Assistive Technology: Accessibility in Microsoft Vista

Accessibility is a term used to describe the degree to which a product is useable (accessible) by everyone. People who are disabled deserve equal access to every product, service and facility that anyone else enjoys. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA 90) holds private and public business accountable for making sure that their products, services and facilities are accessible to all. The disability rights movement does not seek to allow disabled persons an advantage over anyone else, rather, the movement is about advocating for equal access to products, services, and facilities so that disabled people can enjoy the same quality of life as everyone else. Not only can the utilization of Assistive Technology (AT) play an important role in leveling the playing field for disabled individuals, it can also make work much more productive for anyone. We all know that the Microsoft Corporation (MS) is on the leading edge of technology but what a lot of people don't know is that Microsoft is dedicated to making those technological advances accessible for all. Here is a run-down of the some of the popular AT programs available in Vista, Microsoft's latest Operating System (OS):

Speech Recognition - The SR software is marvelous. It allows users to interact with their computer utilizing their voice. I'm actually "writing" this article utilizing my voice and a headset microphone.

Text Captions & Display Captions - this program will allow for a closed captioned (cc) computer experience. Although it is not as comprehensive as the cc that one may be used to in TV it will still provide text captions for audible dialogue and visual equivalents for sounds.

Mouse Keys - Use the arrows or numeric keypad to command the mouse function instead of actually using the mouse. Sounds confusing I know but it's probably because I'm not wording it correctly. Luckily, if you click on the program name I'm sure that MS does an excellent job of describing their software.

Keyboard Shortcuts - Here we have yet another alternative to constant utilization of the mouse.

Sticky Keys - How much more functional would it be to turn CTRL, ALT, DELETE into one keystroke instead of the combined three? Get the picture? Check it out.

Visual Notification - Here you will be able to utilize visual notifications instead of system sounds.

Vista Ease of Access Center:

This is a one stop landing page for users to be able to adjust their settings to make the operating system more accessible for their personal needs. It is here in the Ease of Access Center that a person can make Microsoft's assistive technology work for them. These assistive technologies include 4 basic programs:

1. Magnifier - this program allows the user to adjust the magnification up to 16 times.

2. Narrator - this one is my personal favorite, it allows the user to have the screen's text read aloud. Basically, MS Narrator is a screen reader.

3. On Screen Keyboard (OSK) - If you're anything like me and your PDA (Palm Pilot or Treo) is attached to your hip you will already be familiar with this
one. The OSK allows the user to utilize an alternative input device in lieu of or in addition to the physical keyboard.

4. High Contrast - this feature allows the user to adjust the screen's color contrast. Utilization of this feature can enable a person to more easily discern text and images and it can also reduce visual strain.

If any of these time and energy saving software programs would be advantageous to you read all about them and give them a try...why not? If you have the MS Vista OS then they're already in place and free for you to use. Here is an accessibility comparison chart for you to glance over if you are using a different Windows OS: MS Windows Accessibility Comparison Chart. In any event, you can see that the Microsoft Corporation definitely strives to make their products accessible and ultra productive for everyone.