Accessibility Options: A Great Feature in Windows for Handicaps

Even though Windows is easy to use, it is still very difficult for people with disability like blind, deaf, dumb. Therefore, Microsoft improves Accessibility Options, which is a helpful assistance for handicaps to use Windows effectively.

Accessibility Options have a symbol of a green wheelchair. It locates in Control Panel in your computer. To open the Accessibility Options, click Start > Settings > Control Panel. And then double click Accessibility Options. The main appearance of Accessibility Options has five tabs: Keyboard, Sound, Display, Mouse, and General.

1. Keyboard Tab:

This is the tab you will see first when opening Accessibility options. It includes Sticky Keys, Filter Keys and Toggle Keys.

Sticky Keys: This feature helps to push many keys in the same time. When activated, it will appear a symbol indicate that Sticky Keys is called up. When users push key Shift, Ctrl, Alt or Windows Logo, the symbol turns to black. He only has to push the each key separately instead of pushing two or three keys at the same time.

Filter Keys: This feature helps you to avoid pushing one key repeatedly. A symbol of a clock will appear when Filter Keys is activated. You can change the repeating time by clicking on Settings.

Toggle Keys: Activating Toggle Keys, you will hear a sound when you push Caps Lock, Num Lock or Scroll Locks. You can hold Num Lock key for 5 seconds to activate Toggle Keys.

2. Sound Tab: has two main features:

Sound Sentry: This is for person who is hard of hearing. You will see a notice (flashing the active caption bar, flashing the active window or flashing desktop) whenever your computer makes a sound.

Show Sounds: This feature will assist to find software that explain sound and voice by caption. .

3. Display Tab:

Display Tab provides you two options: High Contrast, used to make your font and color easier to recognize or to read and Cursor, used to set up width and the flashing level of your cursor

4. Mouse Tab:

Mouse Keys: When Mouse Keys is activated, you can control your cursor by num pad (on the right of your keyboard). In the Settings Option, you can also set up shortcut key and speed of your cursor.

5. General Tab:

Automatic Reset: In this setting, you can set up time to activate or de-activate your Accessibility Options. It combines with Notification Settings to notice users by messaging on the screen or making sounds when any of Accessibility's Feature is activated (or de-activated).

Serial Keys: Used to connect with other hardware that assists handicaps.

This article is dedicated for people with disability. Most of us may never use Accessibility Options. Nevertheless, if you know a person with disability, it is very nice of you to set up the computer that is easier to use for that person. I once broke my arm and found out that Sticky Keys make me using my computer a lot better.