In addition to Microsoft Windows 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, see Internet Explorer shortcuts.
As you move to or click a link or image, a thin 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 Changing fonts and background colors.
You can customize the toolbar by adding or removing buttons, using small or large icons, and showing or hiding the text on the labels.
Just right-click the toolbar, and then click Customize.
If you have low vision, you may want to add the Size button for quick access to the relative font size.
If you are using a screen reader, you may want to select Small Icons in the Icon Options list and No text labels in the Text Options list to maximize the amount of screen space available for Web content.
This feature saves you time when you are typing Web addresses or completing entries on Web pages, by displaying a list of previous matching entries as you type. To turn AutoComplete on or off, click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, click the Content tab, and then click the AutoComplete button. If you have cognitive disabilities, you may want to clear the check boxes to avoid distractions. If you use a blind-access utility, you may want to clear the check boxes if your accessibility aid reads the suggestions as they appear, making typing difficult.
You can select or clear several options that may make Internet Explorer more accessible. To display these options, click the Tools 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 alternate (ALT) text instead of viewing the actual pictures (that is, you've cleared the Show pictures check box). This ensures that the text is not cut off if the amount of text is larger than the image area.
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, and you experience recognition errors during smooth scrolling and transitions, you may also want to clear these check boxes.
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 disabilities, 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.