OS accessibility features/For Mac OS

OS accessibility features ・ For Mac OS

Accessibility features standard on Windows

Windows has accessibility features as standard on Windows 95, and its functions have also advanced along with the OS version upgrade. However, it is regrettable that experts in welfare and special support education also have fewer people who know this function and can master it.
Even if there are people who need it in the immediate vicinity, it is not expensive as dedicated software and equipment are expensive, so it is important to understand this accessibility function and try first before introducing special software and equipment .

Most of the accessibility features are integrated in the control panel “accessibility” to the OS up to Windows XP, and thereafter from the control panel “easy operation center” for the control panel. In addition, some of these functions can also be set in “keyboard” and “mouse” in the control panel. Here we will introduce the accessibility features (Windows 10, Windows 7) that you should know for handicapped from needs.

Accessibility functions that you should know for physical disabilities (Windows 7, 10)

When the keyboard is difficult to use
  • Fixed key

A person who has hemiplegia, can not hold the keyboard with both hands, or holds the keyboard with the headstick or mouse stick, it is difficult to press other keys while holding down the modifier keys such as Shift key and Control key. “Fixed key” which can lock while holding one key is useful when such is useful.
When the fixed key function is turned on, the key pressed is locked only once when the modifier key is pressed.
For example, if you are thinking about entering an uppercase “A”, you usually need to press the “Shift” key and the “A” key at the same time, and typing “a” as it is will be entered.
Therefore, if you press the “Shift” key with the fixed key function turned on, the “Shift” key is locked as it is, so pressing the “A” key in that state will display ” A “is input.

  • Filter key

There is involuntary movements, for example, erroneously touching the key next to the key you want to hit, and there is erroneous input. Or, if there is a person who is tense strongly and presses the key strongly, it can not be released immediately and presses the same key many times, there is a person who enters extra characters by key repeat. Various settings in the “fixed key” function can prevent erroneous input.
In this case, the “fixed key” function allows you to adjust the time the input is valid after touching the key, the time after the first key entry, and the time the next key entry becomes effective.

When you can not press the keyboard
  • Screen keyboard

There are cases where you can not push the key, such as the hand does not reach the key due to paralysis or the like. In this case, display “screen keyboard” on the monitor and key input. As the input mode, the following three settings are prepared.

  • Click to select

Although the range of motion is narrow, pointing devices such as mouse, trackball, trackpad, etc. can be used, and this setting is effective for those who have the power to push the click button. Move the pointer over the screen keyboard and click on the key you want to select to enter that key.

  • Automatically select

This function is also called “automatic input (hovering)”, and although a pointing device can be used, those who do not have the power to push the click button are effective. It is also often used when special pointing devices such as a head mouse and a sight line mouse are used.
It is possible to set the time until the input becomes effective. For example, if you set that time to 2 seconds, if you hold the pointer over a specific key on the onscreen board for 2 seconds, that key is automatically selected and entered.

  • Select by key

This function is also called “scan input”. Even a person with severe quadriplegic paralysis that can not operate the pointing device at all can use it if it can hold down one key and switch with a slight remaining remaining function. When you press the Spece, Enter key, click button etc (usable) on the normal keyboard, the scan starts and the scan time can be set.
For example, if you set the scan time to 1 second and then press the key, the cursor will start scanning every second in the vertical direction. When you press the key again, the cursor moves in the horizontal direction, so select the desired key by combining it and enter it.
When you want to utilize this function with an external switch or the like, it is necessary to connect the switch via the switch interface.

When the mouse is difficult to use
  • Adjust mouse speed

It is not easy to move the mouse pointer accurately to a person with involuntary movements. In such a case, it can be solved by adjusting the moving speed of the mouse pointer. If you set the moving speed a little later, even if you move the mouse a lot, it moves only slightly, so fine adjustment is possible.

  • Double click speed

Some people with paralysis or those with strong tension can not double click at an appropriate speed. In this case, it is possible to set the interval time so that double clicking is effective even if the click interval is opened.

  • Click Lock

For dragging the mouse, you have to move the pointer while holding down the click button, but some people have difficulty in their movement. In such a case, if you keep the click lock function on, you can hold the action you want to drag by holding down the long press once. By dragging by moving the mouse as it is, clicking again in the necessary place can release the drag state.

When you can not use the mouse
  • Keyboard navigation

Various keys on the keyboard are assigned to the operation of the OS and applications so that Windows can be operated only with the keyboard even if the mouse can not be used. This is called keyboard navigation.
For example, you can press “Windows logo key” to open the start menu, move the cursor with “arrow key”, move the cursor over the application, and confirm with “Enter key” and launch it.

  • Shortcut key

Most people may perform printing and saving operations with the mouse, but by using the shortcut keys you can do this with just the keyboard. Many shortcut keys such as printing with “Ctrl + P”, creating a new with “Ctrl + N” are set.
Many people use this function as a convenient function regardless of the presence or absence of a fault as the operation becomes faster than the mouse.

  • Mouse key

By setting the mouse key, it is possible to move the mouse pointer in eight directions, right click, left click, double click, and drag with the numeric keypad. It is commonly used for people who have difficulty adjusting the mouse because of involuntary movements。

マウスキーで割り当てられているテンキーの機能

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