EATT
Equal Access to Technology Training
A project aimed at increasing computer literacy among people with vision impairments.
EATT is part funded under the
EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme
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A Braille printer version is available on request from your local EATT partner.
Welcome to this Introductory IT Course.
We hope that after taking this course you will have a greater understanding of what people with vision impairments can achieve using a PC and that you will have learnt some basic IT skills.
The course aims to make you more familiar with the PC as an everyday tool that allows you to perform a wide range of tasks, such as writing documents, sending e-mails, or finding information on the Internet.
This course is comprised of a series of short sessions on a range of subjects. Each session includes a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and a number of mini-exercises.
Try to find time to practise the exercises between sessions, either at home or at the training centre. Make sure that your home computer has the same keyboard layout and overall configuration as the one you use in class.
The course is divided into two parts.
The first part aims to show you the basics of what you can do with a PC. You will see how it's possible to write letters or send e-mails even if you have low vision.
You will be introduced to assistive software, that is, software designed to improve the functional capabilities of people with disabilities. This course is based on one such program, ZoomText, which magnifies the text and images that you can see on your computer screen.
This is a more thorough investigation of ZoomText and the PC in general. You will learn how to open and close programs, save and open files, create documents and e-mails and surf the World Wide Web.
The aim of Part 2 is to get you to a point where you can use ZoomText to work on your own, and to qualify you for further IT training.
Lots of vision impaired people use computers for reading and writing. Even though it may seem hard to learn, most people agree that it was worth the effort.
Be patient, have confidence in yourself, and, most of all, have fun!
In this session we will cover the following topics:
PC is short for personal computer.
The components of a PC can be divided into two broad categories:
Some of the computer's most important hardware components include the following.
The system unit is a case or cabinet that contains all the components that make your computer work. It normally sits on a desk or on the floor.
Some of the key components contained in the system unit are
This is where the programs and your work are displayed on-screen.
Figure 1: The Monitor
The keyboard is an essential part of your computer. It is the mechanism by which you tell the computer what to do by pressing individual keys or combinations of keys
.
Figure 2: The keyboard
The keyboard is divided into five main sections:
Here is a list of the most important keys:
The mouse is a pointer device for marking and selecting on-screen items. As you move the mouse across a flat surface, an on-screen arrow, known as a cursor, follows its movements.
Figure 3: The mouse
There are usually two buttons on the top of the mouse. You use these to make selections on-screen. This is known as "clicking".
Sometimes a mouse may include a scroll wheel between the two buttons. You can use this to scroll up and down in a window.
When moving the mouse, make small, gentle movements until you get used to it.
When you move the mouse a cursor moves around on-screen. Sometimes it shaped like an arrow. You use this cursor to click and select on-screen options. When you're typing text on-screen, the cursor looks like a vertical bar. This is known as the "text cursor".
There are three different ways of clicking the buttons on the mouse:
If you are left-handed, place the mouse on the left of the keyboard, if you are right-handed place it on the right.
This course assumes the normal mouse configuration whereby the left button clicks and selects while the right button displays a context-sensitive menu.
If you are left-handed, you can reverse the mouse buttons if you wish. Ask your teacher to help.
Some people find it hard to navigate the screen using a cursor. If you are in this position, you can use keyboard shortcuts to perform all the actions that can be done with a mouse.
A printer is a machine connected to the PC for printing documents.
Figure 4: A printer
If you want to be able to listen to music and other sounds from your PC you need to have speakers. Alternatively, you can use headphones to avoid disturbing other people in the same room. Some low vision people use the speakers so that they can hear a screen-reader, which tells them what is happening on-screen.
A scanner is a device that can copy images or text into your computer so that they can be stored in electronic format.
Figure 5: A scanner
Software refers to the electronic data that is stored on your computer. Some of the software programs that you will need to use are listed below.
ZoomText is a magnifying program. You can use it magnify all the text and images on your computer screen. It also contains a number of other tools that can help people with vision impairments use a computer. We will demonstrate some of these in Part 2 of the course.
Microsoft Windows is the most important program on your computer. It is your computer's operating system, a special program that controls how the hardware and software interact with each other, with other devices, and with you, the user.
When you turn on your computer, the first program that runs is Windows.
When the PC starts up the first thing to appear on screen is normally the Windows desktop. Compare it to a real desktop where the tools you need often are used. Here you can add shortcuts to programs and files that you use frequently.
The Windows Start menu is activated by clicking the Start button in the bottom left corner of the screen.
From the Start menu you can
The Windows taskbar is normally located along the bottom of screen. It tells you what programs are currently running.
To shut down your computer:
Your computer will now shut down. Try starting it again. Shut it down and start it up several times until you are familiar with the process.
Depending on how your computer is configured, ZoomText may launch automatically when the PC starts up. If it does not, you can launch it yourself.
To launch ZoomText:
Your teacher should also have set up a keyboard shortcut that allows you to launch ZoomText. Try pressing Ctrl + Alt + Z.
With ZoomText you can increase or decrease the magnification level as you need.
To decrease the magnification, hold down Alt and press the minus key in the numeric keypad.
To increase the magnification, hold down Alt and press the plus key in the numeric keypad.
Practise this until you get used to it.
Some low vision users disable and enable ZoomText as they work. Sometimes disabling the magnifier temporarily can give them a better overall impression of the interface.
To disable ZoomText without shutting it down, press Alt + Delete.
To enable it again, press Alt + Insert.
Because ZoomText magnifies your screen, you will not be able to see the entire screen at any one time. You can use your mouse to move the magnifier to a different part of the screen.
Alternatively, you can use Alt + arrow keys.
10) Decrease the magnification using Alt + numeric minus.
Answer: Press the Power button on the system unit.
Answer: Select Shut Down from the Start menu.
Answer: Double-click the ZoomText icon on the desktop or press Ctrl + Alt + Z.
Answer: Press Alt + numeric plus.
Answer: Press Alt + numeric minus.
Answer: Press Alt + Delete.
Answer: Press Alt + Insert.
Answer: Use Alt + arrow keys.
This session deals with the following topics:
Some keys are used a lot in ZoomText.
Take some time to find these keys:
ZoomText allows the following different zoom window types:
You can switch between the different displays by using keyboard shortcuts. Your teacher will tell you the shortcut for your version of ZoomText.
Every time your computer starts up, it loads the operating system and other basic software. This is known as booting the machine.
Sometimes you may need to reboot your computer. If it is getting increasingly slow, a reboot can be a good idea.
To reboot your computer:
Sometimes your computer may simply stop working. No matter what keys you press, nothing happens. This is known as a "crash".
You have two choices when your machine crashes:
E-mail, or "electronic mail", allows you to use your computer to send messages electronically over a network of computers such as the Internet.
There are many different programs designed specifically for creating, sending, and receiving mail. Some web sites also provide a service known as "web mail" where you can access your e-mail using a web browser, without having to install additional software on your machine.
A popular e-mail program is Microsoft Outlook Express. Your teacher will show you how to launch it.
To be able to send and receive e-mail you need a computer with access to the Internet and an e-mail address. Here is an example of an e-mail address:
A common way to launch a program in Windows is from the Start menu. Here we're going to launch a simple text editor program called Notepad.
To launch Notepad from the Start menu:
To launch Notepad using the keyboard:
To close Notepad:
Figure 6: The Minimize, Restore, and Close buttons
Alternatively, you can close a program using the keyboard shortcut Alt + F4.
You can use your mouse to drag objects from one part of the screen to another. This is known as "dragging and dropping".
Click the object you want to move and then, keeping the left mouse button depressed, move your mouse in the direction you want to move the object.
The game Solitaire is good practice for clicking and dragging.
Figure 7: The Solitaire interface
To launch Solitaire:
To play Solitaire:
Here are some tasks that you can try outside class.
Try pressing these keys:
Ask your teacher to help with this exercise.
Answer: Click the Start button or press the Windows logo key.
Answer: Click the Start button or press the Windows logo key again or press Esc.
Answer: Click Start - Programs, then click the program name. You can also press the Windows logo key and then use the arrow keys to find program you want. Press Enter to start the program.
Answer: Click Start, select Shut Down, then select Restart.
Answer: Press the Reset button or the Power button on the system unit.
Answer: On most English language keyboards, you type the @ symbol by pressing Shift + apostrophe.
In this session, we will be dealing with
The word processor is one of the most useful programs on your computer. It enables you to create, modify and read all kinds of documents, such as letters, e-mails, reports, and even courses like this.
Before PCs became commonplace, most business communication had to be written on typewriters. This was problematic for people with vision impairments, as they had no way of checking what they had written. They had to rely on sighted people to check for typing errors.
Today, typewriters have largely been replaced by word processing software.
Using a word processor, you can
To launch Microsoft Word:
Alternatively, you can look for a Word shortcut icon on the desktop. Click the icon to launch Word.
Figure 8: The Word shortcut icon
At the top of every program that runs on Windows you'll find the title bar.
The title bar tells you the name of the program and the name of the current open file, for example Document 1 - Microsoft Word.
Below the title bar you'll find the menu bar.
All programs have menus. A menu is a list of options that allow you to perform different tasks within the program. Most programs have at least four or five menus in the menu bar.
Under the menu bar you'll find the toolbar. There are a number of different toolbars in Word, each one containing small images, known as "icons", symbolising different functions. If you click the print icon, for example, the open document will print.
Figure 9: The print icon
Under the toolbar, or toolbars, you'll find the document area. This is where you type your text. Think of it as a sheet of paper.
In the upper left corner of the document you'll find a small flashing vertical line, known as the text cursor. This is where your text will appear once you start typing.
When using a word processor some keys are important.
Enter creates a new paragraph.
Spacebar creates a space between letters or words.
Backspace deletes letters or spaces to the left of the cursor.
Arrow keys move the text cursor left, right, up and down in the document.
To select a piece of text, click on the end or the start of the text and, keeping the left mouse button depressed, drag the cursor over the text.
To select an individual word double-click anywhere in the word.
To select an entire paragraph triple-click anywhere in the paragraph.
Because people with low vision find it difficult to read documents written in a small font, you should change the font size in Word before printing your document.
To change the font size of a piece of text:
The font size in the selected text should increase. You can also access the font size field using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + P.
To print a document, do one of the following:
Open a new document.
Answer: Select Start - Programs - Microsoft Word.
Answer: Press Ctrl + Alt + W.
Answer: Press Enter.
Answer: Press the spacebar.
Answer: Press Backspace.
Answer: Move the mouse to where you want the cursor to appear and click. Alternatively use the arrow keys.
Answer: Click the text and drag with your mouse.
Answer: Select the text use the font size field on the formatting toolbar.
In this session, we will be looking at
The Internet is a massive network of computers that spans the globe. It is a source of information and entertainment for millions of people all over the world.
Here are just some of the things you can do on the Internet:
The possibilities are endless.
A key part of the Internet is the World Wide Web, a vast collection of pages written in a special type of text, known as hypertext. Groups of web pages produced by single individuals or organisations are known as "web sites".
Hypertext allows the creators of web pages to include links to other parts of their site or to entirely different web sites, thus making it easy for users to quickly jump from one web page to the next. Navigating from page to page like this is known as "surfing" the Web.
Every web page has its own address. Web addresses normally take the following format:
To be able to view web pages and surf the Web, you need a program called a web browser.
These days, most computers come with web browsers preinstalled. One of the most popular web browsers is Microsoft Internet Explorer.
To launch Internet Explorer:
Figure 10: The Internet Explorer icon
Find these elements in the Internet Explorer interface.
To open a web site:
Figure 11: The hand cursor
Sometimes, as you surf from page to page, you can lose track of where you are on the Web. If you find yourself in this position, simply retrace your steps until you find a familiar page again.
To step back to web pages you've already visited, click the Back button on the browser toolbar.
Often it will not be possible to view the entire contents of a web page within the display window.
To see the bottom of the page you can
The Web is a great source of information on all sorts of topics, but how do you go about finding the information you want? Some web sites are designed specifically for this purpose. They are known as "search engines".
Search engines are covered in greater detail in Part 2 of this course, but for now, try visiting one of the most popular search sites, Google.
To perform a search using Google:
5) Use the Back and Forward buttons to navigate through the pages you have visited.
Answer: Select Start - Programs - Internet Explorer or click the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop.
Answer Press Alt + D, F6 or Ctrl + O.
Answer: Click the Back button on the toolbar or press the Backspace key.
Answer: Click the Forward button in the toolbar.
Answer: Click the Close button in the upper right corner of the title bar or press Alt + F4.
The following is a list of the most important keystrokes and keyboard shortcuts in the main programs that you'll be using.
A complete list of keyboard shortcuts is available in the Help for the various programs.
Display the Start Menu: Windows logo key or Ctrl + Esc
Close the Start menu: Esc
Close a program: Alt + F4
Create a new paragraph in a document: Enter
Insert space between letters and words: Spacebar
Move cursor in document: Arrow keys
Delete text: Backspace
Print document: Ctrl + P
Close a document: Ctrl + F4
Go to the address field: F6 or Alt + D
Go to the previous page: Alt + left arrow
Go to the next page: Alt + right arrow
Launch ZoomText: Ctrl + Alt + Z
Increase magnification: Alt + numeric plus
Decrease magnification: Alt + numeric minus
Scroll screen: Alt + arrow keys
