As part of our advocacy, #OneAccesibility, we will share information about differently able and profile one location with accessible trails. Look out every week for this enlightening post.
Let me guess, you are likely reading this article from your mobile device or laptop. How would your reader experience differ if you had a visual impairment? What about a cognitive impairment that would affect your executive functions? In this age of digital transformation, we cannot exclude having accessible features in our devices and ensuring that web designs are inclusive. Inclusive web designs mean designing digital products and services (in the form of websites, applications, online tools) that are accessible to and usable as many people as possible.
Accessibility Features on Computer Devices
When you boot your computer, you would likely see one to three icons on the bottom corner of the login-screen. On a Windows 10 operating system, there is an Accessibility icon in between the Network & Internet icon and the Power icon.
The key accessibility features on a computer device include Narrator, Magnifier, On-Screen Keyboard, High Contract, Sticky Keys, Filters Keys, and Speech Recognition. These features aid in the following ways:
— Narrator offers a read-the-text-as-you-type aid and plays audio cues as you enter into new pages. This is useful for hose who are blind or with low vision.
— Magnifier enlarges the screen for those who have difficulty reading.
— On-Screen Keyboard displays a visual keyboard with all the standard keys can can be operated with a finger (if the device is touch-screen), a mouse, or a pointing device.
— High Contrast alters the overall colour scheme so you can read and operate the system with ease. This feature is helpful for those with colour blindness.
— Sticky Keys allow you to hold down one key for multiple-key effects (i.e. CTRL+ALT+DELETE). This aids those that have difficulty performing executive functions like finger dexterity.
— Filters Keys check for duplicate keys so you do not need to click backspace to erase the duplicate. This also guides those who may have difficulty with hand coordination.
— Speech recognition allows you to dictate the commands on your device; from using your voice to read texts and documents to entering into applications.
Navigating through the Local Guides Program
I found this particular topic important to address, because a huge part of the program is updating information on Google Maps to guide others (in the form of review, photos, answers, location edits). We may have or need to use certain features at one point or another! I often use the Magnifier feature to zoom in case to proofread for any errors and also to really dissect an image (let’s say for inspection purposes). Note: You can also search “Ease of Access” in your search bar when you click the startup menu to use the features.
While some of these accessible features and icons may differ on various laptops and operating systems, each device still has a similar feature set. I was surprised that these features cater to all areas of accessibility (physical, visual, audio, cognitive). After tapping the “Ease of Access” icon, I was actually excited to go back to my settings and research on other features.
Task: Browse through your laptops and share your experience below!
If you have a question, suggestion, or contribution, feel free to comment below. You can read last week’s roundup article here and check the list of our other articles under “Accessibility Uncovered”.
