Isn’t it amazing to watch the ease and speed with which kids type on a laptop or computer keyboard? Even more amazing is the fact that people with low vision use and work on computers every day. In fact, I know someone who types with lightening speed, finds folders with a click of the mouse, and surfs the web like a pro!  You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that this friend of mine has very low vision and needs the help of an assistive software to work on a computer. However, recently, he decided to migrate to Windows 7 and do away with his complete dependence on the demo versions of various expensive assistive software installed on his computer. He could now easily switch to the accessibility features of Windows 7 whenever his demo version would crash.
Windows 7 comes with more enhanced accessibility options as compared to previous versions of Windows. With options like magnifier, my friend and many other users like him could do without additional software or the cumbersome task of rebooting their PC each time the demo version’s time ran out. As my friend used his computer, I looked confused but he knew his way around the settings and hey! the text became really huge. The ease with which he moved the mouse pointer assured me that the magnifier was quite user friendly.
Another amazing feature which is included in Windows 7 is the improved Windows Speech Recognition! Instead of typing on his computer, my friend basically told his computer what to do, from surfing the web to sending e-mails he could do it all with this software.  The speech recognition feature responded to my friend’s commands and instructions like a faithful robot. I was so impressed that I decided to try my hand at it. I gave a small dictation to the office automation software and it could easily make out my voice and wrote the exact text.
By the time my free demo of the accessibility features was over, I was convinced that Windows 7 is a boon for people who need assistance while doing their daily computer work.