4 Assistive technologies #
The GNOME desktop provides built-in assistive technologies to support users with disabilities and facilitate interaction with common assistive devices. This chapter describes several assistive technology applications designed to meet the needs of users with physical disabilities like low vision or impaired motor skills.
4.1 Enabling assistive technologies #
To configure accessibility features, open the dialog by right-clicking the desktop and choosing . In the navigation pane, select . Each assistive feature can be enabled separately.
To directly access individual assistive features, enable the . This will display an icon resembling a person in the top bar, providing quick access to accessibility settings.
4.2 Visual assistance #
In the section of the settings, you can enable features that help people with impaired vision.
Turning on increases color contrast of foreground and background interface elements.
Turning on reduces animations in the user interface to reduce motion.
Turning on increases the size of all text in the user interface.
By customizing the , you can make it easier to see the mouse pointer.
If the are turned on, a beep will sound when Num Lock or Caps Lock are turned on or off.
The option uses scrollbars that overlay the content and automatically hide.
If the is turned on, the screen reader reads displayed text as you move the focus.
4.3 Hearing assistance #
In the section of the dialog, you can enable features helping people with impaired hearing.
If the are turned on, a window title or the entire screen is flashed when an alert sound occurs for the respective application.
4.4 Keyboard and mouse #
In the and sections of the dialog, you can enable features that help people with mobility impairments.
In the section, when is turned on, an on-screen keyboard appears at the bottom of the screen when you next have the opportunity to type.
Figure 4.1: On-screen keyboard #To enter numbers and symbols, press the button first. More symbols are available if you press the button. To return to the alphabetic keyboard, press the button.
To temporarily hide the keyboard, press the button with the arrow down icon. The keyboard is shown again automatically in the next situation where you can use it. To change your keyboard layout or change settings, press the button with the flag icon.
allows you to turn accessibility features on or off using keyboard shortcuts.
Under , you can configure if and at which speed the cursor blinks in text boxes (for example, in a terminal).
is an adjustable slider to set how quickly the cursor blinks, ranging from Slow to Fast.
is a field where you can test cursor behavior.
lets you configure if and when a key is repeated when it is pressed for a longer time. You can either turn this feature or configure a and the by which keys are repeated.
allows you to type key combinations one key at a time rather than having to hold down all keys at once. For example, the Alt–→| shortcut switches between windows.
With sticky keys turned off, you need to hold down both keys at the same time. With sticky keys turned on, press Alt and then →| to do the same.
Turn on if you want a delay between pressing a key and the letter being displayed on the screen. This means that you need to hold down each key you want to type for a little while before it appears. Use slow keys if you accidentally press several keys at a time when you type, or if you find it difficult to press the right key on the keyboard first time.
Turn on to ignore key presses that are rapidly repeated. This can help, for example, if you have hand tremors which cause you to press a key multiple times when you only want to press it once.
The section includes:
: When enabled, it allows users to control the mouse pointer using the numeric keypad on the keyboard.
: When enabled, it reveals the pointer location by pressing left Ctrl.
is a slider adjustment that lets users set how quickly they need to click twice for a double-click to register, ranging from Short to Long.
In the section, you can enable to activate the secondary click (usually the right mouse button) by holding down the primary button. This is useful if you find it difficult to move your fingers individually on one hand, or if your pointing device only has a single button.
Turn on to trigger a click by hovering your mouse pointer over an object on the screen. This is useful if you find it difficult to move the mouse and click at the same time. If this feature is turned on, a small hover click window opens and stays above all your other windows. You can use this to choose what sort of click should happen when you hover. When you hover your mouse pointer over a button and do not move it, the pointer gradually changes color. When it has fully changed color, the button will be clicked.
4.5 Zoom #
In the section of the dialog, you can enable features that help people with visual impairments.
allows you to magnify the entire screen.
The section offers detailed configuration options, including , and .
The section includes options like , and sliders and .
offers the option to invert colors in the magnifier region, and , and options to adjust color effects.