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Chapter 13: Making the Most of Your Computer’s Accessories

Using Narrator

Narrator is a text-to-speech program that reads aloud what is displayed on the screen

as you navigate the keyboard. You can use the program to read aloud users’ key-

strokes, system messages, menu commands, and dialog box options.

You can turn on Narrator by completing these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2. In the Control Panel, click Ease of Access and then click Ease of Access Center.

3. Click Start Narrator.

To exit Narrator and prevent it from starting automatically, click File and then click

Exit.

Narrator’s default voice is Microsoft Anna. You can configure Narrator using the fol-

lowing techniques:

• By clicking the Voice Settings button in the Microsoft Narrator window, you can

modify the speed, volume, and pitch of the default voice.

• By default, Narrator echoes user keystrokes, announces both system messages

and scroll notifications, and automatically monitors screen elements. You can

use the Preferences menu options to toggle these options on and off.

• By selecting Preferences and then clicking “Background message settings,” you

can configure whether and when background messages are discarded if they

have not been presented to the user. By default, messages are discarded after 30

seconds.

Making the Keyboard Easier to Use

For those who have difficulty pressing keys on keyboards or reading on-screen text,

Windows Vista includes several other useful accessibility features to make the key-

board easier to use. To access and turn on these features, complete the following

steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2. In the Control Panel, click Ease of Access and then click Ease of Access Center.

3. In the Ease of Access Center, under Explore All Settings, click “Make the key-

board easier to use.” This displays the “Make the keyboard easier to use” page,

shown in Figure 13-28.

4. The Mouse Keys feature lets you move the mouse around the screen using the

left, right, up, and down arrows on the numeric keypad. To enable Mouse Keys,

select the “Turn on Mouse Keys” checkbox.

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5. The Sticky Keys feature lets you press key combinations, such as Ctrl-Alt-Delete,

one key at a time. Modifier keys are locked and selected automatically if you

press them twice in a row. To enable Sticky Keys, select the “Turn on Sticky

Keys” checkbox.

6. The Toggle Keys feature plays a warning tone whenever you press the Caps

Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock key. To enable Toggle Keys, select the “Turn on

Toggle Keys” checkbox.

7. The Filter Keys feature lets you automatically filter unintentional keystrokes.

When this feature is enabled, you must press and hold a key for a specific length

of time before it is accepted or repeated. To turn on Filter Keys, select the “Turn

on Filter Keys” checkbox.

8. Click Save to save and apply your settings.

Figure 13-28. Making the keyboard easier to use