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Using Mac OS X Accessibility Features

What are they?

Mac OS X Panther (10.3) comes bundled with what Apple calls Universal Access. Universal Access is available via System Preferences, which can be activated from the Apple menu. There are four basic categories: Seeing, Hearing, Keyboard, and Mouse. The Speech settings in System Preferences also contains useful text-to-speech and speech recognition technology.

Seeing

• To turn the Zoom feature on or off, press: Command Option fn 8
• To Zoom in, press: Command Option fn =
• To Zoom out, press: Command Option fn -
• To switch to White on Black, press: Command Option Control fn 8
• To Increase Contrast, press: Command Option Control fn .
• To Decrease Contrast, press: Command Option Control fn ,

Cusor tracking and other options can be configured under System Preferences -> Universal Access -> Seeing -> Zoom Options.

Hearing

If you have difficulty hearing, you can set the Mac to flash the screen instead of beeping to alert you under System Preferences -> Universal Access -> Hearing.

Keyboard

If you have difficulty using a keyboard, the Mac comes equipped with Sticky Keys and Filter Keys. Use System Preferences -> Universal Access -> Keyboard to configure Sticky Keys and Filter Keys, and check "Press the Shift key five times to turn Sticky Keys on or off."

Also, turning on Full Keyboard Access allows you to use the Tab key, Arrow key, and other keys to select buttons, lists, and other items on your screen.

• To turn full keyboard access on or off, press: Control fn F1
• To put the focus on the Menu, press: Control fn F2
• To put focus on the Dock, press: Control fn F3
• To put focus on Window (active) or next window, press: Control fn F4
• To put focus on Toolbar, press: Control fn F5
• To put focus on Utility window (palette), press: Control fn F6
• To rotate windows, press: Command fn `
• To toggle focus for any control within windows, press: Control fn F7

Mouse

If you have difficulty using the mouse, you can use the numeric keypad to move the cursor around the screen. Use System Preferences -> Universal Access -> Mouse to configure Mouse Keys, and check "Press the option key five times to turn Mouse Keys on or off." You may also want to consider using Full Keyboard Access (see above) and Speakable Items (see below).

Text-to-Speech and Speech Recognition

To use spoken commands to control your computer, turn on Speakable Items under System Preferences -> Speech -> Speech Recognition. To hear the Mac speak alerts and other text you select on the screen, go to System Preferences -> Speech -> Spoken User Interface.

Last Updated: September 27, 2004