=========================================================== 0. General tips for persons with low vision at the computer =========================================================== This chapter contains general advice on how low vision users can arrange and improve their working situation with the computer; as "Chapter 0" it has subsequently been inserted into the SATIS manual (in version 2.0). This survey points out the areas in which low vision users can facilitate their work with the computer, also which of those areas will be detailed later in the manual. The areas are: 0.1 Arranging the study and the desk 0.2 Hardware recommendations for computer equipment 0.3 Which operating system? /DOS, WINDOWS, WIN95, UNIX, MAC, ...) 0.4 PC management: Which "File Manager"? 0.5 Which menu control? (Text cursor, mouse, function keys) 0.6 Which starting screen (Desktop)? 0.7 Which further pre-settings for low vision users? 0.8 Which applications software? 0.9 Learning strategies and resources 0.1 Arranging the study and the desk ==================================== 1. The room where the computer is located should be completely darkened while you are working at the screen, so that not even the reflections of bright surfaces (curtain patterns ...) arise on the monitor. Dark roller blinds or curtains are advisable. The brilliance and readability of the screen are thus improved markedly. 2. On the desk everything should be well ordered, and all the things you use frequently should be "blindly" at hand in drawers, shelves etc. according to the principle of short paths. A free area on the side of the computer, for writing or for putting things down, is useful. As a light source 1 or 2 lamps with a flexible arm should do; energy-saving bulbs, with a series appliance for suppression of the slight flicker, are preferable. Halogen lights usually produce shadows that are too sharp. A very important thing is a swivel chair that is adjustable in height and moves on castors, so that the person with low vision can approach all things quickly according to demand and adjust optimal distances. 3. All electric computer equipment (main board, screen, keyboard, printer, ...) should be connected by a single switch plug so that they can be switched on and off simultaneously. The switch should be within easy reach. 4. Further arrangements have to be planned and adjusted carefully according to your individual powers of vision and needs - from your floppy disk collection up to the inscription of your filers. 0.2 Hardware recommendations (for computer purchase) ==================================================== The computer equipment is very much a question of money, and also depends on the planned use (nature and extent). Things that low vision users should pay special attention to: 1. A fast computer is necessary when you want to run screen enlargement and speech output "simultaneously": The computer mustn't be slower than you want to write. Also with scanning operations (text reading system = read/speak appliance) waiting can become tiresome. A fast computer requires not only a high quality processor (e.g. Pentium), but also a fast hard disk, a large main storage, etc. 2. A large screen, e.g. 17" (approx. DM 1200) or even 20/21" (approx. DM 3500) is important, because it is better than any other magnification! Warning: With the graphics adapter make sure of a high frame frequency and Super-VGA- Resolution! 3. A good printer (no dot-matrix printer; ink-jet or laser printer) is vital for variable type fonts and full contrast printing. 4. Option: Sound adapter (approx. DM 200) for sound or speech output with diverse software. 5. Option: Modem, preferably with fax modem (approx. DM 200), develops access to telecommunication with other PCs, Mailboxes, INTERNET, ... 6. (Luxury-)Option: Alternating hard disk (approx. DM 400), if need be streamer as comfortable backup- and transport-medium. 0.3 Which operating system? (DOS, WINDOWS, WIN95, UNIX, MAC, ... ) ================================================================== In Germany, MS-DOS or MS-DOS-based WINDOWS is the most common operating system, though not the best one, especially not for low vision users. Because of the wide distribution of the MS-DOS system and its variety of software, for many users there hardly is a real alternative. In ch. 3 of the SATIS-manual we have listed and commented on alternatives; besides many relevant arguments, system comparison also involves a "religious controversy". My private philosophy on this score in short: If the university I work for offered corresponding support, I would like best shifting to Apple Macintosh. But this indeed requires a lot of effort, both in financing and in adaptation. Whether - or how fast - WINDOWS 95 will take precedence over Windows 3.1 is still unclear. Tips on WIN95 can also be found in ch. 3. Especially widespread in universities is UNIX with the graphic interface XWINDOWS. The IBM operating system OS/2 with which Windows can also be run is less widespread. There is an efficient "Screenreader" to go with it for better discernability of the graphic elements, but there is not much special software. 0.4 PC management (program / file managers) =========================================== With the "management" of the computer there are basically two areas to be distinguished, which yet in practice are not always accurately separated: - program management ( = presentation and organization of the programs for call-up) - file management ( = reproduction, deletion, relocation, etc. of files) For both program and file management there is a number of alternatives none of which seems to be the ideal one; many EDP users employ a combination of several possibilities in order to combine their respective advantages. This technique is not favourable for low vision users, as the frequent change of the user control (menues, key definitions, etc.) causes confusion. The alternatives are : 1. MS-DOS (DOS=Disk Operating System) Outdated and quite impractical, it is yet preferred by many low vision users because they have known it for a long time and because it is still exclusively based on the ASCII-character set (non-graphical and therefore utilizable with Braille line). With WINDOWS it is sometimes useful or even necessary to return to DOS- or ASCII-level. System settings in the files CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT for example have to be adjusted with the help of an ASCII-editor. 2. WINDOWS: program manager / file manager With WINDOWS, program manager and file manager are separated. In contrast to DOS they offer a graphic user control with mouse, windows, icons, etc. (see ch. 0.5). The program manager is not low vision user-friendly in its primary appearance, but there is a number of alteration possibilities as described in chapter 2 of the SATIS manual. The use of the file manager seems to us slightly confusing, and some demands for special system operation remain unfulfilled. 3. "PC-TOOLS", "NORTON-Commander", "X-Tree", ... In order to make the ways of operating DOS and WINDOWS more comfortable and manifold, private companies have developped additional software. Because of their different screen arrangement these programs can provide an alternative to the computer management of DOS and WINDOWS for low vision users, too. Until now those possibilities have not been dealt with in detail in the SATIS manual, particularly as it is not a matter of free or low-priced programs. 4. WINDOWS 95 In the operating system of "WINDOWS 95" the program manager and the file manager of WINDOWS are united. Outwardly much has been changed; the possibilities of screen arrangement carried out by the user are more varied (see ch.3). Whether everything can be coordinated comfortably in regard of file- and system management is something I am not able to judge; here even the experts differ in opinion. 5. QUICKMENš Among many alternatives to the user control of MS-DOS (and WINDOWS) the program QUICKMENU is a "jewel" for low vision users. The program is shareware, it works with DOS (even without WINDOWS) and provides a very efficient way of program organization for low vision users because of its large "buttons". The variety of the file manager is not too great but sufficient for many operations. QUICKMENU is described in ch. 1.3 of the SATIS manual; the complete software and explanation can be found on SATIS-diskette 2. Result: As every user has his or her individual predilections, the SATIS manual for (almost) all of these system controls describes tips and tricks on the best way of working with them as a low vision user. Tip: Select for yourself as a person with low vision YOUR favourite system, and don't change too often, for this causes stress, you see! P.S.: I myself stick to and work with "Quickmen"! 0.5 Which menu control? (keyboard, mouse, function keys) ======================================================== With the selection of the operating system and the system control software you in large part also decide on the methods of operation control, yet to some extent alternatives remain open for selection. These alternatives are: 1. Control via the keyboard and its cursor keys Formerly DOS required the learning by heart of all the commands (like "copy", "move", etc.) connected with their syntax and the faultless input of these commands after the "Prompt", e.g. after "C:>"; he who is good at that is by no means slow and won't get lost in an unknown menu control. Today, DOS also includes "pull-down menues" in which you can move around with the cursor arrow-keys, complemented by the Tab key, the space bar and the Return key; the selectable menu items usually are highlighted, as well as the menu item you actually work with. If you are - or better: if you happen to be - able to read the menu items, then this way of selecting commands is more comfortable than DOS. But it certainly takes a good survey of the structure of the entire menu and good powers of vision to quickly find the proper roll-bar and, once in it, the appropriate menu item for the desired command. In this kind of menu control you will also find "dialogue boxes" with option fields which help you realize what you have to do next and what is possible. But sometimes these boxes are hardly legible or hidden in some corner of the screen, and then low vision users can only desperately guess why the computer doesn't react "reasonably" any more ... 2. Control via the mouse For users with normal vision, control via the mouse is even more comfortable, intuitive and varied (e.g. marking the text by "dragging" with the mouse). For many low vision users, on the contrary, the - often changing - mouse cursor shapes are very hard to see (as e.g. the WINDOWS standard cursor: small white arrow on white background! - but also the fine reticule in many graphics programs). The fields and areas with items to click on are also often hardly discernable, as well as the type font of the explanation in these fields. Therefore one section of the SATIS manual deals with possibilities for improving the visibility of the cursor (ch. 1.2 and ch. 2.2). For blind users, working with the mouse is practically impossible, work becomes a game of hazard. On the whole the advantages and disadvantages of the menu control described in 1. are reinforced. 3. Control via function keys / special keys (also called "Hot Keys") Some commands or even programs can be activated simply by keystroke. To avoid confusion with the normal writing keys, there are additional keys above and at the side of the main keypad, as well as the possibility of combining character keys with the "Ctrl" and/or "Alt" key (and others). This actually is the fastest way of PC controlling, but you have to know the signification of the keys, and this can change with any program and with any operating situation. As blind users (mostly out of necessity!) have specialized on this method they often work faster at the computer than users with full vision! Working with the function keys is also advisable for low vision users, especially when frequently using a program or a command: you can automate this until it works like a reflex! At several points the SATIS manual refers to ways of using the function keys (see also ch. 2.0). 4. Voice support of the selected commands or dialogue boxes Just as there are speech output systems for smaller technical devices such as clocks or answering machines, there should be a speech support for work at the computer, namely one with no need for a costly sound adapter. To Apple- Macintosh users this is already common ("Should I format this disk for you?" a female computer voice asks, etc.), with DOS and WINDOWS it is still future. For low vision and blind users such additional information would, of course, be helpful. Our efforts to achieve a simple feed-back, a click, on each keyboard input with DOS and WINDOWS were only partly successful (see ch. 1.1.3 and ch. 2.5). Tip: Low vision users should choose a manner of operating they master safely and quickly and from which they don't have to shift too often; to make a more general recommendation is impossible. Shifting to the faster Hot-Keys is definitely advisable, but only on condition that you know the system very well. 5. Speech input The development of a speech input (human voice) is in progress and partly on the market already (e.g. "Dragon Dictate"), but whether this will succeed as an additional aid for communication with the computer will have to be awaited. It could become a real help for physically handicapped persons rather than for low vision users. 0.6 Which starting screen (Desktop)? After you have started (and "booted") the computer, the starting screen ("Desktop") should generally offer - either a survey of the programs or commands that are used most - or the direct entry into an actual piece of work (e.g. a text you have started to write). The well-known (standard) indication "C:>" of MS-DOS is not much of a help there! The layman is helpless at first, and the expert has to type in several commands before he finds his working area. Nevertheless, you can "communicate" to the computer which system assembly is to be set up each time you start it and how the starting screen is to be arranged. With MS-DOS this is posted in the files AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS, with WINDOWS the WIN.INI file and others are added. Therefore in the SATIS manual these files play an important role. For the selected starting screen the following possibilities present themselves (among others): 1. Normal start with MS-DOS; display e.g. "C:>" for command entry 2. Normal start with WINDOWS, display of the program manager with an assembly of windows and icons previously put together by the user, so that a fast selection (via mouse, also via function keys if need be) is achievable. 3. Normal start with DOS or WINDOWS and immediate transition to a program which provides a particular user control. Display of its starting screen, also designed according to individual needs. One example is the program QUICKMENš (see above in 0.4 and ch. 1.3). Other examples are the NORTON-Commander or PC-TOOLS. Recommendation: Widespread standard screens such as the program manager of WINDOWS have the advantage that the user quickly becomes familiar with other computers, too: these possibilities are provided even if the owner has designed a different setup for himself. In comparison, individual designs offer the advantage that your personal vision and working situation can be taken into account. Vital for low vision users in any case, as with the operating system: Choose ONE alternative that you know very well and that is fast and comfortable for you, and don't change too often. The SATIS manual goes into several variants with concrete tips for the design. (Besides: Here, too, my choice is QUICKMENš.) 0.7 Which further pre-settings for low vision users? ==================================================== For the starting screen as well as for further operation there is a great number of pre-settings, which you can previously select - more or less comfortably - for each computer start, e.g. the colour design on the screen, the shape of the cursors, the shape of icons, type fonts and type sizes, etc. This area is very important for low vision users, and therefore a substancial part of the SATIS manual and the software collection is dedicated to it. The focus is on MS-DOS and WINDOWS (ch. 1 and ch. 2), because these are the most widespread user interfaces. For further, detailed information see there! 0.8 Which applications software? ================================ There are several fields of applications software, e.g. word processing, data bases, statistics, graphics, programming languages, etc., and each field includes programs that can be operated and adjusted more or less according to the needs of low vision users. When selecting a particular applications program (e.g. WORD or WordPerfect for Windowsg) it is very important for low vision users (more so than for any others) to pay attention - quite apart from the general qualities of the software in question - to its design: in some cases improper design can render to program useless to the low vision user. There are e.g. blind and low vision users who have absolute confidence in the program "F&A" for word processing and as database program, as it particularly answers their specific demands. It would exceed the scope of SATIS to describe and compare the setup possibilities of totally distinct programs; we have confined ourselves to a few (partly transferable) examples, e.g. in ch. 2.3.3. Nevertheless, we imagine that some SATIS users will insert additional chapters for special software, so that "user communities" arise. 0.9 Learning strategies and resources ===================================== As the SATIS manual is equally addressed to beginners and advanced learners it isn't easy to give suitable tips for the training in handling the computer and in its overall usage. We'd like to confine ourselves to a few suggestions: 1. Mastering the keyboard For all those who regularly work with the computer fluent typing is important, especially for low vision and blind users, as they can hardly or can not at all discern the keys. On diskette 7 we have therefore added to the SATIS collection a typewriter teaching program for beginners, although this doesn't pay special regard to persons with low vision. 2. "Online resources" Many programs provide information referring to particular situations that - mostly via the key F1 ("Help") - can be called up. They should be made use of. With WINDOWS, this "Online aid" has a font which is barely legible. 3. Books for learning and reference works The SATIS manual contains a separate chapter (ch.6) with literature references and addresses from which you can be contacted for further information. 4. Information and software from mailboxes The posssibilities for obtaining information from data bases and mailboxes via modem are constantly improving and becoming more widespread. This also is an efficient source for enriching the SATIS collection from international sources. Therefore we have dedicated a separate thorough chapter (ch. 5) to the field of "Telecommunication/Maiboxes" facilitating the access to mailboxes and their information. See there for further facts!