“I have an HP laptop and I choose to use my own desktop background which is different from that supplied by the manufacturer. I prefer a background that is not too dark and not too light but gives good contrast.” Yusuf (Computer Science)
The desktop settings on a Windows computer can be changed via the Control Panel > Personalization and there you can choose themes or high contrast modes etc. The Ease of Access Center also offers more ways of changing the way things look on the screen.
“I can listen to a webcast and take notes. Previously, this required getting transportation to the presentation and lugging a Braille notetaker. Now I use my netbook for the webcast and my phone with external keyboard and the DraftPad app to take notes.”
DraftPad is free and offers a very accessible interface that can be used with VoiceOver or once the text has been copied, then select ‘Speak’. It allows you to send or share your notes via email, SMS and social networking sites as well as open them in other apps that may be on your device such as DocsToGo for more formatting, Evernote for linking with other notes, DropBox for sharing or backing up file. The app also links with text speaking apps such as SpeakText Free.
This strategy came thanks to Pat Pound on My Life Simplified via Accessible Web and Apps!
“I tend to set up the screen resolution and brightness [on the iPad] to suit my eyes depending on the time of day and lighting. My first job was working in sales but then I took a degree and from then on have really made the most of computer skills to see me through work and any further studies.
I use the iPad as a third monitor (to hold my notes, whilst I write), as a fantastic desktop calculator, to watch the BBC iPlayer in bed, to check and send emails, I use it in front of the television if I am watching a video to check up on facts etc!
The ONLY downside of the iPad is …weight.I wouldn’t want to stand on the tube reading The Times on it for 40 minutes.It has colour, which is missing on the Kindle, and you can browse the ‘real’ Amazon with iPad and read Kindle books [via the Kindle app]. I also do not like the page transform on the Kindle (the page goes black for a second and then refreshes with your new page). Very annoying to my eyesight.
On the iPad you can adjust colour from bright white to beige – I like beige and you have 6 font sizes – finally I run the actual brightness at around 20% but the glossy screen means that it can be difficult to read in direct sunlight whereas the Kindle will work quite happily on the beach!For me the Kindle screen is too small (6″) as opposed to iPad (9.7″)”
Richard – Computer Science
Sandra sent an email about her work with links to her TeachTapin blog and there she mentioned her use of iPads and an iPhone “Assistant App is a great new app powered by the Nuance voice technology used for Dragon and other applications. It allows you to organise your time by way of a calendar with all dates and events now added by voice recording. As a dyslexic it allows me to take ownership in planning my time but also means that others can set me reminders. Hearing a voice relay the information to me is a great help.”This could save the day when you cannot think what to write in certain parts of an assignment or dissertation – the University of Manchester has an Academic Phrasebank.
It is a general resource for academic writers. It aims to provide you with examples of some of the phraseological “nuts and bolts” of writing organised under the headings to the left. It was designed primarily with international students whose first language is not English in mind. However, if you are a native speaker writer, you may still find parts of the material helpful.
Thanks to Andy McMahon
“I have changed the look and feel of Blackboard to make it easier for me to find my way around, read course titles and find documents. I set it up how I like it and then you can personalise your page (top right of the menus). I chose the forest theme because I found it had quite subtle shades and it was easy to see and use and it wasn’t too stark. Then you click on submit at the bottom of the page, and it puts it all into place for you. But then I was working with someone who did not like my colours so I used the Internet Options in Internet Explorer to quickly make it easier for her to read content with a blue background.” (High Contrast mode is also available through the My Places menu on Blackboard)
Sarah – nursing