HOW TO: Set Up and Manage Accessibility for the Mobility Impaired in Windows 2000 Professional (323541)

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to set up accessibility for the mobility impaired in a Windows 2000 environment. People who have motion-related disabilities can use Windows 2000 to configure their computer to provide a more comfortable computing environment and help minimize the impact of mobility impairments on their work.

The Keyboard tool in Control Panel provides keyboard layouts for users of alternative keyboards. This is especially useful for users who type with one hand.

The Mouse tool in Control Panel configures the mouse for right- or left-handed users, adjusts double-click speed, pointer speed, and acceleration, and causes the mouse pointer to go directly to default buttons in dialog boxes.

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Turning on FilterKeys

You can use FilterKeys in Accessibility Options in Control Panel to tell Windows 2000 to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Accessibility Options.
2. On the Keyboard tab, under FilterKeys, click to select the Use FilterKeys check box.
   
   NOTE: To change the settings for FilterKeys, on the Keyboard tab, under FilterKeys, click Settings.
   
   If the Use shortcut check box in the Settings for FilterKeys dialog box is selected, you can turn FilterKeys on and off by holding down the right SHIFT key for 8 to 16 seconds (depending on the other settings you have selected in the Accessibility Options dialog box).

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Turning on StickyKeys

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Accessibility Options.
2. On the Keyboard tab, under StickyKeys, select the Use StickyKeys check box.
   
   NOTE: To change settings for StickyKeys, on the Keyboard tab, under StickyKeys, click Settings.

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Turning on ToggleKeys

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Accessibility Options.
2. On the Keyboard tab, under ToggleKeys, click to select the Use ToggleKeys check box.
   
   NOTE: To change settings for ToggleKeys, on the Keyboard tab, under ToggleKeys, click Settings.
   
   If the Use shortcut check box in the Settings for ToggleKeys dialog box is selected, you can turn ToggleKeys on and off by holding down the NUM LOCK key for five seconds.

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Replacing the Mouse or Keyboard with Other Devices

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Accessibility Options.
2. On the General tab, under SerialKey devices, click to select the Support SerialKey devices check box.
   
   NOTE: To change the serial port and baud rate for your SerialKey device, on the General tab, under SerialKey devices, click Settings.

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MouseKeys

You can use MouseKeys in Accessibility Options in Control Panel to control the pointer with the numeric keypad on your keyboard.

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Turning on MouseKeys

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Accessibility Options.
2. On the Mouse tab, under MouseKeys, click to select the Use MouseKeys check box.

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Turning on MouseKeys by Using Keystrokes

1. To display the Start menu, press CTRL+ESC.
2. To display the Settings menu, press SHIFT+S, and then press ENTER.
3. If Accessibility Options is not selected, use the arrow keys to select it, and then press ENTER.
4. To select the Mouse tab, press CTRL+TAB.
5. To select Use MouseKeys, press SPACEBAR.
6. Press TAB twice to select OK, and then press ENTER.
   
   NOTE: To change settings for MouseKeys, on the Mouse tab, click Settings. If the Use shortcut check box in the Settings for MouseKeys dialog box is selected, you can turn MouseKeys on and off by pressing left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK.

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Clicking by Using MouseKeys

• To click, press 5 on your numeric keypad.
• To double-click, press the plus sign (+) on your numeric keypad.
• To right-click, press the minus sign (-) on your numeric keypad, and then press 5 to click, or press the plus sign (+) to double-click.
• To click as if you were using both mouse buttons at once, press the asterisk (*) on your numeric keypad, and then press 5 to click or the plus sign (+) to double-click.
• To switch back to standard clicking, press slash (/) on your numeric keypad.

NOTE: Make sure MouseKeys is turned on. To change accessibility settings from Control Panel, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Accessibility Options.

If MouseKeys does not work, press NUM LOCK, and then try MouseKeys again.

To specify whether NUM LOCK must be on or off for MouseKeys to function, on the Mouse tab, click Settings, and then for Use MouseKeys when NumLock is, click On or Off.

To change the pointer speed and acceleration when you are using MouseKeys, on the Mouse tab, click Settings, and then move the sliders to adjust the pointer speed and acceleration.

To temporarily increase or decrease the pointer speed, on the Mouse tab, click Settings, and then click to select the Hold down Ctrl to speed up and Shift to slow down check box.

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Moving the Mouse Pointer by Using MouseKeys

• To move the pointer horizontally or vertically, press the arrow keys on your numeric keypad.
• To move the pointer diagonally, press HOME, END, PAGE UP, and PAGE DOWN on your numeric keypad.

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Dragging by Using MouseKeys

• To move the pointer over the object you want to move or over the area you want to move to, press the arrow keys on your numeric keypad.
• To hold down the mouse button, press the INSERT key on your numeric keypad.
• To release the mouse button, press the DELETE key on your numeric keypad.

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On-Screen Keyboard

The On-Screen Keyboard utility displays a virtual keyboard on your screen so you can type data by using a pointing device or joystick. On-Screen Keyboard is intended to provide a minimum level of functionality for users with mobility impairments. It is also useful for users who do not know how to type.

The On-Screen Keyboard has three typing modes you can use to type data:

• In Clicking mode, you click the on-screen keys to type text.
• In Scanning mode, On-Screen Keyboard continually scans the keyboard and selects areas where you can type keyboard characters by pressing a hot key or using a switch-input device.
• In Hovering mode, you use a mouse or joystick to point to a key for a pre-defined period of time, and the selected character is typed automatically.

Notes:

• View an enhanced keyboard that includes the numeric keypad, or a standard keyboard without the numeric keypad.
• Display the keyboard with the keys in the standard layout, or in a block layout in which the keys are arranged in rectangular blocks. Block layout is especially useful in scanning mode.
• Display the U.S. standard keyboard (101 keys), the universal keyboard (102 keys), or a keyboard (106 keys) with additional Japanese language characters.
• Use Click Sound to add an audible click when you select a key.
• Use Always on Top to keep your keyboard displayed on your screen when you switch programs or windows.

NOTE: To start the On-Screen Keyboard, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click On-Screen Keyboard.

The program window in which you want to type must be active while you are using the On-Screen Keyboard.

Utility Manager enables users to check the status of On-Screen Keyboard and other accessibility programs, start or stop a program, and designate to have the program start when Windows 2000 starts.

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Selecting a Keyboard Layout

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click On-Screen Keyboard.
2. On the Keyboard menu, select the following keyboard options:
   • To select the keyboard layout, click Enhanced Keyboard which includes the numeric keypad, or Standard Keyboard which displays a keyboard without the numeric keypad.
   • To select the way the keys appear on the keyboard, click Regular Layout which displays the keys as they would normally appear on a standard keyboard. To display the most frequently-used character keys together on the keyboard, click Block Layout. Block layout also puts the directional arrow keys in the lower right corner.
   • To select the U.S. standard keyboard click 101 keys, for the universal keyboard click 102 keys, and for the keyboard with additional Japanese characters click 106 keys.

NOTE: Block layout is especially useful if you are using Hover To Select mode as the characters that are most frequently used are easy to select.

The 102 keys and 106 keys settings are not available with Block Layout.

The program window in which you want to type must be active while you are using the On-Screen Keyboard.

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Using Clicking Mode

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click On-Screen Keyboard.
2. On the Settings menu, click Typing Mode.
3. In the Typing Mode dialog box, click Click to select.

NOTE: By default, you can use On-Screen Keyboard to type data with the mouse by pointing to and clicking keyboard characters. When you point to a character, it is selected. Click the selected character to select it. The program window in which you want to type must be active while you are using On-Screen Keyboard.

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Using Scanning Mode

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click On-Screen Keyboard.
2. On the Settings menu, click Typing Mode.
3. In the Typing Mode dialog box, click Joystick or key to select.
4. Use the up and down arrows next to the seconds box to set the speed for how quickly On-Screen Keyboard scans.
5. Select Advanced, and then click the appropriate option to do one of the following:
   • Select Serial, parallel, or game port to designate that a pointing device, which can be attached to the serial, parallel, or game port, will be used to select the selected keyboard characters you want to type.
   • Select Keyboard key to designate a key to be used to select the selected keyboard characters you want to type, and select the key from the menu.
6. Click OK to close the dialog box.

NOTE: On-Screen Keyboard scans by selecting each row of keys from top to bottom. When the row that contains the key you want to type is selected, use the choice you made in step 5. On-Screen Keyboard then scans this row, and when the group of characters that contains the key you want to type is selected, use the choice you made in step 5. On-Screen Keyboard then scans the individual characters in that group, and when the key you want to type is selected, use the choice you made in step 5. The program window in which you want to type must be active while you are using On-Screen Keyboard.

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Using Hovering Mode

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click On-Screen Keyboard.
2. On the Settings menu, click Typing Mode.
3. In the Typing Mode dialog box, click Hover to select.
4. Select the up or down arrow to adjust the minimum hover time. If the mouse pointer remains over a character for the specified hover time, the character will be selected and typed.
   
   NOTE: The program window in which you want to type must be active while you are using On-Screen Keyboard.

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Selecting the Font for On-Screen Keyboard Keys

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click On-Screen Keyboard.
2. On the Settings menu, click Font.
3. In the Font dialog box, select a font, font style, and font size.

NOTE: If you are using another language, it may be necessary to change font options to see additional foreign language characters.

The selected font options only affect the appearance of the On-Screen Keyboard keys and not the font that is used in the selected program.

The program window in which you want to type must be active while you are using On-Screen Keyboard.

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Using an Audible Click

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click On-Screen Keyboard.
2. On the Settings menu, click Use Click Sound.
   
   NOTE: The audible click sound is heard when the character selected appears in the program being used. The program window in which you want to type must be active while you are using On-Screen Keyboard.

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Starting the Accessibility Wizard

The Accessibility tools that are included with Windows 2000 are intended to provide a minimum level of functionality for users with special needs. Some users with disabilities may need programs with higher functionality for daily use. For more information about higher functionality resources, please see the "References" section of this article. To start the Accessibility Wizard:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Accessibility Wizard.

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