Part of Janet Elizabeth's computer help

Accessibility is not just for older people or disabled people - everyone can benefit from a screen that is easier to read, a computer keyboard that is easier to use and a mouse that is easier to handle.

Want to make this text a bit bigger?

You can make this text bigger using ctrl plus (cmd-plus on a Mac). This means ...

Hold down the ctrl key ...

... and briefly press the plus (+) key.

Try it now and watch what happens.
Try it a second time.
You can make the text smaller again using ctrl minus.
This helpful technique should work for all web sites.

A note about the links on JE's web pages

Images, icons or picture links on these pages, will open the new web page in a new window. Text links (blue clickies) will open the new web page in the same window as the old one.

Each time Microsoft releases a new version of Windows, they like to make it look and behave somewhat differently from earlier versions. Before you can find help appropriate to your own computer, you must be aware of which version your computer is running - Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7.

BBC's excellent accessibility help ... My Web My Way

I thoroughly recommend the excellent BBC My Web My Way pages at bbc.co.uk/accessibility. You can choose in the first instance according to whether you can't see very well, find the mouse hard to use etc before specifying what you would like to change. For example:

• Make the text bigger
• Reduce glare by changing the window background colour (Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP)
• Slow down your mouse (so it doesn't react to tremor or wobble) or change the required double-click speed in Window 7 or slow down the mouse in Windows Vista or Windows XP
• Make the pointer larger, blacker and easier to find in Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP

Microsoft's Accessibility Tutorials and Videos

You can try the guides published by Microsoft. Don't forget when you see a lot of information on one page, you can print the page and study it at leisure. Try:

Windows Vista accessibility tutorial
Demos (videos) of accessibility in Windows Vista
Windows 7 accessibility tutorials
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 accessibility tutorials
Accessibility in Internet Explorer 7.

Be comfortable at your computer and stay fit

Follow the link to see JE's advice on how to use a computer without developing painful conditions like RSI.