For the lesson this week we were asked to identify the accessibility features on the computer used in class. We were asked to try them out to see what they are and identify the types of disabilities that might be accommodated with each accessibility feature.
Listed below are the Ease of Access features on my Dell laptop, which runs Windows 10, and includes the following features listed under the categories of vision, hearing, and interaction:
VISION FEATURES
SIZE OF APPS AND TEXT
Adjust the font size from 100% to 220% size for all font on the screen. Change the display and layout of apps on the screen. This is perfect for someone with low-vision.
COLOR FILTERS & CONTRAST
Make photos and colors easier to see by applying a color filter to the screen. You can either select a gray-scale layout or select the color blindness filter to make the certain colors of the wheel more distinct. This is perfect for someone with degrees of color-blindness.
TEXT CURSOR
Change the thickness or color of your text cursor indicator. This feature will make the cursor thicker so it is easier to see or add color to the cursor for contrast. This is perfect for someone with low vision.
POINTER SIZE & COLOR
This feature will change the color, size and shape of the pointer cursor. In addition, the touchscreen feedback can be adjusted to show larger areas when you use the touchscreen. Perfect for people with low vision.
MAGNIFIER
For use to zoom in on parts of the display. It can be run in full screen, in a window, or as a lens that follows the mouse pointer. Perfect for people with low-vision.
READER / NARRATOR
For this feature, you can change the voice pitch and speed as it reads the text. It can also emphasize bold text and personalize the reader’s voice. This feature is helpful to blind and low-vision users, but can also be used for ELL learners.
HIGH CONTRAST
This feature enables high contrast between hyperlinks, the background color, buttons, and selected text on your screen. This is helpful for low-vision users.
TYPING SOUNDS
When the narrator feature is engaged, you can also set a feature that will read the letter and punctuation marks you type or the whole word as your type it. It will also alert you to having the cap lock on. Perfect for people with very low-vision.
BRAILLE
When the narrator feature is engaged, a braille program can be downloaded. This feature is perfect for the blind or someone with extremely low vision.
HEARING FEATURES
AUDIO
The volume of the device can be changed louder or softer, or the type of the tune can be changed. And audio alerts can be set to display visually. This is helpful for hard of hearing and deaf users.
CLOSED CAPTION
This feature allows words to be displayed on the device in place of hearing the words. The caption size and back ground can be adjusted; and transparency and contrast can help make the words easier to read. This is perfect for ELL students as well as hard of hearing or deaf users.
MONO AUDIO
The mono function can be enabled to combine the left and right audio channels into one channel. This is helpful when using headphones to have the audio set for the ear that hears better. This feature is perfect for someone with hearing on only one side.
INTERACTION FEATURES
SPEECH
Use dictation and speech recognition software to compose papers. This uses the microphone built into your computer or an external microphone. Perfect if you have limited reach or strength.
KEYBOARD
Use an onscreen keyboard instead of a physical keyboard. Also creates shortcuts for keyboard functions, like screenprint, sticky keys, and toggle keys. These features are helpful to people with limited mobility or those who have difficulty moving the mouse.
MOUSE
This features allows the change in speed of the mouse and cursor. It also allows for different speeds of the lines rolling past when you scroll. Additionally the controls can be set to allow a user to use the numeric keypad to move the cursor. This feature is perfect for those with limited mobility.
EYE CONTROL
This features allows the user to use eye tracking technology to control the mouse, type using the on-screen keyboard, and communicate with people using text-to-speech. This requires an eye tracking device connection.
STICKY KEYS
This features allows a person to push one key at a time to activate a shortcut. It is very helpful to users with limited hand mobility.
CORTANA
This features allows a user to set timers, find items on a webpage, schedule appointments, and join meetings. This feature is helpful for all users.
In addition to the items listed above, computers can also help students who have difficulty focusing on tasks. For example, focus assist helps a user set up rules to avoid distractions, notifications can be turned off and the start menu can be simplified. In an Edutopia article by Jennifer Sullivan (2019), she states “Assistive technology (AT) can be a game changer for students with disabilities—when they’re matched with the right assistive technology tool for them, they can better access curriculum, learning, and opportunities for success inside and outside the classroom.” Assistive technology should be included in all classrooms. Computer companies and program developers are working hard to incorporate their programs with features that enable all users to be accommodated. The use of assistive technology is helping students with communication, mobility, writing, hearing reading, and writing challenges to improve their ability to function within a classroom.
REFERENCES
Dell Technologies. (2019). Dell Products and Accessibility. https://support.dellproductcompliance.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036371874-Dell-Products-and-Accessibility
Sullivan, Jennifer. (2019, February 21). Edutopia. Rethinking assistive technology. https://www.edutopia.org/article/rethinking-assistive-technology
Janeal Grosinger 
janeal,
You did a great job of detailing all of the accessibility features your computer offers. i also did my blog post this week on the accessibility features of my Chromebook and I was blown away by all of its capabilities. I was aware of some of them, but my research left me with an even deeper appreciation of the benefits of technology.
Thanks for sharing,
Becky
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