Supporting Learners with a Visual Impairment using Windows 10? New Video Guides available!

Posted by Craig Mill on the 7th January, 2020

Back in June 2019 I wrote an article about the Ease of Access Tools in Windows 10 to support learners a visual impairment.

The blog post was supplemented with an A3 poster which highlighted the new accessibility tools such as 'make text bigger' and 'make everything bigger'.

Although posters are useful for illustrating and highlighting the features of computer programs, there is not always scope to explain and demonstrate how the tools and features can be used.

Video screen-recording tutorials

To overcome this I have created a series of video (screen recording) tutorials which demonstrate what the tools are, where to find them and how to use them to support learners with a visual impairment.

The videos are short bite-sized guides and comprise of the following topics:

• Part 1: Customising the desktop using some simple adjustments in Windows 10.
• Part 2: Magnifying information in apps - some useful hints and tips on zooming in and out of browsers and other apps.
• Part 3: Customising Mouse Tools and Pointer - how to make changes to the Mouse Pointer using Windows 'legacy' tools.
• Part 4: Using keyboard shortcut keys to increase the font size in Microsoft Word - improving speed and workflow.
• Part 5 (a): Using Immersive Reading tools in Microsoft Word to customise the font / text and listen to it spoken aloud.
• Part 5 (b): Using Learning Tools in Microsoft Edge Browser to customise font/text, layout and hear it read aloud.
• Part 6: Introduction to Microsoft Ease of Access Tools Display Settings - how to 'Make text size bigger', 'Make everything bigger' and how to adjust the mouse pointer size and colour.
• Part 7: Using Windows Magnifier - how to use Windows Magnifier in combination with other Ease of Access Display Settings such as 'Make everything bigger' etc.
• Part 8: Colour filters - maximising computer accessibility for learners who experience colour blindness.
• Part 9: High Contrast Filter - how to customise the colours of elements such as menu bars, backgrounds, buttons etc, in Windows.
• Part 10 (a): Microsoft Narrator - an introduction to using screen reading with Windows Narrator.
• Part 10 (b): Using Windows Narrator to navigate the desktop and Microsoft Word.

Where to find them

• Youtube - the videos are hosted on the CALL Youtube Channel and have been collated into a Playlist.
• OneDrive: If you are unable to get access to YouTube you can also view and download the videos from Microsoft OneDrive: bit.ly/Windows-10-VI-Learners​

View some examples below

Part 1: Customising the desktop using some simple adjustments in Windows 10.

Part 3: Customising Mouse Tools and Pointer - how to make changes to the Mouse Pointer using Windows 'legacy' tools.

Part 10 (b): Using Windows Narrator to navigate the desktop and Microsoft Word.