Getting old is no disgrace. It's just inconvenient at times.
I'm old so you can take my word or it: Some of the changes aging brings can make using a computer challenging at times. Type that's big enough for a younger person can seem tiny. Old age can also make in dent in our ability to hear, cause fingers to be less than nimble and -- worse yet -- create the false notion in our own minds that computing is a complicated affair beyond our reach.
I'm generalizing of course. Not all older people need additional help with computing. I know an ex-fighter pilot who started skydiving at 70 and uses a computer to create painterly graphics. My 91-year-old father-in-law knows more about online stock trading than I do. Besides there are young people with physical disabilities who face great challenges as far as using a computer. Today's tips can be a help to anyone in those groups, regardless of age.
We'll talk about ways a computer can be set-up to compensate for common minor physical disabilities. And we'll stick with things that can be done with the built-in accessibility options that come free as a part of Windows. They can help a person navigate around minor disabilities. There are better resources and more capable programs for those with more profound disabilities -- hardware and software that can put computing within the reach of almost anyone. Providing that kind of assistance is beyond my competence. We'll talk instead about dealing with minor vision, hearing and mobility problems.
Eyes often get worse with age. Even bifocals or corrective surgery can't return vision to the way it was when young. For one thing the eye gets less elastic and has more trouble shifting from one distance to another.
Type size isn't much of a problem within word processing programs. All of them I've used let you easily change the type size used on the screen. And you can usually change the screen size without changing how the type will appear in a printed document. And most web browsers let you tinker with how the page appears on your screen, including adjusting width and type size. That may be enough for some. The help menu for your web browser and word processing program will take you to the settings required to adjust type size.
But Windows provides a program that lets you make more dramatic changes. I'll assume you are using Windows 7 as I explain how to do that. But almost all the features I'll mention today are available -- in slightly different form in some cases -- with Windows Vista and even XP. If my directions don't work for the version of Windows you are using, use the search feature in Windows Help and type in this word: access.
That same procedure, typing in the word -- access -- works in Windows 7 too. When I type that word in, I am given a clickable link to what Microsoft calls the Ease of Access Center. Click on it and you'll see an option to set the screen to high contrast. The high contrast setting can, for some people, improve the legibility of the screen. You'll also see an option called Start Magnifier. If you click on that option you can set it to either increase the size of all type, or to create a virtual magnifying glass that can be moved around to only magnify one small section of the screen.
What if that's not enough? If your eyes still can't quite make sense of things, Windows can be set to tell you -- in a computerized voice -- what's going on. For instance, if your mouse is hovering over a check box it'll tell you whether that box is checked or not. It can also read out loud the text you have on the screen -- whether it comes from a web site or document you've received, or one you're typing.
Here's how to get that program, called Narrator, working for you. Click on the Start button. That will open a small window that includes a search box. In that box type the word -- narrator. You'll be able to set the program up to read aloud to you.
Now let's go back to the Ease of Access Center and get some help with mobility problems. You'll find options for making the keyboard easier to use. Some commands in Windows require that more than one key be held down at a time. Some people don't have the dexterity to do that. So turning on the feature called Sticky Keys lets you punch the command in one key at a time without continuing to hold each key down. Those who need help with mobility problems can check out all the possible settings at this Web address: http://tinyurl.com/62yfuud.
Now let's talk about help for the hearing impaired. Some programs use sounds -- perhaps a beep -- to warn of errors or to signal that you've done something wrong. That same Access Center menu will let you set up Windows to show on screen that the beep has sounded.
There are other options in Access Center that are worth investigating. Even those with no physical challenges may find that some of them make working at the computer easier.
Spending a little time exploring the ways Windows can compensate for physical challenges is worthwhile. Being able to comfortably use a computer is especially important for those who may have physical challenges. The computer can let a person travel to places their legs can no longer take them -- shopping, entertainment and paying bills can be done at the click of a mouse button.
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