keyboard layout, it treats the left and right modifier keys the same. On non-U.S. keyboard layouts, it treats the left and right Alt keys differently. The left Alt key is normal, but the right Alt key is called AltGr, alt-graphics. Some keyboard layouts use this key for special characters in that language.
Shaky Typists
If you have unsteady hands and tend to accidentally press keys multiple times, enable FilterKeys. FilterKeys causes Windows 2000 Professional to ignore repeated keystrokes. Here's how to configure FilterKeys:
1. | In Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon. On the Keyboard tab, select the Use FilterKeys check box, click Settings to display the Settings for FilterKeys dialog box shown in Figure 10.5, and then do one of the following:
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Mouse Troubles
MouseKeys allows you to use the keyboard in lieu of the mouse. You simply move the mouse pointer around the screen by pressing the arrow keys. MouseKeys also provides a clever way to mimic mouse clicks, double-clicks, and even drag-and-drop operations. To use MouseKeys, enable it by using the steps profiled here:
1. | In Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon. |
2. | On the Mouse tab, select the Use MouseKeys check box and then click Settings to adjust the mouse pointer's speed, acceleration, and other options. |
The following list describes the keys on the numeric keypad that control the mouse:
Toggle | Num Lock toggles the numeric keypad between MouseKeys and regular use. |
Moving | Move the mouse pointer one pixel at a time by holding down Shift while pressing an arrow key. Move in larger increments by holding down Ctrl while pressing an arrow key. |
Clicking | Point to the object you want to click. Then, press divide (/) to select the left mouse button, asterisk (*) to select both, or minus (-) to select the right. After selecting a mouse button by pressing divide, asterisk, or minus, press 5 to single-click or plus (+) to double-click. |
Drag-and-drop | Point to an object that you want to drag, and press Insert to start dragging it. Move the pointer to the location where you want to drop it and press Delete. |
Use MouseKeys in conjunction with an actual mouse. For example, when using a graphics program, position the pointer close to the target and then use MouseKeys to position the pointer with pixel-level precision.
Keyboard Status
ToggleKeys provides feedback when you press Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock. The purpose of this feature is to provide audible feedback to users who have difficulty seeing the indicators on the keyboard. When you press one of these keys, you hear a high beep if the key is turned on or a low beep if the key is turned off. Like the other accessibility features, enable ToggleKeys in Control Panel:
1. | In Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options dialog box. |
2. | On the Keyboard tab, select the Use ToggleKeys check box. |
On-Screen Keyboard
On-Screen Keyboard, provided by Madenta, Inc., is an alternative for users who are restricted to using pointing devices or who have difficulty using a traditional keyboard. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click On-Screen Keyboard. Figure 10.6 shows On-Screen Keyboard. Like the other accessibility tools, when you run On-Screen Keyboard, it indicates that many users will require more substantial help. Prevent the dialog box from opening again by selecting the Do not show this message again check box.
You type using On-Screen Keyboard by clicking the keys you see within its window. To use key combinations such as Ctrl+Shift+S, click Ctrl, click Shift, and click S. If you'd rather not click the mouse, configure On-Screen Keyboard so that you can point at keys instead. On the Settings menu, click Typing Mode. On the Typing Mode dialog box, click Hover to select and then, in Minimum time to hover, select the number of seconds before On-Screen Keyboard selects the key at which you're pointing. On-Screen Keyboard also supports joysticks. On the Typing Mode dialog box, click Joystick or key to select and then select the interval at which the program scans it.
Figure 10.6: On-Screen Keyboard changes the contents of each key when you click Shift in order to reflect its shifted state.
See full-sized image.
Windows 2000 Professional Shareware?
On-Screen Keyboard is one of Windows 2000 Professional's minor annoyances. Rather than developing a full-blown accessibility utility, Microsoft has foisted a shareware program on users. Isn't shareware the term for software that you try before you buy?
On-Screen Keyboard is the shareware version of a Madenta, Inc. called ScreenDoors98. You're free to use On-Screen Keyboard as long as you tolerate its nags, which it displays after typing 200 keystrokes. Madenta, Inc. prefers to call it a lite version. Madenta's Web site indicates that the program quits working after 150 keystrokes, but I haven't found this to be true.
ScreenDoors98 costs $99. The features it has over On-Screen Keyboard include word prediction and more control over the window, including the ability to dock the window like the taskbar or space keys further appropriate to reduce typing errors.
The Web site is http://www.madenta.com/.
Using the Status Indicator
Three of the accessibility features--StickyKeys, FilterKeys, and MouseKeys--provide feedback using small icons that you see in the taskbar. Not only do the icons show the options you enabled, it also shows the keys and mouse buttons you held down using the StickyKeys and MouseKeys features. The taskbar shown in Figure 10.7 shows all three icons (status indicators):
| • | Mouse Enable the MouseKeys accessibility feature, and you see the mouse icon. Windows 2000 Professional dims the left and right buttons to indicate the buttons you selected. Lock the mouse button by pressing Insert, and the operating system fills the appropriate button instead. |
| • | Stopwatch This stopwatch icon indicates that the keyboard's behavior is under the influence of the SlowKeys, BounceKeys, or RepeatKeys features. |
| • | Keyboard Furthest on the right, the keyboard icon has three rectangles that indicate the state of the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys. As you hold down each key, Windows 2000 Professional fills the appropriate rectangle. The StickyKeys feature puts this icon in the taskbar. |
Although Windows 2000 Professional initially displays the status indicators as icons in the taskbar, you can open it in its own window. Click Show Status Window on any of the status indicator's shortcut menus. Also, configure each accessibility feature by double-clicking its icon.
Figure 10.7: The status indicator shows the state of the StickyKeys, MouseKeys, and FilterKeys accessibility features.
See full-sized image.
Administering Accessibility Features
On computers shared by multiple users, some who need the accessibility features and some who don't, you can set a timeout that turns off accessibility features after the computer is idle for a time. If you don't share your computer with other users and you need the accessibility features, disable the timeout, however. Here's how to change the accessibility timeout:
1. | In Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon. |
2. | Select the Turn off accessibility features after idle for on the General tab. In the list, select the number of minutes that must pass with the computer idle before Windows 2000 Professional turns off the accessibility features. |
Other options on the General tab of the Accessibility Options dialog box control how these features work. Clear the Give warning message when turning a feature on check box if you're familiar with the accessibility features and you don't want the operating system to display its ugly reminders each time you enable them. If all users logging on to the computer have similar needs, select the Apply all settings to defaults for new users to apply your settings to all users when they log on to the computer for the first time. And, if you need the accessibility features in order to log on to the computer, select the Apply all settings to logon desktop check box so that they're available as you type your user name and password.
Managing Accessibility Utilities
Microsoft Utility Manager is the program that administrators use to control Windows 2000 Professional's accessibility utilities such as Magnifier and Narrator. Using Utility Manager, they can start and stop each utility. They can automatically start each utility when Windows 2000 Professional starts or when Utility Manager starts. Figure 10.8 shows Utility Manager with Magnifier and Narrator running.
On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Utility Manager. In order to run Utility Manager, you must have administrator rights. Normal users don't have permission to run this program, but they can run it in the context of a different user, such as Administrator, by pressing Shift and clicking Run As on Utility Manager's shortcut menu. To learn more about secondary logon, see Chapter 11, "Securing Your Computer."
Figure 10.8: Utility Manager shows the status of accessibility features such as Magnifier and Narrator.
See full-sized image.
Help Browsing the Web
The Internet grows by leaps and bounds, and the population continues to rely on it as a valuable source of services, information, and entertainment. The Internet promises to level the playing field for everyone, including users with disabilities. They'll never realize the Internet's full potential if nothing is done to make it more accessible to them, however.
Fortunately, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education's National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research are thinking about this issue. Together, they granted almost $1 million to the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative. For more information about this program, which is researching the following six areas, see http://www.w3.org/WAI:
| • | Data formats and protocols |
| • | Guidelines for browsers |
| • | Authoring tools and content generators |
| • | Rating and certification |
| • | Research and advanced development |
| • | Educational outreach |
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 is blazing new trails for users with disabilities by including its Active Accessibility technology. Move the cursor around the screen by using the arrow keys or voice input, moving from link to link using the keyboard or a microphone instead of using the mouse. Increase the size of fonts on a Web page, change colors, or create a custom style sheet that makes Web pages easier for you to read.
Configuring Accessibility
Listing 10.1 shows a typical style sheet that a Web page might use to format its contents. Style sheets are complicated but you can learn how to create them using a variety of Internet sources--don't waste your money purchasing a book just to create a style sheet. A good source is Microsoft: http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop.
More and more Web pages are using style sheets. Often, the style sheets create a presentation that's difficult to read, particularly with vision impairments. You can override these Web pages' style sheets with your own, ensuring that you can read the page:
1. | On the Tools menu, click Internet Options. |
2. | On the General tab, click Accessibility. |
3. | In the Formatting area, select the check boxes corresponding to the accessibility features you want to use. You can configure Internet Explorer 5 so that it ignores a Web page's colors, font style, font sizes, or any combination. |
4. | If you want to use your own style sheet, which overrides Web pages' style sheets, select the Format documents using my style sheet check box, and then click Browse to select a style sheet. |
Listing 10.1 Sample Style Sheet
body { font-size: 16pt }
p { color: blue }
a { font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none}
Changing Fonts and Colors
When Web pages don't explicitly specify fonts or colors, Internet Explorer 5 uses the default settings you define:
1. | On the Tools menu, click Internet Options. |
2. | On the General tab, click Colors to configure the colors that Web pages use for links and text when they don't explicitly request certain colors, and then click Fonts to choose the font you want to use for Web pages' text when they don't explicitly use a particular font. |
These settings come in handy if you configure Internet Explorer 5 to ignore Web pages' colors, font styles, and font sizes. The previous section showed you how. In that case, the Web browser always uses your settings, regardless of what's in the Web page.
Setting Advanced Options
Internet Explorer 5 has a couple of advanced accessibility features that make using a keyboard to browse the Web easier:
1. | On the Tools menu, click Internet Options. On the Advanced tab, select any of the following check boxes:
|
About The Author
Jerry Honeycutt provides business-oriented technical leadership to the software development industry, and the Internet and end-user communities. He has served companies such as the Travelers, IBM, Nielsen Norton America, IRM, Howard Systems International, and NCR. He continues to serve a variety of organizations via independent consulting, speaking, training, and so on.
Jerry is a leading author in the Internet and operating system categories. He is the author of 17 other books through various publishers. Most of Jerry's books are sold internationally and have been translated into a variety of languages. His work has been printed in Computer Language magazine and he is a regular speaker at Windows World, Comdex, and other industry trade shows on topics related to software development, the Windows product family, and the Internet. He also writes a bimonthly column for Frisco Style Magazine.
Jerry graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1992 with a BS degree in Computer Science. He currently lives in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas, with Bones, his loyal Jack Russell Terrier; and has a passion for golf, fine photography, and international travel. Feel free to contact Jerry on the Internet at jerry@honeycutt.com.
Copyright © 1999 by New Riders Publishing, Pearson PTR
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