Windows 8: accessibility efforts

The new version of Windows version 8 will improve accessibility for evil-blind people deep.

If Windows 8 is much at this time, including its ARM version, you should know that Microsoft has also reviewed the accessibility options in its system for the visually. Windows 7 provides tools to improve the experience of the visually, but Windows 8 will incorporate a new version of Narrator and Magnifier (Narrator and Magnifier in French), these specially designed tools for them.

The first Narrator, is designed to set out "aloud" what appears on the screen. On Windows 7, Narrator does not really properly, work remaining often silent on web pages in Internet Explorer for example, or being far too slow for the reading of the menus and dialog boxes that appear. Windows 8 therefore incorporated a new version of this tool it will suffice to enable the installation of the system, to benefit from the installation of the OS and able to follow the process.

With the new version of Internet Explorer and its improvements, the Windows system can now read the contents of the web pages in a fluid manner. Need just, for the American version, press the following key combination: Windows + Alt + backslash. And to stop Narrator, pressure on the Ctrl key only, in case it would become too talkative. A different combination to control the links in Web pages (Windows + Alt + Enter) who will tell to Narrator to select the link. Press Windows + Alt + space will also navigate the links on the page.

Of course, this tool can be customized via a pre-recorded voice list. It is also possible to change the speed of delivery or to create some special commands. The version Windows 8 ARM, oriented tablets, will also be entitled to these improvements, pressing the Windows button + button to increase the volume, it will instantly activate is to read the contents displayed on the screen. Software brick of Microsoft which is based Narrator has been completely updated to support initiatives of the Web in terms of accessibility, such as the ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications), the HTML5 and the XAML that offer simple methods for the development of applications with support for the evil-blind accessibility.

For the blind, it is difficult to know in advance the content of an interface except at the time of activation of a button. Windows 8 Metro thought to this problem and with Narrator, simply drag its finger on the interface that this active anything to start reading the content of the elements. Microsoft calls this "Explorer". To enable an element of the interface, a second finger will be necessary at this time.

Windows 8 introduced also new options as the high contrast or the scaling of the elements of the interface automatically when zoom is made. This is comes into play one of the oldest tools of Microsoft, magnifying glass. Even if it may be invoked by the use of the keyboard via the Windows key shortcut and the key + or-, on a shelf, it becomes more complicated quickly in the absence of keyboard. But developers in Redmond have thought.

On the interface in full screen of Metro, the finger of the user can thus drag on its entirety to read the content while taking with his second hand the Tablet, it is what is the most simple and requires no additional to develop devices and, therefore, to connect to the user. However, when the magnify tool is enabled in the settings of the Metro interface, it will be automatically framed by old bars Recalling the time Windows CE 5.0.

The framework will then use elevator to to wander throughout the interface, just by sliding his finger on one of the bars of the framework. If a bar disappears, it is that the user is on the corner of the screen corresponding to the missing bar. The keys + and - on the angles used to zoom in, simply. It is of course possible pinching/depart with two fingers the screen to zoom directly without having to use button when the screen is multi-touch compatible.

And to have an overview to make sense and understand where you are in the zoomed part, it will be possible to find an overview of the interface by pressing simultaneously on both sides of the screen. The view will be as if the lens is not enabled, but will keep the size of the window of the active lens highlighted with the rest blackened. It is also possible to move the active view of the magnifying glass in this mode to move easily. On the other hand, even with active scrutiny, all applications under Metro will display their contents normally, magnifying glass making enlargement work as it should.