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Universal Access Features

Universal Access (since Mac OS X v.10.3 Panther) includes technologies, features, and components that assist users with disabilities in five categories, as shown in Table 1, below.

VoiceOver was introduced in Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger.

Category Technology/Feature/
Component
Description
Vision VoiceOver An accessibility interface, new in Tiger, that gives you magnification options, keyboard control and spoken English descriptions of what's happening on screen.

 

Zoom

Magnifies everything on computer screen

 

Text-to-Speech

Apple technology used throughout Mac OS X to assist users with vision disabilities

 

Talking alerts

Alert messages spoken by computer

 

Spoken items

Text under mouse is spoken aloud

 

Display adjustments

Computer's display can be changed to enhance readability (e.g., grayscale, monochrome, or high-contrast video display)

Hearing

QuickTime

Closed captioning for QuickTime movies and

 

Visual alerts

Alerts cause entire screen to flash

 

iChat and iSight

Enables sign-language conversations over the Internet

Physical/motor

Slow Keys, StickyKeys, keyboard settings

Keyboard modifications and adjustments for users with motor-control disabilities

 

Mouse Keys

Keyboard-based mouse alternative

 

Keyboard navigation

Enables user to manipulate user interface using keyboard only

 

Speakable Items

Enables user to invoke common tasks and manipulate user interface by voice

 

Calculator

Accessible using keyboard only

Literacy and Learning VoiceOver An accessibility interface, new in Tiger, that gives you magnification options, keyboard control and spoken English descriptions of what's happening on screen.

Speak text under mouse, Talking Alerts

Voice output of text from the user interface

 

Text-to-Speech

Apple technology used throughout Mac OS X to assist users with learning disabilities

 

Calculator

Can speak key and presses and calculation results

 

TextEdit

Can speak text from document

 

iChat

Built-in spelling checker for users with learning or cognitive disabilities

Language and Communication

TextEdit

Text-to-speech and spell-checking features for users with learning or cognitive disabilities

Table 1: Major Features of Universal Access

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