Large computer monitors
Depending on your level of vision, a simple solution to improve your access to your computer is purchasing a larger sized monitor.
Increasing the size of a monitor will increase the screen area on which the same content is displayed.
Most laptops will allow for an external monitor to be connected and this can greatly increase the size of text and graphics displayed on the screen when compared to the smaller laptop screen.
A monitor connected to a desktop computer can be replaced with a larger monitor.
Screen enhancement using mainstream software
Microsoft Windows has a built-in full screen magnifier, which can be found via the Ease of Access Centre.
Apple computers have an inbuilt screen magnifier called Zoom located with the accessibility menu.
Both platforms also offer a ‘speech on demand’ feature that works alongside the visual enhancement features available in the accessibility options.
For Windows computers, other screen magnification software can provide a greater level of customisation.
A demonstration of this software can be arranged with an access technology specialist at Vision Australia.
Large print keyboards
There is a lot of choice available in computer keyboards these days. While we strongly recommend learning to touch type, sometimes people do like to glance at their keyboards when typing at their computers.
Large print keyboards feature large letters, numbers and other characters. They are available with white letters on black keys, black letters on white keys or black letters on yellow keys for enhanced contrast. A lower cost alternative to these keyboards is stickers with enlarged characters that can be stuck to your traditional keyboard. These can be handy for laptops or notebooks.
Some large print keyboards are available that support screen magnification software. Apart from featuring large letters on the keys, they also have buttons that directly control the settings of the screen magnifier. For example, buttons for zooming in and out, changing colour contrast and more.
Visit our online shop to browse the large print keyboards available at the Vision Store.
