Feature

No Special Equipment Required The accessibility features built into the Windows and Macintosh operating systems make computers accessible for students with special needs.

By Walter H. Kimball, Libby G. Cohen, Deb Dimmick, and Rick Mills Subject: Accessibility, special needs

Audience: Teachers, teacher educators, technology coordinators, library media specialists, administrators

Grade Level: K–12 (Ages 5–18)

Standards: NETS•S 1; NETS•T I (http://www.iste.org/standards/)

12 Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 31 Number 4 Copyright © 2003, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Feature

igh school social studies The proliferation of computers to ensure that your settings change— teacher Cara Elena is teach- and other electronic learning devices just make your choices and accept Hing an interdisciplinary unit has made knowledge and commu- them as needed. on mountains of the world. Students nication accessible to people with a You can also use the Windows and have begun to investigate how local wide range of abilities. But you do Macintosh control panels to change tourism can be balanced with the not always need to install and use specifi c settings. When we describe protection of mountain environments special software programs or purchase the specifi c options, we list the con- and cultures by focusing on the Blue separate equipment to make com- trol panel you need to use. Mountains of Australia. puters accessible. Many accessibility Cara Elena asked student teams features are readily available in the Solutions for Visual Impairments to pretend they are members of the operating systems (see the table For students with visual impairments, World Conservation Union, the on p. 14). A fi rst step we can take choices may include adjusting scroll- world’s largest conservation organiza- is to make ourselves and our students bar and window border size, desktop tion, and to develop a plan that con- aware of the built-in options immedi- icons, contrast, and size and color of siders natural resource conservation ately available on our computers. the mouse cursor and its blink rate. and local community involvement. The small size of characters and icons One student in the class, Zeke, Useful Features and fi ne differences in shades of color has limited vision because of the Both Windows and Macintosh make using the computer diffi cult for effects of juvenile diabetes. He has computers have accessibility options some people. Permitting larger bor- diffi culty seeing text and objects on to help with many different special der sizes, sharper color contrasts, and the computer monitor. Cara Elena, needs. We’ve grouped them to help larger cursor size solves this problem. using the Accessibility Wizard on a you decide which are most important If you choose to change these set- Windows computer, helps Zeke use for your students. (Editor’s note: You tings in Windows XP outside of the the screen magnifi er and adjust the can also fi nd Web sites to help you Accessibility Wizard, you should start size of fonts and objects, screen reso- make your computers accessible un- by opening Accessibility Options in lution, and contrast. Zeke is now able der Resources on p. 15.) the and using the Dis- to contribute to his team as the stu- There are different ways to set play tab. Here you can set contrast dents develop their plans. these options. The Windows Acces- and colors to highlight the screen Eighth grader Tracy is intently sibility Wizard asks questions about display. The high contrast tab enables focused on a problem that she and accessibility needs and confi gures high contrast colors to be used for the other members of her small utilities and settings. Depending on backgrounds and fonts (e.g., black group were trying to solve. Tracy’s the version of Windows, you can font on white background, white teacher, Duane Bunker, e-mailed a select options for persons who are font on black background) to increase word problem to his students: fi nd blind or have diffi culty seeing the readability. Then you can use the Dis- a secret location and the treasure screen, persons who are deaf or have play control panel to change the size hidden there. Each team was asked to diffi culty hearing sounds, and persons of the icons on the desktop, lower the read directions to the location, fi nd it who have diffi culty using a keyboard screen resolution to enlarge all objects on a map, and communicate accurate or mouse. Once you start the Wizard, on the computer screen, and custom- directions to other team members. you must continue to the end for the ize the colors. In Mac OS 7–9, use Tracy has a reading disability. settings to be put in place. When you the Monitors control panel to change She has diffi culty understanding select a category (e.g., visual, audi- the resolution and the Appearance written language. When presented tory), you see the menus that relate control panel to change the color with word problems, she is unable to it. Get to the Accessibility Wizard scheme and type size. OS X users can to read the text to solve the problem. through the Start menu, under All open the Universal Access control Tracy used her Macintosh’s built-in Programs/Accessories. Mac OS X’s panel to make these types of changes. PlainTalk text-to-speech feature to Universal Access control panel (ac- Both Windows and Macintosh read this electronic text aloud so she cessed under System Preferences) computers include utilities that can receive the same information as works in much the same way, but magnify portions of the screen to her fellow students. you do not need to run a full wizard increase their visibility. In Windows,

December/January 2003–04 Learning & Leading with Technology 13 Copyright © 2003, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Feature use the Magnifi er, under Programs/ fi le saving, fi le printing, and receiving the locking keys—Caps Lock, Num Accessories/Accessibility. It follows mail. Use the Sounds and Audio Lock, or Scroll Lock—are pressed. mouse, keyboard, or text editing in- Devices control panel in Windows. For students with limited vision, the put to display a magnifi ed portion On OS 7–9 Macs, select the Sound indicator lights for these keys are not of the screen. Mac OS X’s Zoom tab in the Appearance control panel adequate signals. Turn on ToggleKeys feature magnifi es the entire screen. to turn on a soundtrack for various in Windows through the Keyboard Access Zoom from the Universal Ac- actions. Use the Universal Access tab in the Accessibility Options con- cess control panel. In Mac OS 7–9, control panel to make the necessary trol panel. We are not aware of a way the CloseView control panel is listed changes in OS X. to do this on a Mac. under the Apple menu. The Close- You can also set the computer View control panel is not automati- to read the text of alert boxes. On Solutions for Hearing Impairments cally included in Mac OS 7–9 system Windows machines, open Narrator, Computers are very visual in their software, but may be downloaded free under Accessories/Accessibility. You basic operation, which produces far from Apple. can then choose the different things fewer limitations for people with A blinking cursor can help people you want Narrator to read. On Macs, hearing impairments, than say, visual who need the fl ashing cursor to bet- use the Speech (OS 7–9) or Univer- or motor impairments. However, ter see it on the screen. In Windows, sal Access (OS X) control panels to sound-based alerts, such as a chime fi nd the slide bar to set the speed turn on Talking Alerts. You can use when you hit a key too many times of the cursor in the Cursor Settings the control panels in both operating for the computer to process, can be screen of the Accessibility Wizard systems to choose different voices and ineffective for students with hearing or choose Mouse in the control panel. change the speed of the voice. In OS impairments. In Mac, fi nd the cursor setting under 7–9, you can also use the PlainTalk If the student has some hearing, the Apple menu in Control Panels, English Text-to-Speech (TTS) feature, you might simply turn the volume General Controls. which uses a digitized voice to read up. In a classroom, however, this For students who rely on sounds to electronic text. option might disrupt the rest of the get information from computers, you Finally, ToggleKeys enables a com- class. In Windows, the SoundSentry can attach sounds to events, such as puter to provide sound cues when allows you to change computer set-

Built-In Accessibility Features of Different Operating Systems

Feature Mac OS 7–9 Mac OS X –2000 Windows XP Disability Helped Accessibility Wizard No No Yes Yes Visual Hearing Mobility Magnifi cation CloseView Zoom Magnifi er Magnifi er Visual Contrast Yes Yes Yes Yes Visual Display Yes Yes Yes Yes Visual Text-to-Speech AppleWorks Universal Access No Yes Visual PlainTalk AppleWorks Learning Disabilities TextEdit Voice (Speech) Recognition No Basic No Basic Mobility Learning Disabilities Visual Alert No Flash Screen SoundSentry SoundSentry Hearing ShowSounds ShowSounds Audio Alert Yes Yes ToggleKeys ToggleKeys Visual StickyKeys Yes Yes Yes Yes Mobility Repeat/Filter Keys Slow Keys Slow Keys FilterKeys FilterKeys Mobility Mouse Clicking Speed Clicking Speed Clicking Speed Clicking Speed Mobility Visual Tracking Visual Tracking Visual Tracking Visual Tracking Visual Blinking Rate Blinking Rate Blinking Rate Blinking Rate MouseKeys Yes Yes Yes Yes Mobility Shortcut Keys Yes Yes Yes Yes Mobility Serial Keys Yes Yes Yes Yes Mobility

14 Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 31 Number 4 Copyright © 2003, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Feature tings to generate visual warnings, OS 7–9, use Easy Access to turn on volume controls, and other features. such as a blinking title bar or a screen Slow Keys; you can also set the level You may not think of these features fl ash, in place of sounds. When se- of delay, from short to long. In OS as pertaining to accessibility, although lected, the ShowSounds feature allows X, open the Universal Access control those of us maturing with changing software programs that usually convey panel and use the Keyboard tab. eyesight and hearing, for example, are information only by sound to display You can also set repeat delay and quickly coming to the realization that text captions or informative icons. repeat rates for key presses. Repeat these adjustments are helpful as we In Mac OS 7–9, when you use the delay means there is a delay in the start to fi ddle with them for ourselves. Sound control panel to mute the alert amount of time that elapses when It is important for teachers and stu- volume, the system fl ashes the menu a character repeats after a key is dents, with or without disabilities, to bar for sound-based alerts. OS X users pressed. Repeat rate refers to the be aware of the options and settings will want to use the Universal Access speed at which a character repeats available so they can establish com- control panel to use visual rather than after a key is pressed. Use the Key- puter settings that best enable them sound-based alerts. You can also set board control panel on both Win- to learn. alerts in application programs to be dows and Mac for these settings. visual rather than auditory. For students who have trouble Resources controlling the mouse, you can set Alliance for Technology Access: http:// Solutions for Mobility Impairments the computer to allow students to use www.ataccess.org ALLTech: http://www.alltech-tsi.org Students with impaired mobility may the keyboard instead of the mouse. Apple—Special Needs: http://www.apple. have trouble using the keyboard or In Windows, you can set this in the com/disability/ mouse effectively. Mouse control panel or by pressing Microsoft Accessibility: http://www. To help these students use the the Num Lock button. On an OS microsoft.com/enable/ keyboard, you can turn on Sticky- 7–9 Mac, open the Easy Access con- Walter Kimball is a profes- Keys and FilterKeys (Slow Keys on trol panel and turn on . sor in the Teacher Education the Mac). These functions help with You can set the speed with which the Department at the University different issues. For example, some cursor moves when the number keys of Southern Maine. He is the computer commands require you to are pressed. On OS X machines, turn project director of Virtual As- simultaneously press two or more on Mouse Keys in the Universal Ac- sistive Technology University (VATU), an online certifi cate keys. Holding down two keys simul- cess control panel. program in assistive technology. taneously presents a barrier to using Finally, to help students who can Libby Cohen is the executive the computer for students who don’t manipulate the mouse but have trou- director of ALLTech at The have fi ne motor control. When a ble holding down the , Spurwink Institute and Profes- shortcut requires a key combination you can set the computer to drag and sor Emerita at the University (e.g., Ctrl+V to paste on Windows highlight without holding the mouse of Southern Maine. She is a computers), StickyKeys permits you button. In the Mouse control panel in member of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Ac- to press one key at a time instead of Windows, turn on ClickLock to allow cessibility Initiative Education and Outreach pressing them at the same time. In users to press the mouse button, then Working Group. Windows, access this through the highlight without holding it down. Deb Dimmick is the senior assistive technology Accessibility Options Keyboard tab. The same effect can be accomplished specialist for ALLTech. She has an undergradu- On a Mac running OS 7–9, open on both Windows and Mac using ate degree in communication disorders and a the Easy Access control panel to turn the mouse and . Click at the master’s degree in special education. Deb abso- on . In OS X, use the beginning of the desired selection. lutely loves learning about and working with Universal Access control panel. Shift-click at the end of the selection. technology that improves the lives of people who have disabilities. And, some students who don’t Everything between those two points have good fi ne motor control will is selected. Rick Mills is a project manager in ALLTech at strike keys repetitively. FilterKeys can The Spurwink Institute. He has an undergradu- slow the rate at which a key repeats Conclusion ate degree in communications and a master’s degree in educational technology. when keys are pressed so that inadver- In addition to the customization tent repeated keystrokes are ignored. features described in this article, com- Cindy Anderson and Joan In Windows, turn Filter Keys on in puter operating systems and software Thormann, representing ISTE’s Special Interest Group the Keyboard tab of the Accessibil- programs allow you to select your for Special Education Technology (SETSIG), ity Options control panel. In Mac own fonts, character sizes, colors, contributed to the development of this article.

December/January 2003–04 Learning & Leading with Technology 15 Copyright © 2003, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved.