Windows 98 includes a number of features that enable people with disabilities to use Windows 98 more easily and effectively. The Windows 98 accessibility features provide special controls for using the mouse, keyboard, sound, and display. This chapter explains the following accessibility topics:
All the accessibility features in Windows 98 are enabled and controlled through the Accessibility Options object--a wheelchair icon--in the Control Panel. Double-click on this icon to display the Accessibility Properties sheet, shown in Figure 11.1.
FIGURE 11.1 The Accessibility Properties sheet.
NOTE: The accessibility options do not install automatically. During setup, you can specifically select the accessibility options as one of the options to install. If you need to install accessibility options after installing Windows 98, open the Add/Remove Programs object in the Control Panel; then click on the Windows Setup tab. You will see the accessibility options in the list of components you can install.
The following sections explain how to set up and configure these options.
Most people interact with the computer through the keyboard, but this tool can pose significant challenges for some users, and Windows 98 offers features to help overcome these challenges. The accessibility options in Windows 98 include features that enable you to control the key repeat rate, how the Ctrl and Alt keys function, and other keyboard options. The following list explains the keyboard's new options:
As explained previously, StickyKeys enables you to make the Shift, Alt, and Ctrl keys "stick down" when you press them. Rather than hold down the Shift key while you press G to get a capital G, for example, you can press and release the Shift key and then press G. Windows 98 considers the Shift key to be pressed until you press another key, which results in the equivalent of pressing Shift+G.
To turn on StickyKeys, enable the Use StickyKeys check box on the Keyboard page of the Accessibility Properties sheet. Then choose the Settings button to customize the way StickyKeys works. The Settings for StickyKeys dialog box appears as shown in Figure 11.2.
FIGURE 11.2 The Settings for StickyKeys dialog box.
The following list explains the options in the Settings for StickyKeys dialog box:
FilterKeys enables you to control the way Windows 98 treats repeated characters. FilterKeys is particularly useful if you have difficulty releasing the keys quickly enough to prevent characters from being repeated. You can direct Windows 98 to ignore repeated keys or ignore quick key presses and extend the key repeat interval.
To turn on FilterKeys, open the Control Panel and choose the Accessibility Options icon. From the Keyboard property page, enable the Use FilterKeys check box; then choose the Settings button to display the Settings for FilterKeys dialog box, shown in Figure 11.3.
FIGURE 11.3 The Settings for FilterKeys dialog box.
As with the shortcut key option for StickyKeys, the Use shortcut check box on the Settings for FilterKeys dialog box enables you to turn FilterKeys on and off using a shortcut key. If the shortcut key is enabled, holding down the right shift key for eight seconds or more turns the FilterKeys feature on and off.
The controls in the Filter Options group enable you to specify how Windows 98 handles keys that are pressed for an extended period and the key repeat rate. These options are explained in the following list:
FIGURE 11.4 The Advanced Settings for FilterKeys dialog box.
Two other controls on the main Settings for FilterKeys dialog box control sound and status information for FilterKeys:
The ToggleKeys feature produces a beep when you press the Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock keys. To turn on ToggleKeys, open the Control Panel and choose the Accessibility Options icon. In the Keyboard property page, enable the check box labeled Use ToggleKeys. The Settings button on the Keyboard page displays a dialog box containing a single option that lets you turn a shortcut key to activate ToggleKeys on and off. If the shortcut key is enabled, you can press and hold down the Num Lock key for 5 seconds to turn ToggleKeys on and off. If the shortcut key is disabled, you must use the Accessibility Options object in the Control Panel to turn ToggleKeys on and off.
In addition to special keyboard support, Windows 98 includes special accessibility options for sound. Windows 98 can display a visual indicator when a sound is played to help hearing-impaired users know when a sound event has occurred. You also can configure Windows 98 to display a text caption when applications generate sounds, giving the user additional visual cues that a sound event has occurred.
As with the keyboard features, accessibility options for sound are controlled through the Accessibility Options object in the Control Panel. Choose the Accessibility Options icon in the Control Panel. Then click on the Sound tab on the Accessibility Properties sheet to display the Sound property page, shown in Figure 11.5.
FIGURE 11.5 The Sound property page.
The Use SoundSentry check box on the Sound property page, if enabled, causes Windows 98 to display a visual indicator when a sound event occurs. Windows 98 can flash the title bar of the current application when a sound is played, for example, providing a visual cue to the user that the sound event has occurred. To specify the visual cues Windows 98 uses to indicate sound events, choose the Settings button on the Sound page to display the Settings for SoundSentry dialog box.
With the controls in the Settings for SoundSentry dialog box, you can specify a visual cue for windowed programs and full-screen DOS programs. The available selections for both of these program types varies from one to another. To assign a visual cue to one of the two program types, choose an option from its associated drop-down list box.
The Use ShowSounds check box on the Sound property page, if enabled, causes Windows 98 to display text captions for sounds generated by programs, effectively making them closed-captioned. A program must be specifically written to support captioning, however, so many of your existing programs probably do not support captioning. The only setting for captioning is Use ShowSounds, which turns the feature on and off.
Windows 98 provides a number of features designed to improve the usability of the display for users who have difficulty reading a standard Windows 98 display. These features include large menu text, high-contrast color schemes, and control over other desktop color and font settings.
Chapter 10, "Customizing Windows 98," explains the use of desktop schemes and how you can customize colors and fonts used for various components of the Windows 98 display. Windows 98 also has some predefined high-contrast desktop schemes designed to help users who have limited vision read the display. These high-contrast schemes also make use of large text for menus, dialog boxes, and other interface components as well as larger buttons and other items.
To use these high-contrast schemes, choose the Accessibility Options icon in the Control Panel. Then click on the Display tab to open the Display Properties page. The Display Properties page contains only one check box, labeled Use High Contrast. Enable this check box to use a high-contrast display. Then choose the Settings button to open the Settings for High Contrast dialog box, and choose a scheme.
With the Use shortcut check box, you can enable the shortcut key for a high-contrast scheme. This means you can press the shortcut key to change from a standard scheme to a high-contrast scheme without opening the Control Panel. The shortcut key for enabling and disabling the high-contrast scheme is Left Alt+Left Shift+Print Screen.
The controls in the High Contrast color scheme group enable you to choose from predefined high-contrast schemes or to create your own custom scheme. The name of the control group is a little misleading, however, because the high-contrast schemes not only control colors but also use larger display fonts and other screen components. Figure 11.6 shows the black-on-white high-contrast scheme, and you can see from the illustration that the scheme includes enlarged screen fonts and control buttons.
Both the black-on-white and white-on-black high-contrast schemes use larger fonts, control buttons, and other interface objects. Choosing a scheme from the Custom drop-down list selects a standard Windows 98 desktop scheme, which is no different from specifying a desktop scheme in the Display Properties sheet. Some of the standard desktop schemes, however, use larger fonts and display components. These large-component schemes are typically denoted by the words "large" or "extra large" in the scheme name.
FIGURE 11.6 The black-on-white high-contrast scheme.
To choose a predefined high-contrast scheme other than black-on-white or white-on-black, select a scheme from the Custom drop-down list. If you want to create your own scheme, open the Control Panel and choose the Display icon. Then create a custom scheme from the Appearance property page as explained in Chapter 10.
In addition to changing the interface components previously described, it is often advantageous to change the mouse pointer. The following section explains techniques for making the mouse pointer easier to use for users with impaired vision and for users who need to use the keys rather than the mouse to control the pointer.
The Mouse page in the Accessibility Properties sheet is where you can turn the MouseKeys feature on and off, which enables you to use the numeric/cursor keys on the numeric keypad to control the mouse. Enable the Use MouseKeys check box to turn on MouseKeys; then choose the Settings button to display the Settings for MouseKeys dialog box, shown in Figure 11.7.
FIGURE 11.7 The Settings for MouseKeys dialog box.
NOTE: MouseKeys enables you to control the pointer with the cursor keys on the numeric keypad and does not support pointer movement with the other cursor keys.
The Use shortcut check box enables and disables the shortcut key for MouseKeys, which is Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock. If the Use shortcut check box is enabled, you can turn MouseKeys on and off by pressing the assigned shortcut key, which is particularly useful if you share the PC with another user.
The Pointer speed control group enables you to control the speed and acceleration options for the pointer. The Top speed slider controls the overall speed of the pointer; slide the control toward High to increase pointer speed or toward Low to decrease pointer speed. The Acceleration slider controls the acceleration of the pointer. Acceleration defines how quickly the pointer begins to accelerate to top speed when you hold down a cursor key to move the pointer. In general, a slow setting is preferable for users who have difficulty controlling the pointer.
TIP: MouseKeys can be a useful feature on a notebook computer if you don't have an input device such as a trackball connected to the computer or if you don't want to use the notebook's built-in trackball.
The check box labeled Hold down Ctrl to speed up and Shift to slow down enables you to use the Ctrl and Shift keys as modifiers to speed up or slow down the pointer. If neither key is pressed and you press a cursor key to move the pointer, the pointer accelerates to the rate set by the Top speed and Acceleration keys. If you hold down the Ctrl key and press a cursor key, the pointer jumps in larger increments. Holding down the Shift key while pressing a numeric cursor key causes the pointer to jump in smaller increments.
By default, MouseKeys is on when Num Lock is on. If you need to use MouseKeys but also want to be able to use the numeric keypad to enter numbers, you also can configure MouseKeys to be on when Num Lock is off. The On and Off option buttons on the Settings for MouseKeys dialog box enable you to specify which Num Lock state will turn on MouseKeys. If you want to enter numbers with the numeric keypad while MouseKeys is active, choose Off. If you want to use the cursor keys when MouseKeys is active, choose On.
The last control on the Settings for MouseKeys dialog box--Show MouseKey status on screen--enables and disables a MouseKeys indicator for the Taskbar tray.
In some situations the pointer can be difficult to see even for users who do not have visual limitations. On passive-matrix LCD displays, for example, locating the pointer can be very difficult.
To overcome the problem of locating the pointer, you can increase the size of all the pointers on a global basis. To do so, open the Control Panel, choose the Mouse icon, and click on the Pointers tab to display the Pointers property page shown in Figure 11.8.
To use larger pointers, choose the Scheme drop-down list. Then select either the Windows Standard (large) or Windows Standard (extra large) options. The large pointers are approximately 50% larger than the default Windows pointers, and the extra large pointers are approximately 10% larger than the large pointers.
TIP: You also might want to turn on pointer trails to make the pointer easier to locate. Pointer trails are enabled through the Motion page of the Mouse Properties sheet. When this feature is enabled, a set of ghost pointers follows (trails) the cursor to help you locate the cursor.
In addition to specific accessibility options, there also are general settings that affect accessibility options globally. To set these general options, open the General page (see Figure 11.9) from the Accessibility Properties sheet.
FIGURE 11.8 The Pointers property page.
FIGURE 11.9 The General page of the Accessibility Properties sheet.
The controls in the Automatic reset group control whether changes to the accessibility options are effective only for the current Windows 95 session or for all sessions. Enable the check box labeled Apply changes to this Windows session only to have accessibility option changes affect just your current Windows 98 session. Clear this check box if you want accessibility option changes to apply to all Windows 98 sessions, including those of other users.
The other check box in the Automatic reset group, Turn off accessibility features after idle, enables you to specify an idle time limit after which accessibility options are turned off and Windows 98 returns to its normal settings. This feature is useful if you share the computer with other users and only some of them use the accessibility options. Clear this check box if you want the accessibility options to be on until you specifically turn them off through their shortcut keys or through the Control Panel.
The Notification group on the General property page turns on and off visual and audio cues that inform you when accessibility options are turned on and off. By default, a dialog box appears whenever you turn on an accessibility feature through its shortcut key. To have the accessibility features turn on without Windows 98 displaying this dialog box, clear the check box labeled Give warning message when turning a feature on. Also by default, turning an accessibility feature on and off generates a tone. Turning on a feature generates an ascending tone, and turning off a feature generates a descending tone. If you do not want these audible cues, clear the check box labeled Make a sound when turning a feature on or off.
A number of special input devices are now available for users who can't use a standard keyboard or mouse. Windows 98 provides support for these alternative input devices through the General page of the Accessibility Properties sheet. In Windows 98, these alternative input devices are referred to as SerialKey devices. To use a SerialKey device, enable the check box labeled Support SerialKey devices on the General property page. Then choose the Settings button to display the Settings for SerialKeys dialog box shown in Figure 11.10.
FIGURE 11.10 The Settings for SerialKeys dialog box.
SerialKeys devices connect to one of the PC's serial (COM) ports. The only settings you need to specify for the device are the COM port to which it is connected and its baud rate. Generally, a higher baud rate means better performance, but it is limited by the capabilities of the device. Check the device's manual for more information on the correct baud rate to use. For a more detailed description of baud rate and other serial communications issues, refer to Chapter 19, "Modems and Telephony."
Windows 98 adds a new Accessibility feature called Enhanced Accessibility to help make Windows 98 easier to use for people with physical challenges. Enhanced Accessibility includes two features: the Accessibility Wizard, which makes it easier to configure Accessibility options, and the Microsoft Magnifier, which magnifies the display to make it easier to see. Enhanced Accessibility does not install by default, however. To install these two Accessibility features, follow these steps:
The Accessibility Wizard helps automate the process of configuring the various Accessibility options. In essence, the wizard prompts you with questions and applies settings to your computer based on your responses. For many settings the wizard displays a menu of choices with examples of how the selected element will appear or function. Like most wizards, the Accessibility Wizard is generally self explanatory. To start the wizard, click Start | Programs | Accessories | Accessibility | Accessibility Wizard.
The Microsoft Magnifier is an excellent addition to Windows 98's Accessibility features. The Magnifier opens a window on your desktop in which the area surrounding the pointer is magnified by the amount you specify. This tool is very helpful if you have trouble reading the display. It's also handy for examining graphics and other elements in detail, even if you don't have a problem reading the display.
You have the option of turning on the Magnifier through the Accessibility Wizard. To start the Magnifier manually, click Start | Programs | Accessories | Accessibility | Magnifier. You will see a magnifier window and an option dialog box, as shown in Figure 11.11.
FIGURE 11.11 The Magnifier consists of a resizable window that contains a magnified view of the desktop.
The options listed in the Microsoft Magnifier dialog box are explained in the following list:
When you're satisfied with the Magnifier options, choose OK to close the dialog box. To open the dialog box again, simply click on the Microsoft Magnifier button on the toolbar. Click the Exit button in the Microsoft Magnifier dialog box to close the Magnifier.
TIP: You can resize the Magnifier window simply by dragging its bottom border.
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