Accessibility Options Overview

Windows XP Professional provides administrators with a collection of tools for assisting disabled users. Most of these tools can be accessed from the WindowsXP Start Menu by clicking on Start/All Programs/Accessories/Accessibility and then selecting an accessibility option. Windows XP's accessibility options include:

• Accessibility Wizard. This wizard assists in configuring accessibility options by guiding users and administrators through a series of steps.

• Magnifier. Displays a magnified portion of the screen inside a window for easier viewing.

• Narrator. Reads text displayed on the screen.

• On-Screen Keyboard. Displays a graphical keyboard on the screen and allows users to enter keyboard input using their mouse.

• Utility Manager. Enables and disables the operation of the Magnifier, Narrator, and On-Screen Keyboard accessibility options and determines when they are in effect.

In addition, accessibility options can be configured from the Accessibility Options folder, which can be opened by clicking on the Accessibility Options link on the Windows XP Control Panel. The Accessibility Options folder contains links to the following accessibility options:

• Magnifier

• On-Screen Keyboard

• Accessibility Wizard

In addition, the Accessibility Options folder provides access to the Accessibility Options dialog, where the following groups of settings can be configured.

• Keyboard. Controls keyboard-related accessibility settings as well as the ability to display extra keyboard help

• Sound. Configures visual warnings and captions

• Display. Configures contract and cursor settings

• Mouse. Configures a keyboard's numeric keypad to function in place of a mouse

• General. Configures a collection of miscellaneous accessibility settings, including notification and administrative options

Note 

This chapter discusses the configuration of accessibility settings within the context of local configuration on the user's computer. However, in a networked environment managed by Active Directory, network administrators can configure and deploy accessibility options using Group Policy.

Applications that display the Designed for Windows logo should automatically adjust their appearance and behavior to accommodate Windows XP's accessibility option settings, helping to ensure a consistent operating environment for disabled users. However, other applications may not provide this level of compatibility with Windows XP's accessory options. In this case, administrators need to find other ways of accommodating disabled users. The accessibility options provided by Windows XP Professional represent a basic level of assistance. To assist users who require advanced assistance, administrators need to turn to third-party hardware and software products.

Note 

More information about Microsoft products that support individuals with disabilities can be found at the Microsoft Accessibility Web site located at http://www.microsoft.com/enable.