Free Assistive Technology You Already Own (It's Built Into Your Operating System)
by Shelley Haven
This column often describes standalone assistive technology software such as speech recognition and text-to-speech applications. But deep within the recesses of your Windows or Macintosh operating systems are little used and under-appreciated control panels and utilities that provide some serious access assistance without add-on programs. Moreover, these features have application beyond the accessibility realm for all computer users, like graphic artists, trainers, and even gamers.
Where to Find Accessibility Options on Your Computer
On a Windows computer, one can find these under the Accessibility Options and Speech control panels (Settings > Control Panel) and under Programs > Accessories > Accessibility. On a Macintosh, their counterparts are Universal Access and Speech, both found under System Preferences.
Here are some useful cross-applications for these accessibility features. While Windows PCs and Macs have similar built-in capabilities, they sometimes go by different names. In the sections below, the Windows name is listed first, followed by the Macintosh name.
Mouse Keys / Mouse Keys
Mouse Keys turns the number keypad on a keyboard into a de facto mouse. The centrally located 5 key becomes the left mouse button. Keys 4, 6, 8, and 2 move the cursor left, right, up, and down, respectively; 7, 9, 1, and 3 move it diagonally to the upper left, upper right, etc. The 0 key is click and hold, while the decimal point releases that hold. Settings in the control panel allow the user to define both the speed of the cursor movement and the acceleration (the longer the key is held, the faster the cursor moves).
Outside of the convenience of mouse functionality without moving your hands from the keyboard, what can you use this for? This keyboard-based mouse gives the user very fine control of cursor movement. For example, in a drawing program without a "nudge" feature, Mouse Keys permits one to move the cursor a single pixel at a time. It can also be used to precisely drag the handles on a graphic. And we know of at least one person who exploited this ability in a gaming environment as a clever means to get to the next level!
While Mouse Keys may appear to have the same functional purpose as the arrow keys, there is a subtle difference. The arrow keys move the keyboard focus - that is, the location of the text entry point. In a word processing program, this is the position of the blinking vertical bar. Mouse Keys, however, moves the mouse focus, i.e., where the cursor is on the screen. Whereas the arrow keys permit keyboard-only selection of multiple words or lines in a document, users can employ Mouse Keys to select multiple objects in a drawing program or crop a picture without moving their hands from the keyboard.
Lastly, here's an application we've relied on more than once: Mouse Keys as an emergency surrogate mouse. If you suddenly find yourself with a non-functioning mouse or a balky laptop trackpad, invoke the Mouse Keys shortcut (Alt-Left shift-Numlock on a PC, or press Ctrl 5 times on a Mac). Although you must use the Numlock key to shift between keypad and keyboard on a laptop, it can get you out of a tight spot during an important presentation!
Sticky Keys / Sticky Keys
This feature permits one-fingered entry of keystrokes that require modifier keys. Thus, instead of pressing Ctrl (or Command) and S simultaneously to save a document, you can press the keys in sequence. If desired, the modifier key symbols will be displayed on the screen when pressed. Sticky Keys works with all modifier keys such as Shift, Control, Command, Option, Alt, Function, and Windows logo.
Sticky Keys can be especially helpful when using the keyboard with one hand and, say, handwriting or using another device with the other (few people have the span to type Ctrl-Alt-Delete one-handed!). One interesting but rather unorthodox use for Sticky Keys is, appropriately enough, when you want to avoid getting your keys sticky. Ever had to type something in a hurry right after that great jelly doughnut? Invoke Sticky Keys with its shortcut (press Shift 5 times on either platform), then press keys in sequence with a single clean finger or knuckle. Awkward perhaps, but effective.
Magnifier / Zoom
The screen magnification utilities on PCs and Macs work somewhat differently from each other, and each has their special niche. Windows' Magnifier (found under Programs > Accessories > Accessibility) magnifies the screen within a window, the location and size of which is defined by the user. The effect is one of a split screen - the magnified portion can either float or be docked at the top, left, right, or bottom, while the remainder of the screen remains in normal view. Thus, one can view, for instance, a full graphic image while seeing an extreme close-up of a detailed section being modified. Magnification can be set from two to nine times normal, and the window can be set to follow the cursor and/or the location of text entry.
The Zoom utility on a Mac (found in System Preferences/Universal Access) magnifies the entire screen at once and smoothes the resulting image to reduce an otherwise highly-pixelated image. One can also set the maximum and minimum zoom magnification. This ability has a very useful application in training venues, such as showing a class how to use software. Set the minimum zoom to 0 (normal view) and the maximum to, say, 4x. Using the hotkeys Cmd-Opt-= and Cmd-Opt-hyphen to zoom in and zoom out, respectively, one can quickly focus in on the cursor location and zoom back out. A trainer might use this approach to draw the audience's attention to a particular icon, for example, then zoom back out to show where it's located on the screen, or quickly display a close-up of an otherwise hard-to-see activity on the screen.
Speech Recognition / Speakable Items
While not expressly for disabilities, both the Windows and Mac operating systems include speech recognition functionality. Windows XP and above includes speech recognition for both dictation and command and control. While not as accurate or robust as standalone applications like ViaVoice, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, or iListen, it adequately converts the spoken word into text in most applications. As with the standalone products, Windows speech recognition requires the user to create a unique voice profile. Initial training takes about 15 minutes, and recognition accuracy will improve with additional training. (For more information on speech recognition in general, see last quarter's column "Just How Practical IS Speech Recognition Software?".)
The Mac's Speakable Items utility is speaker independent (it doesn't require voice training) but it only works for command and control of the computer, not dictation. Users can open and close programs, navigate menu bars, switch between applications, and execute application-specific commands.
Coming Soon to a Macintosh Near You
Apple's next release of the Mac OS, Tiger (version 10.4) will include an exciting new enhancement called Voiceover. Designed as a spoken interface for users who are blind or have low vision, VoiceOver will read aloud text in documents, web pages, and e-mail, as well as provide a spoken description of the workspace and the computer's activities. This functionality is only available in Windows through add-on programs costing several hundred dollars or more.
With VoiceOver active, you will be able to lean back and relax while the computer reads aloud a Web-based article; proofread a report (it's amazing how many mistakes you catch when you both see and hear the text); or listen to e-mails while sipping coffee (and eating that messy jelly doughnut!).
For More Information
If you have questions about computer accessibility and technology accommodations, want consultation on these issues, or just wish to learn more about the intriguing assistive technology available, call Shelley Haven in the ALTeC lab at 725-6173. ALTeC's services are available to students, faculty, and staff who need assistance due to a disability. Students should contact the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) at 723-1066 for more information. Faculty and staff who would like to access the Center should contact Rosa Gonzalez, Stanford's ADA/504 Compliance Officer, at 723-0755 for a referral.
