Visolve for checking colours and

Visolve showing colours of a logoThe Visolve webpage or download allows you to check to see if colours are sufficiently distinguishable from each other.  This can help those with  colour vision deficiency or colour blindness.  You can upload an image and it will provide you with the original view and other selected options such as Red-Green transform, Blue-Yellow transform, Saturation increase, Red, Yellow, Green or Blue filter and with added hatching.

Visolve is also available as an app for iPhones or on Windows and Mac.desktop computers.

This strategy is linked to Alexander studying for a distance learning MBA

Babelbar for reading aloud and changing the look of Facebook, Twitter and Google docs

“Babelbar works with Facebook, Twitter and Google docs.  It is useful if you do not have your own text to speech program.”

babelbar

 

google docs

Babelbar is an extension or add-on for internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari and appears over the web page.  You need to highlight the text first then it will speak.  It can change the colour background, font size and translate text.

 

 

 

Attendee at Accessing the Higher Ground Conference

Changing background colours and desktop settings.

“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.

personalisation view of Windows 8

e-Books on iPad as opposed to the Kindle.

iPad settings“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