Chapter 10 - Accessibility Features and Functionality

Chapter 10 - Accessibility Features...

This chapter describes the different ways that Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 supports enhanced accessibility and explains how to use the browser to accommodate different accessibility needs. In particular, Internet Explorer has many features that enable users with disabilities to customize the appearance of Web pages to meet their own needs and preferences. Users without disabilities might also be interested in this functionality, which enables them to customize colors and fonts to their own tastes and to use time-saving keyboard shortcuts.

See Also

For more information about planning accessibility features for users with disabilities, see Chapter 9, "Planning the Deployment."
For more information about testing accessibility features before installing Internet Explorer, see Chapter 11, "Setting Up and Administering a Pilot Program."
For more information about deploying Internet Explorer to your user groups, see Chapter 19, "Deploying Microsoft Internet Explorer 5."

Overview

Internet Explorer 5 makes the Web more accessible to computer users with disabilities. You can customize Internet Explorer for users with different types of disabilities, including users who are blind or have low vision, users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, or users with physical impairments, seizure disorders, or cognitive or language impairments.

The sections in this chapter cover the following topics:

Accessibility benefits offered by Internet Explorer
Upgrade considerations for users transitioning from previous versions of Internet Explorer
Suggested features that can benefit users with different types of disabilities
Keyboard navigation within the Internet Explorer browser, Internet Explorer Help, the Windows Desktop Update (if installed), and Web pages
Customization of fonts, colors, and styles on Web pages, the Windows Desktop Update (if installed), and Internet Explorer Help
Advanced Internet accessibility options, such as disabling or enabling sounds, images, and animations; the use of smooth scrolling; and the treatment of links
Accessibility features and keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft NetMeeting
Other accessibility resources, including telephone numbers, postal addresses, and Web sites

Accessibility Benefits

Microsoft products are designed to make computers easier to use for everyone, including people with disabilities. In recent years, products have been further enhanced based on feedback from users who have disabilities, organizations representing those users, workers in the rehabilitation field, and software developers who create products for the accessibility market.

Internet Explorer offers many features that can benefit users with disabilities. These features enable users to perform the following tasks:

Control how Web pages are displayed—Users can customize the colors of background, text, and links based on their preferences. By installing their own style sheets, users can control font styles and sizes for Web pages. Users can create style sheets that make headings larger or highlight italicized text with a different color. These Web-page preferences also apply to content within the Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer Help windows.
Work better with screen readers and other accessibility aids—Internet Explorer 5 uses the HTML 4.0 standard, which enables Web-page designers to specify additional information on Web pages, such as the name of an image or control, for use by screen readers. Users can also turn off smooth scrolling and other effects that can confuse screen readers. In addition, the Dynamic HTML Object Model in Internet Explorer enables developers to create other accessibility aids for users with disabilities.
Reduce the amount of typing required—With the AutoComplete feature turned on, Internet Explorer resolves partially typed URLs based on a cached history of sites that the user has visited. This feature makes it easier for users to type long or repetitive URLs. Explorer bars for Search, History, and Favorites also make it easier for users to find the items they need.
Perform tasks easily by customizing the desktop layout—When Windows Desktop Update is installed, users can further customize their desktop, Start menu, and taskbar. They can choose from a range of desktop toolbars, or create their own. By clicking Favorites on the Start menu, users can quickly access preferred sites. Also, the Address bar enables users to enter URLs directly from the Windows desktop, without having to open the browser first.
Get better feedback—Two sound events in Control Panel, Start Navigation and Complete Navigation, signal when a Web page begins loading and when the page finishes loading. These sounds can be helpful to users who are blind or have low vision. Users can also set the appearance of links to show when they are activated or hovered over with a mouse.
Use a mouse with greater ease—When Windows Desktop Update is installed, users can choose to single-click rather than double-click the mouse to initiate common computer operations, such as opening folders. Also, users can put the most commonly used commands and shortcuts on desktop toolbars so that they can be accessed with a single mouse click.
Communicate with Internet conferencing—The Internet conferencing features of Microsoft NetMeeting can improve accessibility for users with disabilities. NetMeeting users can employ real-time, multipoint communication, which enables them to collaborate and share information with two or more conference participants at the same time.
Navigate with the keyboard—Using their keyboards, users can navigate through Web pages, panes, links, toolbars, and other controls. Keyboard shortcuts also make it easy for users to work with Favorites, use the Address bar, and perform editing functions, such as cut and paste.
Replace images with textual descriptions—Users with disabilities might want to turn off the display of pictures in Internet Explorer and read the textual description of the image instead.
Turn off animation, pictures, videos, and sounds—Users who are blind or have low vision might want to turn off animation, pictures, videos, and sounds to improve computer performance. Sounds can interfere with screen readers that read text aloud. Users with cognitive disabilities or users who are sensitive to motion or sound might also want to disable these functions.
Use the High Contrast option—High contrast enables users to choose a simple color scheme and omit images that make text difficult for them to read.

Upgrade Considerations

Changes in software architecture might affect the functionality of certain accessibility aids that were written for previous versions of Internet Explorer. You should test Internet Explorer 5 with those aids to determine if the behavior differs from previous versions. Also, you can contact vendors to find out how the different accessibility aids function with Internet Explorer 5.

Depending on their specific needs, users with disabilities might find challenges using the different features of Internet Explorer 5. They can easily customize those features by installing or uninstalling components based on the functionality that works best for them. Many features can also be turned on or off, according to user preferences.

The following list provides some general tips to consider when upgrading to Internet Explorer 5:

When Windows Desktop Update is installed with Internet Explorer 5, it replaces the traditional Start menu with a scrolling Start menu that supports dragging so that users can rearrange menu items. However, this type of menu limits the number of menu commands that are visible at one time to those commands that fit in a single column. Although long menu lists do not display all of the commands at once, users can navigate to them all by using the keyboard.

Users who need to keep as many options as possible available on the screen at one time and who currently have many commands on their Start menu might want to remove some commands from the Start menu. They might also want to use the desktop toolbar, the Quick Launch toolbar, or the custom toolbar feature to make the commands available from other places on the desktop.
Internet Explorer 5 uses menus and check boxes that might not be described correctly by some screen readers. If Windows Desktop Update is installed with Internet Explorer, these menus will also be used in Windows Explorer. To determine the level of support, you should test these features with your accessibility aids. Also, contact the vendors of your aids to find out about upgrades that might better support Internet Explorer 5.

Suggested Features for Different Types of Disabilities

The following sections suggest features that can benefit users with certain types of disabilities. The list of features for each type of disability is not complete, because the needs and preferences of individuals vary and some people have a combination of disabilities or varying abilities.

To learn more about these features or to find procedures that explain how to configure a specific setting, see "Using Keyboard Navigation," "Customizing Fonts, Colors, and Styles," and "Configuring Advanced Internet Accessibility Options" later in this chapter.

Features for Users Who Are Blind

Many users who are blind depend on screen readers, which provide spoken or Braille descriptions of windows, controls, menus, images, text, and other information that is typically displayed visually on a screen. Internet Explorer 5 provides improved functionality for screen readers and offers a range of other features that can be helpful to individuals who are blind.

Users who are blind can benefit from these features:

Use the keyboard to navigate Internet Explorer, Web pages, Internet Explorer Help, and NetMeeting.
Ignore colors specified on Web pages.
Ignore font styles and sizes specified on Web pages.
Format documents by using an individualized style sheet.
Expand alternate text for images.
Move the system caret with focus and selection changes.
Disable smooth scrolling.
Choose not to show pictures, animations, and videos in Web pages.
Disable smart image dithering.
Assign a sound to the Start Navigation and Complete Navigation events.

Features for Users Who Have Low Vision

Common forms of low vision are color blindness, difficulty in changing focus, and impaired contrast sensitivity. Users with color blindness might have difficulty reading colored text on a colored background. Users who have difficulty changing focus or who experience eye strain with normal use of a video display might have difficulty reading small text, discriminating between different font sizes, or using small on-screen items as targets for the cursor or pointer. Users with impaired contrast sensitivity might have difficulty reading black text on a gray background.

Users who have low vision can benefit from these features:

Use the keyboard to navigate Internet Explorer, Web pages, Internet Explorer Help, and NetMeeting.
Ignore colors specified on Web pages.
Ignore font styles and sizes specified on Web pages.
Format documents by using an individualized sheet.
Expand alternate text for images.
Move the system caret with focus and selection changes.
Disable printing of background colors and images.
Choose text and background colors for Web pages (or create custom colors).
Choose the visited and unvisited colors for Web links (or create custom colors).
Display Web pages in the Windows High Contrast color scheme (click the Accessibility Options icon in Control Panel), which offers a simple color palette and omits images that make text difficult to read.
Assign a sound to the Start Navigation and Complete Navigation events.
Add the Size button to the browser toolbar so font sizes can be changed easily.
Display large icons.

Features for Users Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing

Sound cues in programs are not useful to users with hearing impairments or users working in a noisy environment. Users who are deaf might have sign language as their primary language and English as their secondary language. As a result, they might have difficulty reading pages that use custom fonts, depart from typographical convention (that is, the standardized use of uppercase and lowercase letters), or use animated text displays.

Note Users who are deaf might also be interested in the features recommended for users with cognitive or language impairments.

Users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can benefit from these features:

Select SoundSentry, which generates visual warnings when the computer makes a sound.
Select ShowSounds, which displays captions for the speech and sounds the computer makes.
Integrate NetMeeting.
Disable sounds in Web pages.

Features for Users with Physical Impairments

Users with physical impairments might perform certain manual tasks with difficulty, such as manipulating a mouse or typing two keys at the same time. They might also hit multiple keys or "bounce" fingers off keys, making typing difficult. These users could benefit from adapting keyboards and mouse functions to meet their requirements.

Users who have physical impairments can benefit from these features:

Use the keyboard to navigate Internet Explorer, Web pages, Internet Explorer Help, and NetMeeting.
Use Explorer bars.
Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages.
Format documents by using an individualized style sheet.
Add hover colors to links.
Expand alternate text for images.
Move the system caret with focus and selection changes.
Use inline AutoComplete for Web addresses.
Use inline AutoComplete in the integrated shell.
Use inline AutoComplete for Web forms.
Underline links when hovering.
Add the Size button to the browser toolbar so font sizes can be changed easily.
Display large icons.

Features for Users with Seizure Disorders

Users with seizure disorders, such as epilepsy, might be sensitive to screen refresh rates, blinking or flashing images, or specific sounds.

Users who have seizure disorders can benefit from these features:

Use the ESC key to immediately turn off animations.
Disable animation.
Disable video.
Turn off sounds.

Note Even if users turn off sounds in Internet Explorer, sounds might still play if RealAudio is installed or if a movie is playing.

Features for Users with Cognitive and Language Impairments

Cognitive impairments take many forms, including short-term and long-term memory loss, perceptual differences, and developmental disabilities. Dyslexia and illiteracy are also common types of language impairments. People who are learning the language used by their computer software as a second language might also be considered to have a form of language impairment.

Users who have cognitive or language impairments can benefit from these features:

Use the keyboard to navigate Internet Explorer, Web pages, Internet Explorer Help, and NetMeeting.
Use Explorer bars.
Ignore colors specified on Web pages.
Ignore font styles and sizes specified on Web pages.
Format documents by using an individualized style sheet.
Choose text and background colors for Web pages (or create custom colors).
Choose the visited and unvisited colors for Web links (or create custom colors).
Display Web pages in the Windows High Contrast color scheme (click the Accessibility Options icon in Control Panel), which offers a simple color palette and omits images that make text difficult to read.
Choose a hover color for links.
Expand alternate text for images.
Move the system caret with focus and selection changes.
Choose to launch the browser in full-screen mode, which removes all toolbars and scrollbars from the screen. This capability enables users with cognitive disabilities to have more information on the screen at one time or to remove distractions from peripheral controls.
Choose to display friendly URLs.
Use inline AutoComplete for Web addresses.
Use inline AutoComplete in the integrated shell.
Choose not to use smooth scrolling.
Disable images.
Disable animation.
Disable video.
Add the Size button to the browser toolbar so font sizes can be changed easily.
Display large icons.

Using Keyboard Navigation

One of the most important accessibility features is the ability to navigate by using the keyboard. Keyboard shortcuts are useful for people with a wide range of disabilities, as well as anyone who wants to save time by combining key commands with mouse control. This section describes the following keyboard navigation features:

Internet Explorer shortcut keys
AutoComplete shortcut keys
Keyboard navigation of Web pages
Keyboard navigation of the Windows Desktop Update (if it is installed)
Keyboard navigation of Internet Explorer Help

Internet Explorer Shortcut Keys

Shortcut keys can make it easier for users to move between screen elements, choose commands, and view documents. The following tables describes common tasks and the associated shortcut keys.

Shortcut Keys for Viewing and Exploring Web Pages

To	Press
View Internet Explorer Help	F1
Switch between the regular and full-screen views of the browser window	F11
Move forward through the Address bar, Links bar, Explorer bars, and the items, menus, and toolbars on a Web page	TAB
Move backward through the Address bar, Links bar, Explorer bars, and the items, menus, and toolbars on a Web page	SHIFT+TAB
Move forward between frames	CTRL+TAB
Move backward between frames	SHIFT+CTRL+TAB
Activate a selected link	ENTER
Display a shortcut menu for the page or link	SHIFT+F10
Go to the previous page	ALT+LEFT ARROW
Go to the next page	ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Scroll toward the beginning of a document	UP ARROW
Scroll toward the end of a document	DOWN ARROW
Scroll toward the beginning of a document in larger increments	PAGE UP or SHIFT+SPACEBAR
Scroll toward the end of a document in larger increments	PAGE DOWN or SPACEBAR
Move to the beginning of a document	HOME
Move to the end of a document	END
Stop downloading a page and stop animation	ESC
Refresh the current page only if the timestamps for the Web version and the locally stored version are different	F5 or CTRL+R
Refresh the current page even if the timestamps for the Web version and the locally stored version are the same	CTRL+ F5
In the History or Favorites bar, open multiple folders	CTRL+CLICK
Open Search in the Explorer bar	CTRL+E
Find on this page	CTRL+F
Open History in the Explorer bar	CTRL+H
Open Favorites in the Explorer bar	CTRL+I
Go to a new location	CTRL+O or CTRL+L
Open a new window	CTRL+N
Print the current page or active frame	CTRL+P
Save the current page	CTRL+S
Close the current window	CRTL+W

Shortcut Keys for Using the Address Bar

To	Press
Move the mouse pointer to the Address bar	ALT+D
Display the Address bar history	F4
When in the Address bar, move the cursor left to the next logical break character (. or /)	CTRL+LEFT ARROW
When in the Address bar, move the cursor right to the next logical break character (. or /)	CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Add www. to the beginning and .com to the end of the text typed in the Address bar	CTRL+ENTER
Move forward through the list of AutoComplete matches	UP ARROW
Move backward through the list of AutoComplete matches	DOWN ARROW

Shortcut Keys for Working with Favorites

To	Press
Add the current page to the Favorites menu	CTRL+D
Open the Organize Favorites dialog box	CTRL+B

Shortcut Keys for Editing

To	Press
Select all items on the current Web page	CTRL+A
Copy the selected items to the Clipboard	CTRL+C
Insert the contents of the Clipboard at the selected location	CTRL+V
Remove the selected items and copy them to the Clipboard	CTRL+X

For additional information about using the keyboard with Windows, visit the Microsoft Accessibility Web site.

AutoComplete Shortcut Keys

With the AutoComplete feature turned on, Internet Explorer automatically completes Web page addresses and directory paths as the user types them in the Address bar. Internet Explorer resolves this information based on the Web pages or local files that the user has visited. AutoComplete also works with the Run command on the Start menu.

For example, if the user starts typing http://www.home.micr and has recently visited http://www.microsoft.com/technet/images/prodtechnol/ie/reskit/ie5/part2/images/ch10_14.gif, AutoComplete suggests http://www.microsoft.com/technet/images/prodtechnol/ie/reskit/ie5/part2/images/ch10_14.gif. The user can accept the match, view other potential matches, or override the suggestion by typing over it. AutoComplete also adds prefixes and suffixes to Internet addresses.

Users can turn AutoComplete on or off in the Internet Options dialog box.

To turn AutoComplete on or off

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.

Select or clear the following check boxes:
- Use inline AutoComplete for Web addresses—Specifies whether you want Internet Explorer to complete Web addresses automatically as you type them in the Address bar.
- Use inline AutoComplete in integrated shell—Specifies whether you want Internet Explorer to complete file names, paths, or folders automatically as you type them in the Address bar or the Open box in the Run command.
The following illustration shows the AutoComplete options.

AutoComplete includes the following shortcuts:

To add to the string that Internet Explorer has automatically completed, press the RIGHT ARROW key, and then type the additional characters.
To skip to break characters or separator characters in URLs (such as the forward slash (/)), press and hold CTRL, and then use the LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW keys.
To search a history file, type the beginning of an address, and then press the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW keys to complete it.
To add a prefix or suffix to a partial URL, press CTRL+ENTER to add http://www. before the entry and .com after it.

Keyboard Navigation of Web Pages

Users can move forward and backward through the items in the browser window by using the TAB and SHIFT+TAB keys. A one-pixel-wide border (called the focus box) appears around links, so the user can identify the selected item.

Note Screen readers do not recognize the TAB and SHIFT+TAB keys for toolbars.

When users press the TAB key, the selection rotates forward through the browser window in the following order:

To move between the same areas in reverse order, press SHIFT+TAB. Using reverse order, the focus stops on the page as a whole before reaching the links on the page. To quickly skip to the next frame, press CTRL+TAB, or to go to the previous frame, press CTRL+SHIFT+TAB.

Keyboard Navigation of the Windows Desktop Update

If Windows Desktop Update is installed, users can press TAB and SHIFT+TAB to move forward and backward through the desktop elements. A focus box appears around the selected item.

When users press the TAB key, the selection rotates forward through the desktop elements in the following order:

Start button

Quick Launch toolbar
- One of the Quick Launch icons appears selected.
- To move between the toolbar icons, press the LEFT ARROW, RIGHT ARROW, UP ARROW, and DOWN ARROW keys. After the focus is on an icon, to open the application, press ENTER, or to display the shortcut menu for the toolbar, press SHIFT+F10. (All the toolbars on the desktop share the same shortcut menu.)
- To bring the focus back to the left-most icon, continuously press the RIGHT ARROW key.
Taskbar
- A selection will not appear on the taskbar. To display the shortcut menu for the toolbar, press SHIFT+F10. (All the toolbars on the desktop share the same shortcut menu.)
- To select an application, press the RIGHT ARROW key. To open the selected application, press ENTER, or to display the shortcut menu for that application, press SHIFT+F10.
- To move between the applications, press the LEFT ARROW, RIGHT ARROW, UP ARROW, and DOWN ARROW keys.
Desktop icons
- An icon on the desktop appears selected.
- To move between the icons on the desktop, press the LEFT ARROW, RIGHT ARROW, UP ARROW, and DOWN ARROW keys. To open the application or document, press ENTER, or to display the shortcut menu for that icon, press SHIFT+F10.
- To select or deselect the current icon, press CTRL+SPACEBAR. To display the shortcut menu for the entire desktop when no icon is selected, press SHIFT+F10.
Desktop items
- A desktop item appears selected.
- To move forward through the links in that item and on to the other items on the desktop, press TAB. To activate a link, press ENTER.
Desktop Channel bar
- The topmost button on the Channel bar appears selected.
- To move between the icons on the Channel bar, press the LEFT ARROW, RIGHT ARROW, UP ARROW, and DOWN ARROW keys. To display a channel by using Internet Explorer, press ENTER.
Note Internet Explorer 5 does not include the desktop Channel bar; this feature is a part of previous browser versions.
Start button

To move between the same areas in reverse order, press SHIFT+TAB. If you add other bars, such as the Address bar, Quick Links toolbar, desktop toolbar, or a custom toolbar, you can also navigate to these bars by pressing TAB and SHIFT+TAB. Note that you can reach the Channel bar only by pressing TAB; the Channel bar is skipped when you navigate in reverse order by using SHIFT+TAB.

Keyboard Navigation in Internet Explorer Help

Internet Explorer Help displays Help information as Web pages. This tool offers several significant accessibility advantages (explained in detail in this section), but it also introduces a few changes for users who navigate by using the keyboard:

When a user displays a topic in the right pane, it continues to be displayed until the user replaces it with another selection—that is, when the user highlights another topic and then presses ENTER. This display can be confusing during navigation, because the topic name currently selected in the left pane might not match the topic shown in the right pane.
The Hide button on the Help toolbar hides the left pane (used for Contents, Index, and Search). When the left pane is hidden, users cannot navigate through Help. To return to the Contents, Index, or Search tab, press ALT+C, ALT+I, or ALT+S, respectively.

The following procedures describe how to navigate through the Internet Explorer Help Contents, Index, and Search tabs by using the keyboard.

To navigate through the Help Contents by using the keyboard

To view the Contents tab in Internet Explorer Help, press ALT+C.

The following illustration shows the Contents tab for Internet Explorer Help.
To scroll through the list of Contents topics, press the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys.
To display the expanded list of subtopics for a main topic, highlight the main topic and then press ENTER or the RIGHT ARROW key. An open main topic is represented by an open-book icon. A subtopic is represented by a page icon. To close the main topic, press ENTER or the LEFT ARROW key; the list of subtopics collapses and a closed book icon appears.

To view topic information, highlight the subtopic, and then press ENTER. Internet Explorer Help displays the topic you select in the right pane, and the keyboard focus moves to the topic. Within the topic, you can do the following:
- To scroll up and down or left and right in the topic pane, press the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys or the LEFT ARROW and RIGHT ARROW keys.
- To display information about a linked topic, highlight the link, and then press ENTER.
- To scroll to the beginning or end of the topic, press HOME or END.
- To display the shortcut menu for the topic, press CTRL+F10.
To return to the Contents tab to select another topic, press ALT+C.
To exit Help, press ALT+F4.

To navigate through the Help Index by using the keyboard

To view the Index tab in Internet Explorer Help, press ALT+I. Initially, the keyboard focus is in the keyword box, and the box is empty.

The following illustration shows the Index tab for Internet Explorer Help.
To scroll through the list of index topics, press the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys. As you scroll, each highlighted topic appears in the keyword box.

You can also type the name of the topic you want to view in the keyword box. As you type, the Index list scrolls to highlight matching topics.

To display information about a highlighted topic, press ENTER or ALT+D. Internet Explorer Help displays the topic you select in the right pane, and the keyboard focus moves to the topic. Within the topic, you can do the following:
- To scroll up and down or left and right in the topic pane, press the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys or the LEFT ARROW and RIGHT ARROW keys.
- To display information about a linked topic, highlight the link, and then press ENTER.
- To scroll to the beginning or end of the topic, press HOME or END.
- To display the shortcut menu for the topic, press CTRL+F10.
To return to the Index tab to select another topic, press ALT+I.
To exit Help, press ALT+F4.

To navigate through the Help Search by using the keyboard

To view the Search tab in Internet Explorer Help, press ALT+S. The keyboard focus moves to the keyword box.

The following illustration shows the Search tab for Internet Explorer Help.
Type the keyword you want, and then press ENTER or ALT+L. The Select Topic to Display list shows topics that contain the keyword you typed.
To move the keyboard focus to the first item in the Select Topic to Display list, press ALT+T and then the DOWN ARROW key.
To highlight a topic, press the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys.

To display information about a highlighted topic, press ENTER or ALT+D. Internet Explorer Help displays the topic you select in the right pane, and the keyboard focus moves to the topic. Within the topic, you can do the following:
- To scroll up and down or left and right in the topic pane, press the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys or the LEFT ARROW and RIGHT ARROW keys.
- To display information about a linked topic, highlight the link, and then press ENTER.
- To scroll to the beginning or end of the topic, press HOME or END.
- To display the shortcut menu for the topic, press CTRL+F10.
To return to the Search tab to select another topic, press ALT+S, or to begin another search, press ALT+K.
To exit Help, press ALT+F4.

Customizing Fonts, Colors, and Styles

When Web authors and designers create Web pages, they often specify particular fonts, colors, and styles. They might specify the settings for each coded item on the Web page, or they might define the settings in a style sheet. A style sheet provides a template for specifying how different styles should appear throughout a Web site.

Internet Explorer 5 enables users to override any or all of these settings. Users can specify their own font and color preferences for all Web pages. They can also use their own style sheet or select the Windows High Contrast option. If users have installed the Windows Desktop Update, these font, color, and style options will also affect the Windows desktop and file folders.

Because Internet Explorer Help information is also displayed as Web pages, most of the browser accessibility features are also available for viewing Help topics. Users can override and customize formatting and color settings, display text instead of images, disable animation, and even apply their own style sheet to control how Help is presented. When users adjust these options in Internet Explorer and then restart Help, the settings automatically apply to all Help topics.

Overriding Web-Page Formatting

Because of the different methods Web authors and designers can use to format Web pages, some pages might not be affected by customizing the font, color, and style options within the browser. To change the appearance of these pages, users must override the page formatting.

To override page formatting

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
On the General tab, click Accessibility.

Select any of the following options:
- Ignore colors specified on Web pages
- Ignore font styles specified on Web pages
- Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages
- Format documents using my style sheet
The following illustration shows these accessibility options.

Changing Font Size

When users browse a Web page, they can immediately change the size of the displayed text.

To immediately display all text in a larger or smaller font size

On the View menu, click Text Size, or click the Size button on the toolbar.
Choose the size you want. A check mark appears next to your choice, and the change takes effect immediately.

If the Size button is not displayed, users can add it to the toolbar.

To add the Size button to the toolbar

On the View menu, click Toolbars, and then click Customize.
In the Available Toolbar Buttons list, select Size, and then click Add.

The following illustration shows Size after it has been added to the Current Toolbar Buttons list.
Click Close.

The changes created by the Text Size menu option and Size button are active for current and future sessions.

For more information about changing font sizes, see "Understanding Font-Size Changes" later in this chapter.

Creating a Style Sheet

This section shows a sample style sheet that adjusts the display of Web pages and Help topics to be read more easily by users who have certain types of low vision. In particular, it overrides normal formatting of all displayed pages in the following ways:

All items on the Web page appear in high contrast, with a black background and brightly colored text. Body text is white, highlighted text is yellow, and links are brighter versions of their normal blue and purple.
All text is displayed in a large, sans serif font. Body text is 24 point, and headings are 32 point.
All bold, italic, and underlining, which might be difficult to read, are replaced by normal text with a single highlight color.
The keyboard focus is emphasized by showing the active link in a bright, light green, sometimes called "low-vision green."

These settings affect all pages viewed in Internet Explorer, as well as pages displayed by other programs, such as HTML Help.

Note The style sheet in the following example is just one possible solution for increasing the readability of Web pages. By editing the style sheet, users can change the background color and the size, color, and style of the fonts according to their preferences.

To create a high-visibility style sheet

Open Notepad.

Type the following text into a new file:

<STYLE TYPE="text/css">
BODY, TABLE {
font-size: 24pt;
font-weight: normal;
font-family: sans-serif;
background: black;
color: white;}

B, I, U {color: yellow; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;}
H1 {font-size: 32pt;}
H2 {font-size: 32pt;}
H3 {font-size: 32pt;}
H4 {font-size: 32pt;}
H5 {font-size: 32pt;}

a:visited {color: #FF00FF}
a:link {color: #00FFFF}
a:active {color: #B1FB17}
-->
</STYLE>

Save the file with a .css file name extension (for example, Mystyle.css) to the folder of your choice.
In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
On the General tab, click Accessibility.
Click Format documents using my style sheet.

The following illustration shows this option selected.
Type the path of the style sheet file you just created, or click Browse to navigate to the file's location.

Caution Use care when experimenting with the Format documents using my style sheet option. Errors in style sheets can cause serious problems with Internet Explorer. If possible, use style sheets that have been created by professional designers. When trying out new style sheets, keep the style-sheet files on a floppy disk that can be removed if a problem occurs.

Changing Colors of Text, Backgrounds, and Other Objects

Users can select the colors they prefer for text, backgrounds, links, and objects that the mouse pointer hovers over on Web pages.

To change the color of text, backgrounds, links, and objects that the mouse pointer hovers over

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
On the General tab, click Colors.
Clear the Use Windows colors check box.
Click the Use hover color check box. The Hover button is enabled with the default color.

The following illustration shows Use hover color selected in the Colors dialog box.
Click the Text, Background, Visited, Unvisited, or Hover button to display the Color dialog box, which includes the Basic colors and Custom colors palettes.
In the Color dialog box, click the color of your choice from the color palettes. (To create custom colors, see "Creating Custom Colors" later in this section.)

Creating Custom Colors

Users can create custom colors for fonts, text background, links, and objects that the mouse pointer hovers over.

To create custom colors

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the General tab.
Click the Colors button.
In the Colors dialog box, click the Text, Background, Visited, or Unvisited button to display the Color dialog box, which includes the Basic colors and Custom colors palettes.
In the Color dialog box, click Define Custom Colors. The dialog box expands to include the Custom colors palette.

The following illustration shows the expanded dialog box for the Custom colors palette.

Select a custom color by using either of two methods:
- Type values for either Hue, Sat (Saturation), and Lum (luminescence), or type values for Red, Green, and Blue. The sample box changes color to reflect your choices.
- Click within the color box to select a color, and then move the slider (on the right) up or down to select the luminescence level. The sample box changes color to reflect your choices.
Click Add to Custom Colors.

Selecting the High Contrast Color Scheme

Instead of creating their own customized color scheme, users can choose to view their Web pages by using the Windows High Contrast color scheme.

To view Web pages by using Windows High Contrast

On the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Click the Display icon, and then click the Appearance tab.
In the Scheme list, select one of the high contrast options.

The following illustration shows the Appearance tab with High Contrast Black selected.
In Control Panel, click the Internet Options icon.
On the General tab, click the Accessibility button.
Select the Ignore colors specified on Web pages check box, and then click OK.
On the General tab, click the Colors button.
Select the Use Windows colors check box.

Note You must restart Internet Explorer before these changes can take effect.

Selecting a Full-Screen Browser Window

When users browse a Web page, they can choose to immediately change the size of the browser window to full screen.

To immediately change the size of the browser window to full screen

On the View menu, click Full Screen, click the Full Screen button on the toolbar, or click F11 (shortcut key).

If the Full Screen button is not displayed, you can add it to the toolbar.

To add the Full Screen button to the toolbar

On the View menu, click Toolbars, and then click Customize.
In the Available Toolbar Buttons list, select Full Screen, and then click Add.

The following illustration shows Full Screen after it has been added to the Current Toolbar Buttons list.

Note The changes created by the Full Screen menu option or the Full Screen button are active only for the current session.

Changing Button Size and Text Labels on the Toolbar

Users with disabilities might want to change the button size and text labels on the Internet Explorer toolbar. Some users might want to view large buttons on the toolbar rather than the smaller Microsoft Office-style buttons. Users who have low vision might prefer these larger buttons. Users can also choose whether to show text labels for the buttons.

To change button size and text labels on the toolbar

On the View menu, click Toolbars, and then click Customize.
In the Icon Options list, select the button size that you want to display on the toolbar.
In the Text Options list, select whether to display text labels for the toolbar buttons.

The following illustration shows the Customize Toolbar dialog box with Show text labels and Large icons selected.

Understanding Font-Size Changes

The following list identifies the factors that affect font size and describes how these factors are applied in Internet Explorer. The factors are listed in the order they are applied when the browser displays a page.

The Internet Explorer display defaults (for example, P is size 3 and H1 is size 6).
A user-specified style sheet (if one is provided) and whether Format documents using my style sheet is selected in the Accessibility dialog box.
Style-sheet information in the document, unless Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages is selected in the Accessibility dialog box.
FONT tags in the document, unless Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages is selected in the Accessibility dialog box. Selecting this option does not override relative sizes that are implied by structural tags. For example, a top-level heading (H1) will still be larger than body text, even when Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages is turned on.
A scaling factor determined by the Text Size options accessible from the View menu, except in those cases where the font is specified in an absolute size, such as 12 point.

To set the font-scaling factor

For current and future sessions, click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, click the General tab, and then click the Fonts button.
For the current session only, click the View menu, point to Text Size, and then click the option you want.

Users can specify font sizes in three ways:

As an index value (1–7)
As a relative value (+1, +5)
Using an absolute size unit, such as point or pixel (for example, 12pt, 32px)

Font sizes that are set by using index or relative values are affected by the View menu font options, while fonts set in absolute size units are not.

Configuring Advanced Internet Accessibility Options

Users can configure many accessibility features by using the Advanced tab in the Internet Options dialog box.

To configure advanced Internet accessibility options

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.

The following illustration shows the Advanced tab.
Scroll through the check list, and clear or select the options you want.

For recommendations on selecting options for different types of disabilities, see "Suggested Features for Different Types of Disabilities" earlier in this chapter.

Users might want to select the following options, depending on their disabilities:

Move system caret with focus/selection changes—Specifies whether to move the system caret whenever the focus or selection changes. Some accessibility aids, such as screen readers or screen magnifiers, use the system caret to determine which area of the screen to read or magnify.
Always expand alt text for images—Specifies whether to expand the image size to fit all of the alternate text when the Show Pictures check box is cleared.
Use inline AutoComplete for Web Addresses—Specifies whether to automatically complete Web addresses as the user types them in the Address bar. The AutoComplete feature suggests a match based on the Web sites the user has visited. Some users with cognitive disabilities might want to turn this option off to avoid distractions. Also, some users who have low vision might want to turn this option off if their accessibility aid reads the suggestions as they appear, making typing difficult.
Use inline AutoComplete in integrated shell—Specifies whether to automatically complete names of files, paths, or folders as the user types them in the Address bar or the Open box in the Run command. The AutoComplete feature suggests a match based on the names of files, paths, or folder the user has visited. Some users with cognitive disabilities might want to turn this option off to avoid distractions. Also, some users with low vision might want to turn this option off if their accessibility aid reads the suggestions as they appear, making typing difficult.
Show friendly URLs—Specifies whether to show the full Internet address (URL) for a page on the status bar.
Use smooth scrolling—Specifies whether to scroll through Web pages, which gradually slides information up or down the screen when the user clicks on the scroll bar or presses navigation keys, such as DOWN ARROW. Users who have low vision might want to turn this option off if it causes timing problems. People with certain cognitive disabilities might also want to turn this option off if the scrolling motion is distracting.

Underline links—Specifies whether to underline links on Web pages. Older screen readers rely on underlining to recognize links. Users can select one of the following settings:
- Always, which underlines all links.
- Never, which does not underline links.
- Hover, which underlines links when the mouse pointer is placed over the link.
Show pictures—Specifies whether to include images when pages are displayed. When available, alternate text is displayed in place of the image. When this check box is cleared, users can still display an individual image by right-clicking the icon that represents the image and then clicking Show Picture. If images are turned on or the textual description is cut off by space limitations, users can view the full description by moving the mouse over the image.

Turning off images allows older screen readers to read the textual description for images aloud. However, newer readers can use Microsoft Active Accessibility® to identify and read descriptions, even when the images are displayed on the screen. Turning off images speeds up browser performance, although it might interfere with the functionality and effectiveness of some Web sites.
Play animations—Specifies whether animations can play when pages are displayed. Internet Explorer displays alternate text in place of the animations if the text is supplied on the Web page. When this check box is cleared, users can still play an individual animation by right-clicking the icon that represents the animation and then clicking Show Picture. Users who are blind, as well as users with seizure disorders, might want to turn off animations (especially blinking). Users with cognitive disabilities might also want to turn off animations or selectively download them to prevent distractions.
Play videos—Specifies whether to play video clips. When this check box is cleared, users can still play an individual video by right-clicking the icon that represents the video and then clicking Show Picture. Users who are blind, as well as users with seizure disorders, might want to turn off videos. Users with cognitive disabilities might also want to turn off videos or selectively download them to prevent distractions.
Play sounds—Specifies whether to play audio sounds. If RealAudio is installed or if a movie is playing, sounds might play even if users clear this check box. Users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, as well as users with seizure disorders, might want to turn off sounds. Users with cognitive disabilities might also want to turn off sounds or selectively download them to prevent distractions. Users who are blind might want to turn off sounds or selectively download them so that they do not conflict with the screen reader when it is reading text aloud.
Print background colors and images—Specifies whether to print background colors and images when users print Web pages. Users who have low vision or those wanting to speed up print time might want to turn this option off. Users might also want to turn this option off if they are preparing text to be scanned—for example, to provide the text to a text reader.

Accessibility Resources

The Microsoft Accessibility Web site contains information about Microsoft products and accessibility. This site also discusses how to design accessible Web pages that take advantage of new features in Internet Explorer 5 and offers information about tools and utilities that make Internet Explorer even more accessible.

The following sections describe additional resources that are available for people with disabilities.

Microsoft Services for People Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing

If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing, complete access to Microsoft product and customer services is available through a text telephone (TTY/TDD) service.

You can contact the Microsoft Sales Information Center on a text telephone by dialing (800) 892-5234 between 6:30 A.M. and 5:30 P.M. Pacific time.

For technical assistance in the United States, you can contact Microsoft Product Support Services on a text telephone at (425) 635-4948 between 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. Pacific time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. In Canada, dial (905) 568-9641 between 8:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Microsoft support services are subject to the prices, terms, and conditions in place at the time the service is used.

Microsoft Documentation in Other Formats

In addition to the standard forms of documentation, many Microsoft products are available in other formats to make them more accessible. Many of the Internet Explorer documents are also available as online Help or online user's guides, or from the Microsoft Web site. You can also download many Microsoft Press® books from the Microsoft Accessibility Web site.

If you have difficulty reading or handling printed documentation, you can obtain many Microsoft publications from Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Inc. Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic distributes these documents to registered, eligible members of their distribution service, either on audio cassettes or on floppy disks. The Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic collection contains more than 80,000 titles, including Microsoft product documentation and books from Microsoft Press. For information about the availability of Microsoft product documentation and books from Microsoft Press, contact:

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Inc.
20 Roszel Road
Princeton, NJ 08540

Phone: (609) 452-0606
Fax: (609) 987-8116

Microsoft Products and Services for People with Disabilities

Microsoft provides a catalog of accessibility aids that can be used with the Windows and Windows NT® operating systems. You can obtain this catalog from the Microsoft Web site or by phone at the Microsoft Sales Information Center.

For more information about this catalog, contact:

Microsoft Sales Information Center
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6393

Voice telephone: (800) 426-9400
Text telephone: (800) 892-5234

Computer Products for People with Disabilities

The Trace R&D Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison publishes a database containing information about more than 18,000 products and other topics for people with disabilities. The database is available on their Web site. The database is also available on a compact disc, titled the Co-Net CD, which is issued twice a year. The Trace R&D Center also publishes a book, Trace Resourcebook, which provides descriptions and photographs of approximately 2,000 products.

To obtain these directories, contact:

Trace R&D Center
University of Wisconsin
S-151 Waisman Center
1500 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705-2280

Fax: (608) 262-8848

Information and Referrals for People with Disabilities

Computers and accessibility devices can help people with disabilities overcome a variety of barriers. For general information and recommendations about how computers can help you with your specific needs, consult a trained evaluator. For information about locating programs or services in your area that might be able to help you, contact:

National Information System
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208

Voice/text telephone: (803) 777-1782

Fax: (803) 777-9557

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