In addition to Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, and Windows 95 accessibility products and services, the following features make Internet Explorer more accessible for people with disabilities.
All features in Internet Explorer are accessible to you by using the keyboard or the mouse.
With Internet Explorer, you can explore the Web by using the keyboard. Just press TAB and SHIFT+TAB to move forward and backward between screen elements such as:
For more information about keyboard access, look up "keyboard shortcuts" in the Help Index.
As you move to or click a link or image, a one-pixel-wide border appears around it so you can see what is selected.
You can specify the font sizes, styles and colors, and foreground and background colors of Web pages displayed on your computer screen, even if the author of the Web page has already specified these. You can also specify the color used to indicate links in Web pages, or a special color for links that is used only when the mouse passes over the link.
This is useful if you have low-vision, need larger fonts, or need high-contrast colors. You can set Internet Explorer to use the colors and fonts you specify, your default Windows colors and fonts, or the settings you specify in your own style sheet.
For more information, see Customizing how Web pages are displayed.
There are several options which you can select or clear which may make Internet Explorer more accessible. To get to these options, click the View menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
If you use a screen reader, you may want to select this check box. Some screen readers or screen magnifiers use the system caret to determine which area of the screen to read or magnify.
Select this check box if you rely on ALT text instead of viewing the actual pictures (you've cleared the Show pictures check box). This ensures that the text is not cut off if the amount of text exceeds the image area it represents.
If you use a screen reader, you may want to clear these check boxes. For some types of cognitive disabilities, you may want to select these check boxes.
If you use a screen magnification or screen reader program, you may want to clear these check boxes. If you use a voice recognition program, you may experience recognition errors during smooth scrolling and transitions, and may also want to clear these check boxes.
If you have cognitive disabilites, you may want to clear this check box to avoid distractions. If you use a blind-access utility, you may want to clear this check box if your accessibility aid reads the suggestions as the appear, making typing difficult.
You may want to select this check box if you have cognitive disabilities, or have difficulty targeting the link with the mouse. However, if you use a blind-access utility, it may cause the utility to read the link aloud unnecessarily, and you may want to clear this check box.
If you have low-vision, you may want to clear these check boxes to improve performance. If you are sensitive to screen flashing, you may also want to clear these check boxes.
If you have cognitive disabilites, you may want to clear this check box to prevent distractions. If you are blind, you may want to clear this check box or selectively download sounds so that they do not interfere with a screen reader reading text aloud.
If you have low vision, you may want to clear this check box to improve print legibility.
If you have low vision, you may want to select this check box for quick access to the relative font size.
If you are using a screen reader, you may want to select this check box to maximize the amount of screen space available for Web content.