Newsletter Archives

• Make Windows 11 easier to see, hear, and use

  Posted on December 11, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.50 • 2023-12-11

  ACCESSIBILITY

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Whether or not you have specific disabilities or limitations, you can take advantage of a variety of accessibility settings to make Windows 11 more usable and accommodating.

  My eyes became much drier following eye surgery last year. As a result, my eyesight can at times get fuzzy, so I’ve had to adjust certain visual settings in Windows 11 so that I can more easily see text and other on-screen elements.

  If you’ve run into your own issues trying to see, hear, or otherwise use Windows 11, Microsoft offers several key accessibility features that can help. Here’s how they work.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.50.0, 2023-12-11).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Accessibility Accessibility, Disabilities, Newsletters, Settings, Windows 11

• Windows’ built-in basics

  Posted on October 24, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Chris Husted • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.43 • 2022-10-24

  ACCESSIBILITY

  

  By Chris Husted

  When it comes to adaptive and assistive technologies, especially those found under Ease of Access in Windows Settings, most people think the extra functions do not apply to them, simply because they are not disabled.

  Nothing could be further from the truth.

  As Stephen Dawes, a long-time Plus member and a Senior IT Systems Analyst based in Calgary, Canada, points out, “When a technology is developed to help a specific group of people, and when it is done right, everyone benefits.”

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.43.0, 2022-10-24).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Accessibility Accessibility, Newsletters, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Welcome to assistive and adaptive technology

  Posted on July 18, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Chris Husted • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.29 • 2022-07-18

  ACCESSIBILITY

  

  By Chris Husted

  The future of technology is in your hands, hands-free.

  Whether people know it or not, many of the latest features that make using the phone in their hand so much easier all came from developing “assistive and adaptive technology” (AAT), that branch of research and development specifically dedicated to help disabled people with their daily lives.

  More than 13 million Americans use assistive technology devices, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But with the population aging, the number of people with vision impairment and age-related dexterity issues is growing. Chances are, you already use assistive technology or know someone who does.

  Stephen Dawes, a senior systems analyst for the local government Calgary, Canada, has lived the history of assistive and adaptive technology related to computers. He also foretells an interesting future.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.29.0, 2022-07-18).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Accessibility Accessibility, Adaptive & Assistive Technology, Newsletters