Settings in the Operating System 

The Windows ® operating system allows you to make various settings to optimize the display for visually impaired users. The settings listed below are relevant for the Windows ® 2000 operating system.

General Accessibility Settings

From the start menu, choose Settings ® Control Panel ® Accessibility. In the Accessibility Options popup, you can make general accessibility settings. On the Display tab page, for example, you can set a different color scheme (see color scheme below).

Resolution

From the start menu, choose Settings ® Control Panel ® Display. In the Display Properties popup, choose the Settings tab page. On this tab page, you can increase or reduce the resolution.

Lower resolution increases the size of the display. However, lower resolution also results in more scrolling.

Color Scheme

From the start menu, choose Settings ® Control Panel ® Display. In the Display Properties popup, choose the Appearance tab page.

The color scheme allows you to adjust the background color, the text color, the font and the font size of various screen elements. The color scheme thus influences how screen elements are displayed at the general operating system level.

Changes to the color scheme are not automatically taken over by Microsoft ® Internet Explorer. To do this, you need to make separate settings (see Settings in the Internet Browser).

The Windows Standard color scheme is the default scheme. This scheme contains the generally recognized Windows interface display. The standard font in this color scheme is Tahoma, font size 8. In addition to this, Microsoft ® offers other pre-defined color schemes. You can either choose a pre-defined color scheme that suits you or define your own.

If you do change the color scheme, we recommend that you check that all screen elements are clearly distinguishable before using this color scheme for your daily work.

Changing the Mouse Pointer

To change how the mouse pointer is displayed, call up the start menu and choose Settings ® Control Panel ® Mouse. In the Mouse Properties popup, choose the Pointers tab page and set the mouse pointer using the required scheme or an individual setting.