23 tools to make work and study accessible to people with disabilities
Technologies / / December 30, 2020
Features of vision
It can be difficult for people with low vision or color impairments to focus on small screen details or a white cursor. But the small size of letters and buttons, and too small a cursor, and insufficient contrast of the screen can be changed for different features of vision. And blind and visually impaired users will be helped by duplicating information in another format, such as audio. The text on a web page or in the program window can not only be viewed, but also listened to. Here are the tools to help you do it all.
1. Screen magnifier
If graphics, text, or buttons are hard to see, launch Magnifier and hover over the desired element. In Windows, a window with an enlarged margin can be docked at the top of the screen - everything that you point the cursor at will be displayed larger. Another magnifier makes it possible to enlarge the fragment to the size of the entire display. Its multiplicity can be adjusted and you can choose a comfortable scale for your vision.
Also, the magnifying glass can move following the cursor. In the latest Windows update, released in May 2020, you can play text using a magnifying glass: the tool has built in the ability to read aloud using an electronic narrator.
2. Zoom in on the screen and text in the interface
In order not to waste time and effort looking for small buttons or signatures, use the screen zoom settings. With them, you can do more all the elements of the page or the supported program: buttons, labels, menu icons. This will make your work easier and more comfortable.
3. Cursor color and size settings
A small black or white pointer may be difficult to see. Pink is another matter! Or bright green! Change the mouse arrow settings as you like: increase the size or choose a brighter shade. You can also make the text cursor larger. And in the May update of Windows 10, it became possible to enable checkered color markers that help you better see the cursor position in a line.
4. Contrast settings and color filters
Gray screen windows, white background and black letters. All this merges into an indistinguishable spot if a person weakly sees or otherwise distinguishes colors. But getting out of the situation is not difficult - the color gamut and contrast settings can be changed. By making the tabs turquoise and the background black, the borders between the windows will be sharper and the letters will be easier to distinguish.
5. Narrator
Speaks out all the elements of the window so that visually impaired users can understand which page they are on. Narrator reads texts on web pages and in program windows in Russian. It recognizes not only window titles, texts, buttons and image captions, but also pop-up notifications.
6. Speech synthesizer
Install a program on your computer to convert any written text to audio, or use the built-in speech synthesizer in Windows 10. It allows visually impaired people to listen to web pages and files in Edge, and documents in current versions of Word. The desired language can be selected in the settings. Now speech synthesizers are being developed even for dialects or not the most common languages. For example, there is a separate program for Tatar language.
7. Braille display
The blind and visually impaired users when working at a computer can perceive information using tactile sensations. In this case, the braille display will come to the rescue. It is a separate device that transforms information on the screen into Braille. Windows 10 supports braille displays and makes it possible to set different commands for navigation and work with applications and programs.
8. Dictation and voice commands
Tapping your fingers on the keyboard isn't the only way to type a message or write an e-mail. Information can be spoken with a voice. The dictation function is as in Windows (but not yet in Russian, English and some other languages are supported), and in macOS. Turn on your microphone and whatever you say is converted to text in real time. Even in macOS, you can give your computer some commands by voice: for example, "open mail", "scroll down", "move the cursor to the left by five pixels."
Hearing features
The audio on the computer can be adapted for hearing impairment and other health conditions. There are volume and sound settings for this. But at the same time, audio and video materials can be perceived not only by ear. There are programs and functions that will allow you to add visual accompaniment and make it possible to understand what is at stake without having to hear the sound.
9. Subtitles for slides, audio and video materials
The easiest way to expand the boundaries of perception. Subtitles are supported by most video players and platforms, including YouTube. By the way, the function is useful not only for hearing impaired people, but also for those who watch videos in another language and want to play it safe. IN PowerPoint you can also add subtitles to audio or video on a slide. This feature will help you out during presentations. To get subtitles for the material, type in the search "create a file with vtt subtitles". You will find free software that will help you make a file with visual sound accompaniment.
10. Live speech to subtitle translator
Subtitling is great, but it's not clear what to do if no one knows exactly what the lecturer will say at the presentation. There is a solution - use the PowerPoint translator. During a PowerPoint slide show, you can convert speech to subtitles in real time. Connect a microphone to make the system better recognize words. Everything said by the presenter will instantly appear on the screen. Moreover, if there are people in the audience who read in another language, you can connect live translation. Speech Translator is immediately available in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 and Office 365. In earlier versions, you need to install the separate free Presentation Translator add-on.
11. Sound settings
Increasing the volume is a commonplace advice. But the audio settings allow you to adapt the sound not only for the weak hearing, but also for other features. You may not have known that you can only make the sound louder on one side to balance the perception. In addition, in the settings you can convert stereo sound to mono format. This means that it will become the same in both headphones, and the person at the computer will hear everything, even if they use only one side.
12. Visual alerts
Error messages or other notifications are often accompanied by a beep. This is to draw the user's attention to what the system is trying to say. But not everyone can hear these sounds. Changing the settings will help: the sound of an error will be accompanied by a flickering of the screen. In Windows, you can choose the most convenient way of visual notifications: blinking the title of the active window, the window itself, or the entire screen.
13. Screen Alert Timing Settings
Some notifications disappear from the screen too quickly. The user could notice them without a beep if they remained on the display longer. The problem is easily solved: go to the notification settings and increase the time during which notifications remain on the screen. You can configure the system so that notifications hang on the display for up to 5 minutes.
Features of perception
In a canvas of text, it is not always easy to catch your eyes on the desired line. Especially if the user has dyslexia, a selective reading disorder. In addition, pop-ups and notifications on web pages create additional inconveniences for people with autism spectrum disorder or concentration problems. Here's how to fix it.
14. Immersive reading
An opaque canvas of text can be made more convenient. The immersive reading mode divides words into syllables, increases the indentation between lines and the font, and, if you want, reads the text aloud. And so that the user does not lose the place where he left off, the tool highlights it with a bright color. This helps to maintain concentration and not get confused in the text. In addition, a visual dictionary can be accessed in this mode - a visual illustration of a word with a picture. The immersive format is useful for children who are learning to read: it will be easier for them to highlight syllables, see different parts of speech, and understand the meaning of what they read.
Immersive reading mode is available in Microsoft Word and notes OneNote, in Outlook for the web, in a browser Microsoft Edge and in messages Microsoft Teams. There is also a free Office Lens app. It can scan any text and convert it to immersive format.
15. Removing distractions
Ads and annoying banners that pop up on web pages can make it difficult to concentrate. In order not to be distracted, activate the filter that will block them. Some sites have a separate interface for people with disabilities. Many programs or video games warn in advance that they have screen flickering or fast image changes that can trigger reactions in people prone to epilepsy.
16. Collaboration of people with different health capabilities
If people with different health conditions are working on the same project, a platform without barriers to perception is needed. For example, in Microsoft Teams everyone will be able to remotely communicate, create, lead projects and arrange brainstorming sessions. The program has the ability to set reading settings, add subtitles, use shortcut keys.
Mobility features
A classic mouse and keyboard requires engaging fingers. But this regime is not for everyone. To make it easier to control the computer, users with mobility impairments can use special programs and more modern gadgets.
17. Virtual keyboard or keyboard with large keys
A regular keyboard has fairly small keys that require precise movement. But there are virtual keyboards where the risk of overshooting decreases or disappears. You can type letters with a mouse click, movement of the joystick or even your eyes. Another option is a touch keyboard with large buttons. The keys respond to a light touch and are much easier to hit. Users can place the keyboard in front of their face and operate it with their nose.
18. Sticky keys
To select text with the keys (Ctrl + A), you need to press two buttons at once. And to call the task manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) - as many as three. There are a lot of hotkeys, and working with them can be greatly facilitated. There is a sticky key function for this. With this setting, the system recognizes the command, even if the user presses the buttons one by one, one after the other, and not all at once.
19. Filtering input
It is more difficult to type text if the hands make involuntary movements. But the input filtering settings will help here. Set the parameters so that the system ignores random repetitions or only accepts a long key press. In this case, when the user inadvertently dials "aaaaaaa", the system will recognize it as "a". You can choose a convenient time for pressing.
20. Mouse settings
To prevent the mouse from darting across the screen from any random micromovement, you can reduce its sensitivity in the settings. Or, on the contrary, raise it so that the person working at the computer makes less effort. And if it is difficult for the user to position the cursor with the mouse, this can be done on the numeric keypad. You just need to activate this function in the manipulator settings.
21. Alternative mice
The mouse that everyone is used to is far from the only option. You can choose a convenient device for different mobility features. Let's say you put a special sensor on your finger and control the cursor with a wave of your hand. Or buy a trackball and change the position of the arrow on the screen by rotating the ball. In addition, there are joysticks that are comfortable to grip with the whole palm, not just fingers. The ProPoint mouse can be held like a pen by placing the brush on the table.
22. Head control systems
To avoid using your hands to control your computer at all, purchase a separate control system. For example, the HeadMouse Nano is a small, circular sensor that attaches to your forehead, glasses frame, or headgear. The gadget connects to the computer and recognizes head movements by changing the position of the cursor. AbleNet TrackerPro works in a similar way. These devices operate on all operating systems, and they can also be used to control smartphones and tablets.
23. Eye control
If a person is deprived of the ability to control a computer with the body, he can do it with his eyes. There are special gadgets that recognize the movement of the pupils - eye trackers. "Eytrackers" analyze the position of eye movement and execute commands following the gaze. With their help, you can type text and perform other operations.