demo of shap writing on Eye Control - works like swiping on a touch keyboard. dwell on the first letter of a word, glance at subsequent letters and dwell on last letter. word is entered

New Windows 10 accessible updates

Microsoft has been making huge strides in the realm of accessibility with each successive update to Windows and have invested in updates to improve the user experience for people with disabilities.  The improvements in their Ease of Access features include eye tracking, the narrator, low vision features, and reading and writing improvements.

 

Eye Control

Eye Control delivers new exciting updates and new tools.  For users who can’t use a mouse or keyboard to control their computer, Eye Control presents a convenient entry point to a windows computer using eye-tracking technology. Having access to your computer via Eye Control gives individuals a way to communicate, the ability to stay in the workforce, and so much more!

What began as a hack project during a One Week Hackathon, has become a product concept for the Windows team.  Microsoft has introduced Eye Control, which empowers people with disabilities to use a compatible eye tracker, such as a Tobii Eye Tracker, to operate an on-screen mouse, keyboard, and text-to-speech in Windows 10 using only their eyes.

demo of shap writing on Eye Control - works like swiping on a touch keyboard. dwell on the first letter of a word, glance at subsequent letters and dwell on last letter. word is entered

 

Microsoft Learning Tools

The New Learning Tools capabilities within Microsoft Edge Microsoft Learning Tools are a set of features designed to make it easier for people with learning differences like dyslexia to read. In this update, a user can mow simultaneously highlight and listen to text in web pages and PDF documents to read and increase focus.

Now with the addition of the Immersive Reader functionality of Learning Tools you can photograph a document, export it to immersive reader and immediately use the tools to support your understanding of the text.

https://youtu.be/L1vq4Ma0lt4

 

Narrator

Narrator will include the ability to use artificial intelligence to generate descriptions for images that lack alternative text. For websites or apps that don’t have alt-text built in, this feature will provide descriptions of an image.  Narrator will now also include the ability to send commands from a keyboard, touch or braille display and get feedback about what the command does without invoking the command.  Also, there will be some Braille improvements – Narrator users can type and read using different braille translations. Users can now perform braille input for application shortcuts and modifier keys.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-ie/help/22798

Desktop Magnifier

Desktop Magnifier is also getting an option to smooth fonts and images, along with mouse wheel scrolling to zoom in and out. It is now possible to use Magnifier with Narrator, so you can zoom in on text and have it read aloud.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-ie/help/11542/windows-use-magnifier

 

Dictation on the Desktop

This feature already allowed people to speak into their microphone, and convert using Windows Speech Recognition into text that appears on the screen. In the Windows 10 Update, a person can now use dictation to convert spoken words into text anywhere on your PC

To start dictating, select a text field and press the Windows logo key  + H to open the dictation toolbar. Then say whatever’s on your mind.

As well as dictating text, you can also use voice commands to do basic editing or to input punctuation. (English only)

 

Colour filters

If it’s hard to see what’s on the screen, you can apply a color filter. Color filters change the color palette on the screen and can help you distinguish between things that differ only by color.

To change your color filter, select Start  > Settings  > Ease of Access  > Color & high contrast . Under Choose a filter, select a color filter from the menu. Try each filter to see which one suits you best.

 

Read the full Microsoft blog on the accessibility updates in Windows 10 Fall Creator.

Fair play to Microsoft for investing so heavily in developing their Ease of Access features.

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