Windows Vista Accessibility

Many years ago, when computers were still at their beginnings, having them available only to a few people was not only acceptable, it was something expected, given the prices and the rudimentary development.

However, this is no longer the case today and one of the most important issues is that of accessibility for all.

We live in a world that has free access to information at the very roots of its existence. The ability to provide information to everyone is very important to our society. As a consequence, most software development companies have employed great efforts to make computers accessible to disabled users of may kinds.

Microsoft made no exception with Windows Vista.

Introducing Ease Of Access

The heart of the Windows Vista accessibility features is the Ease of Access Center. The Ease of Access Center is the starting point for configuring every aspect of Vista's accessibility features. It allows users to quickly access built-in accessibility tools, like the Magnifier or the Narrator, to explore all settings by category, and to get recommendations for how to use the accessibility options.

The last feature is more useful than it sounds in fact: it works by asking the user several questions related to daily tasks (like the difficulties encountered when hearing voices on TV or using a pencil). Based on the user's answers, a user profile is created, and some basic settings are suggested, settings which can be further tweaked.

An important thing to mention is that, unlike Windows XP, the login screen is also affected by accessibility settings. This was a major complaint, since users with disabilities could generally work on their computers, but had difficulties logging on.

Windows Vista comes with several accessibility-related features, each addressing a certain range of disabilities. Some of these features, like the Magnifier, are quite old, but others are newly-introduced or have been seriously improved.

Features For Vision-related Disabilities

The key to making computers usable for those with poor eyesight is to make the screen content easier to distinguish. Generally, the problems these people encounter are related to poor contrast: they can see the "big picture", but need some additional help to see "details" -- that is, text written in with a smaller font size, or with a color that doesn't contrast with the background.

There are two important tools for these users: the Magnifier and the High Contrast option. The former sets up a small area at the top of the screen. The region around the mouse cursor is displayed in that area, magnified several times, and thus easier to read. The latter changes the color of the screen content (especially text) to make it more contrasting, and thus making it easier to distinguish.

In the case of more serious vision disabilities, the Speech Recognition and the Narrator come in handy. Speech Recognition can be used as an alternative input method, when the user cannot work with a keyboard and a mouse, and thus cannot select fields by clicking them or launch programs by double-clicking them. The Narrator is a text-to-speech program, which can read on-screen text aloud, as well as describe some occurring events.

Working Without Keyboards and Mice

Although most users are comfortable with a keyboard and a mouse, those who have problems using their hands are certainly not. In fact, there are people who can use their hands normally, but still prefer not to use their mouse to often, in order to prevent some types of RSI (Repeated Strain Injury).

For those who can use the keyboard, but not very reliably, Windows Vista offers two options you may be familiar with; Sticky Keys and Filter Keys. Sticky Keys can be used to press sequences of keys, which can be interpreted as key combinations. Instead of pressing Ctrl, Alt and Delete at once, a user can press them in a sequence, and the system will interpret them as a key combination when Sticky Keys is enabled. Filter Keys does the opposite; it ignores keystrokes that occur in rapid succession, or keys which are held down for a longer time than usual.

For those who have difficulties using a mouse, Vista includes two other useful options, namely the Keyboard Shortcuts and the Mouse Keys. Keyboard Shortcuts are an application-centric feature, used for several years and not only by those with disabilities. Every application includes a set of keyboard shortcuts of its own; key combinations which trigger a certain function. The more usual ones, like the ones for saving a file (Ctrl+S) or closing a Windows (Alt+F4) are standardized, and common to all Windows applications. Mouse Keys, also known to those who have used Windows before, allows the mouse cursor to be manipulated using the arrow keys on the numeric keypad.

Not to be forgotten is the Speech Recognition option, which we already mentioned. Speech Recognition is one of the most advanced features of Windows Vista. Although it requires extensive training, a good soundcard and a good microphone, it can prove extremely rewarding. Many experts consider it to be one of the best speech recognition systems that comes bundled free of charge with an operating system.

One last option users have found helpful is the On-Screen Keyboard. The On-Screen Keyboard displays an image of a keyboard. Individual keys can be pressed using the mouse, and the on-screen keyboard will act just like a real one. This is especially useful to those who can use a mouse, but have difficulties in using the keyboard.

Dealing With Hearing Disabilities

Users who have hearing difficulties will find their own set of dedicated options in Windows Vista. Traditionally, computers use sound effects for various purposes, but they can easily be replaced.

Generally, they are replaced with visual notifications, by using the Visual Notifications option. Instead of playing a sound when a certain event occurs, Windows will use a visual effect, like flashing the desktop or flashing a window.

The Captions option may also prove of particular interest. Captions are analogous to those used by other equipment, such as fax machines designed for people with hearing disabilities. Animations and video can have a caption bar displayed near them, explaining what is happening or containing a transcript of a featured dialog. This can be useful for those with poor eyesight as well, since they can be read aloud.


Putting It All Together

The accessibility related features present in Windows Vista make it a serious alternative for disabled users over Windows XP. The range of features is quite extensive, and most users will find the option they need is already there. However, an accessibility-related API is available, allowing developers to extend accessibility features and to better integrate their current applications with Windows Vista.