The Windows Ease of Access Center is a collection of built-in features and controls that help facilitate accessible computing. If you have read the Windows section of the AFB Guide to Using a Computer with a Visual Impairment, then you already know that the simplest way to reach the Ease of Access Center is by pressing and holding down the Windows Logo key—located at the bottom left of the keyboard between the CTRL and Alt keys. Then, with the Windows Logo key still pressed, press the letter U, then release both keys. A screen with the following text will appear:
Make your computer easier to use
Quick access to common tools
You can use the tools in this section to help you get started.
Windows can read and scan this list automatically. Press the SPACEBAR to select the highlighted tool.
- Always read this section aloud
- Always scan this section
- Start Magnifier Alt-G
- Start Narrator Alt-N
- Start On-Screen Keyboard Alt-K
- Set up High Contrast Alt-u
- Not sure where to start?
- Get recommendations to make your computer easier to use Alt-R
- Explore all settings
- When you select these settings, they will automatically start each time you sign in.
- Use the computer without a display
- Optimize for blindness
- Make the computer easier to see
- Optimize visual display
- Use the computer without a mouse or keyboard
- Set up alternative input devices
- Make the mouse easier to use
- Make the keyboard easier to use
- Use text or visual alternatives for sound
- Make it easier to focus on tasks
- Make touch and tablets easier to use
You can also reach the Ease of Access Center using touch commands. Here's how:
- Swipe one finger in from the right edge of the screen.
- Tap the Settings icon.
- Tap Change PC Settings.
- Tap Ease of Access.
Depending on your level of vision, you may be able to locate and start the accessibility assistant of without sighted assistance. Others may require sighted assistance, at least for the initial setup. After that you can toggle these features off and on using touch gestures.
Using Windows Magnifier with Gestures
In the AFB Guide to Using a Computer with a Visual Impairment an entire section is devoted to describing several ways to make your Windows PC easier to see. These tips and tricks will also work on a touch screen tablet, and are definitely worth giving a try.
In the Guide's section on Magnifier, we described this useful low vision tool that enlarges part—or all—of your screen up to sixteen times. It comes with a few different settings, so you can use it the way that suits you best.
Windows Magnifier can be started either through the Ease of Access Center, where you can instruct Windows to start the program every time you turn on your computer, or by pressing the Windows Logo key, typing "Magnifier," then pressing Enter.
You can also turn on Windows Magnifier using touch gestures:
- Swipe one finger in from the right edge of the screen.
- Tap the Settings icon.
- Tap Change PC Settings.
- Tap Ease of Access.
- Tap Magnifier.
- Use the slider beneath the icon to turn Magnifier on.
To close Magnifier:
- Tap the magnifying glass icon.
- Tap the Close button.
You can also use the following gestures with Magnifier on a touchscreen tablet:
- Zoom in and out by tapping on the screen: Tap the upper left or right corner to increase magnification, the lower left or right corner to decrease it. There are plus and minus signs to help guide you. Quick Tip: The plus and minus appear as soon as you turn on the magnifier.
- Move around the screen by dragging along the borders: A small border appears around the outside of the screen connecting the plus and minus signs in their respective corners. These boxes appear as soon as you turn on one of the two modes. They default to your last position and size. When the screen has been dragged all the way to the right, that border will disappear until the screen is dragged back away from the right edge. This works in all four directions. Quick Tip:The border only appears in Dock and Lens view (see below). In standard view, the entire screen is simply magnified. In lens view, you slide the box around the screen. In dock view, the box stays the same place, what’s inside it moves around.
- See where you are on the screen by tapping with two fingers on opposite borders: When you tap on opposite borders the screen zooms briefly back to normal view, with the section you were working in appearing in normal colors and the rest of the screen shaded as though covered by a shadow. A few seconds later the view will return to the area of work at the previous magnification.
Magnifier View Modes
Windows Magnifier offers three different ways to enlarge the screen.
- Full Screen: In this mode, your entire screen will be magnified. Naturally, this means not all of the information can be shown at once, so you may need to scroll around the screen considerably using the touch gestures described above in order to be productive.
- Lens Mode: This mode is like holding a magnifying glass up to your computer display. A portion of the screen will be magnified, the rest will appear normally. The lens follows the touch cursor and can also be moved around by touching and holding the small boxes at the perimeter of the lens to slide the lens to a new location.
- Docked View: In Docked view, a portion of your screen is "docked" to your display, and the information presented changes as you move about the screen. The docked view can be snapped to either the top, bottom, left, or right side of the display and will show a magnified version of any point on the screen you touch.
Other Magnifier Settings
Use the Options menu to set the percentage increment that each press of the zoom key [Windows key and Plus Sign (+) or Minus Sign (-) ] will adjust. You can also turn on color inversion to reverse colors on the screen. Often reversing colors makes text easier to read.
Here is a list of Magnifier hotkeys and other useful information from Microsoft Experiment with the settings for Magnifier until they work best for you. You may also find it helpful to run both Magnifier and Narrator simultaneously.
