If you?re reading this paragraph without the assistance of special software or hardware, try closing your eyes or turning off your keyboard for a moment. Without certain software or hardware, using a computer can be a very difficult task for anyone with disabilities. Whether you?re visually or physically impaired, the fact is that using technology can be difficult. What most people take for granted may be a real chore for others.
Combatting difficulties brought on by various disabilities in an environment where software and hardware has become increasingly more complex is a huge challenge for engineers to overcome. Thankfully, both Microsoft and Apple have taken some steps to make sure that users of Windows and OS X with disabilities can at least enjoy basic functionality without requiring assistance from another person.
I decided to have a chat with Kris Napper, a member of the LockerGnome team with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), a form of Muscular Dystrophy. Even though using a keyboard can be difficult, especially during extended durations, he is able to work and contribute a great deal to LockerGnome thanks to several software applications that make life a little easier. In fact, he?s one of the founders of GeeksRiot, a clothing company that caters to the tastes and styles of geeks.
Windows Software
The Ease of Access Center is actually a collection of helpful tools that help users with various disabilities enjoy Windows in a more natural way. A built-in magnifier, text-to-speech narrator, on-screen keyboard, and high contrast are just a few of the various utilities built right in to Windows. You can also use Windows without a display, optimize visual details, replace your keyboard and mouse with speech recognition, make the mouse easier to use, and even optimize the keyboard.
Phill Fernandez, a member of the Gnomies, also takes advantage of several assistive programs in the Windows environment. As a visually-impaired user, he is no stranger to the challenges that face the blind as they attempt to take advantage of technologies that most people take for granted. Like Kris, he also lives in both Windows and OS X.
?Windows is slightly more friendly due to the fact that it has more available third-party software.? He continues, ?But the best program I?ve found thus far is ZoomText by ai squared.?
He went on to state that ZoomText makes it easier for visually impaired users to perform most tasks on Windows. Not only can you zoom in by 16x, but you can invert the contrast as well. You can even do black on yellow if you want.
He also recommended JAWS for Windows, which is a powerful screen reading utility. While the entry price is quite high, it can be a lifesaver to blind and visually impaired users who want to enter the workforce and compete for jobs that require a computer.
Kris suggested text-to-speech tool Dragon NaturallySpeaking (as we?ve written about here at LockerGnome before) as a fairly good alternative to the built-in Windows speech recognition utility. Dragon NaturallySpeaking allows you to control Windows and its applications with your voice alone. The program can be trained and attuned to your specific speech patterns and habits.
OS X
Both Phill and Kris use OS X on a regular basis. Phill suggested, ?OS X does offer some great advantages including easy magnification, a magnification app that controls scroll, and other useful tools.? Using the built-in command Control+Option+Command+8, you can invert the contrast of the screen instantly, allowing you to see the screen more clearly.
Kris added, ?The on-screen keyboard that comes with OS X isn?t as good as the one available in Windows. I found a third-party application called Keystrokes, which is an on-screen keyboard that has a predictive text option. It?s even better than the one on Windows.?
On a related note, Kris recommended the iPhone 4S thanks to Siri. Siri is the iPhone?s built-in voice control software. You can ask it questions, have it send text messages and email for you, and pretty much control the device without having to tap away on the screen. He noted that it does make mistakes here and there, but it?s a step up from the voice recognition capability of Windows? built-in solution.
Hardware
There are a number of assistive hardware devices out there that can make people?s lives easier.
Phill uses two devices to help him get things done. One of them is called Ruby Handheld by Freedom Scientific. This device is handheld and features a bright screen with sharp contrast that blows up the text as it appears below the device. The device itself is small, lightweight, and a lifesaver for people who need to read things that may be too small or just out of reach to them.
Freedom Scientific also features a product for larger-scale reading called the Onyx. This device allows you to aim a camera at anything you?d like to see larger and displays the image in sharp contrast and vivid clarity on a screen. It?s about the size of a laptop, and can be used to read books and even a whiteboard located across the room. Phill noted that the Onyx is of great assistance during class.
He also noted that Braille displays are a big help to those who can read braille. These thin devices sit in front of your keyboard and convert on-screen text to readable Braille.
What about you? Do you have tips that might help impaired users perform everyday tasks on Windows or OS X systems? Is there a challenge in particular that technology can help you overcome?
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