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Web Accessibility Tips for People Who Have Impaired Vision
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Summary: Learn how you can change settings for improved Web access. |
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How to do it |
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Use keyboard shortcuts. |
Use keyboard shortcuts to move through Web pages or change your Internet Options.
- Press Tab and Shift+Tab to move forward and backward between screen elements such as:
- Links that are text or images
- Hot spots on image maps
- The address bar
- The menu bar
- The links bar
- Frames
- As you move to or click a link or image, a thin border appears around it so you know what is selected.
- See other suggested keyboard shortcuts below.
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Change your font sizes. |
Increase or decrease the font size to make text more legible.
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Change your font styles. |
Select a sans-serif font such as Helvetica or Arial to make type easier to read.
- In the IE Tools menu, select Internet Options.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+T+O.)
- When the dialog box opens, the General tab should be displayed. If not, click on the General tab.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Tab to move to the General tab.)
- Click Accessibility in the lower right corner of the dialog box to open the Accessibility dialog box.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+E.)
- Click Ignore font styles specified on Web pages.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Tab to move through the options and press the space bar to select.)
Click OK to close the Accessibility dialog box.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Enter to close the Accessibility dialog box.)
- Click the Fonts button at the bottom of the Internet Options dialog box.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+N.)
- Choose the font style you prefer from the lists, and click OK twice to close the Fonts and Internet Options dialog boxes.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Tab to move through the options or press Alt+W [for Web page fonts] or Alt+P [for plain text fonts], and then use the Arrow keys to scroll through the fonts; press Enter to choose a font. Press Enter again to close the Internet Options dialog box.)
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Change your colors. |
Choose specific colors to make Web pages easier to see.
- In the IE Tools menu, select Internet Options.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+T+O.)
- When the dialog box opens, the General tab should be displayed. If not, click on the General tab.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Tab to move to the General tab.)
- Click the Colors button in the lower right corner of the Accessibility dialog box.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+O.)
- Under Colors, uncheck the Use Windows Colors box and choose Text or
Background by clicking the Color bar.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+W and then press Alt+T for Text or Alt+B for Background.)
- Choose colors from the color palette and click OK to close the color palette.
(Keyboard shortcut: Use the Arrow keys to move through the color palette and press the space bar to select a color. Press Enter to close the color palette.)
- Under Links, click the Color bar for Visited and/ or Unvisited to bring up a color palette that you can choose from. Choose your color and click OK to close the Colors dialog box.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+I for Visited or Alt+N for Unvisited. Use the Arrow keys to move through the color palette and press the space bar to select a color. Press Enter to close the color palette.)
- Click Use Hover Color and then click the Color bar to bring
up a color palette that you can choose from.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+H and then press Alt+O to bring up the color palette.
Use the Arrow keys to move through the colors and press the space bar to select a color. Press Enter to close the color palette.)
- Click OK twice to close the Colors and Internet Options dialog box.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Enter twice.)
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Customize your toolbar. |
Add or remove buttons, change the size of icons, and show or hide the text on labels.
- Right-click the toolbar, and then click Customize.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt+V+T+C.) For Available toolbar buttons, press Alt+V and then use the Arrow keys to make your selections. Press Alt+A to add to Current toolbar buttons.)
- If you have low vision, you can add the Size button for quick access to the relative font size. (Keyboard shortcut: Use the Arrow keys to move to your choice and press Enter to select.)
- If you are using a screen reader, you can select Small Icons (keyboard shortcut: Alt+N) in the Icon Options list, and No text labels (keyboard shortcut: Alt+T) in the Text Options list to maximize the amount of screen space available for Web content.
(Keyboard shortcut: Use the Arrow keys to move to your choice and press Enter to select.)
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Save keystrokes by using Auto Complete. |
Save time when you are typing Web addresses or completing entries on Web pages by turning on Auto Complete.
- On the IE Tools menu, click Internet Options, click the Content tab, and then click the AutoComplete button. Choose your options. and click OK to close the dialog box.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt, T, O and then press Ctrl + Tab until you select the Content tab. Press Alt + U to open the Auto Complete dialog box. Press Tab to move through the options and press the space bar to select or deselect an option. Press Enter to close the Auto Complete dialog box. Tab to the OK button and press Enter to close the Internet Options dialog box.)
- If you use a blind-access utility, you can clear the check boxes if your accessibility aid reads the suggestions as they appear. This will make typing easier.
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Change settings. |
Change settings in Advanced Options to make IE more accessible.
- On the IE Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
(Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt, T, O and then Ctrl + Tab to the Advanced tab. Use the Tab key or Arrow keys to move through the options and use the space bar to make selections. Press Enter to close the Internet Options dialog box.) Change the following settings as needed:
- Some screen readers or screen magnifiers use the system caret to determine which area of the screen to read or magnify. If you use a screen reader, you can select the Move system caret with focus/selection changes check box to specify whether to move the system caret whenever the focus or selection changes.
(Keyboard shortcut: Use the Arrow keys to move to the option and press the space bar to select it.)
- Select the Always expand alt text for images check box if you rely on alternate (ALT) text instead of viewing the actual pictures.
(Keyboard shortcut: Use arrow keys to move to the option and press the space bar to select it.) Then the text will not be cut off if the amount of text is larger than the image area.
- If you use a screen magnification or screen reader program, you can clear the Use smooth scrolling and Enable page transitions check boxes to ensure the program functions correctly.
(Keyboard shortcut: Use the Arrow keys to move to the options and press the space bar to select them.)
- You can clear the Show pictures, Play animations, and Play videos check boxes to improve performance.
(Keyboard shortcut: Use the Arrow keys to move to the options and press the space bar to select them.) If you are sensitive to screen flashing, you might also want to clear these check boxes.
- You can clear the Print background colors and images check box to improve print legibility.
(Keyboard shortcut: Use Arrow keys to move to the option and press the space bar to select it.)
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Get information on assistive technology. |
For general information and recommendations on how computers can help you with your specific needs, you should consult a trained evaluator. To locate programs or services in your area, contact:
National Information System
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
Voice/ text telephone: (803) 777-1782
Fax: (803) 777-9557
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For more information, contact the Blink team. |
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