Winning Tip Series: Computers
sachu ramalingam
Did you know you can change the font size of web pages using Internet Explorer? Simply click “view” on the tool bar then “text size,” then select a font size. In Mozilla Firefox, hold down the Control key and press the "plus" key to magnify the entire image; repeat this to increase the magnification, press Control-minus to decrease the magnification, or Control-zero to return to the original size.
Microsoft also provides screen magnification. Click on the “start” menu, then click “programs,” then “accessories,” then “accessibility,” then “magnifier.” For Windows 2000 and later versions, you can buy one of several models of Microsoft Mouse with a "magnify" button that allows more convenient control of screen magnification.
A text-to-speech feature is available in more recent versions of Windows. You can access it by clicking on the “start” menu, then clicking “programs”, then “accessories”, then “accessibility,” then “narrator.” A variety of audio output programs is also available from other vendors, ranging from simple text-to-speech programs costing less than $100 to full-functioned screen readers costing nearly $1000.
The Microsoft website offers many suggestions for making your PC easier to use, including increasing the size of both icons and fonts, altering the size and style of the cursor, changing the color scheme, and other useful ideas. The Microsoft accessibility web address is:
www.microsoft.com/enable/. (for Macintosh computers: www.apple.com/accessibility/)
Sachu Ramalingam