As we continue to fall headlong into the technology/information age, computers and related technology increasingly become a part of the educational world. Most classrooms now have a least one computer and Internet access. Many elementary school teachers regularly schedule computer lab time with their students. Connections class offerings at the middle grades level typically include a computer keyboarding class and technology explorations, which utilize modules relying heavily on computer use.

Often students that have vision problems are at a distinct disadvantage with regard to accessing instruction and utilizing technology. Here are a few ideas for adapting computer technology for students with vision problems. My examples and illustrations are based on Windows XP. One must keep in mind that there are many different types of vision problems, and what works well for one student may not work well for another. Some students may only need enlargement, others may be sensitive to glare, and some may need several changes to fit their particular needs. There are a multitude of vision problems, and these tips may be useful for some but not all. (please make sure that you read a student's 504 or I.E.P.) These tips may also benefit primary grade students viewing small monitors and us adults who have "run out of arm" in our 40s, yet refuse to admit it and purchase reading glasses. It will probably take a combination of creativity, experimentation, and student input to determine what works best.

Some students benefit from a change in font size. By clicking Start, Settings Control Panel, then on Display, one can change the font size from normal to large or extra large.

Selecting extra large font will result in the screen change as shown below.

Another change that can easily be made is to change the display color scheme. This is also done at the Display Properties. You will probably wish to experiment with this a little. When changing settings, I have found that often when I show a younger student how to change settings they get carried away with trying to come up "cool" looking things and lose sight of what the underlying reason is for changing properties and settings. I usually let them mess around with it because in the long term, they need to learn how to do this by themselves.

The resolution of your monitor can be also be changed. Lower resolution will increase the size of the words and images on your screen. Higher resolution will cause the images on our screen to be smaller. To change the resolution, click on the Settings tab at Display Properties.

A standard size mouse pointer may be pretty difficult for a student with vision problems to keep up with. I encourage you to teach your students about short cuts and function keys which will keep them from being mouse dependent. A student with 20/200 vision has a tough time reading the pull down menu selections. For those of you unfamiliar with short cut keys, here is a brief run down. The control key marked "Ctrl" when held down and used with other keys can do many of the same things that most people do with a mouse and the pull down menu. For example when in Microsoft Word, one can open a file with "Ctrl" plus "O." To close a Word document use "Ctrl" and W. To undo "Ctrl" plus Z. There are many of these short cuts that can help the visually impaired students navigate on the computer. A full list of short cut and function keys can be accessed through the Windows help section.

To change the mouse pointer:

• On the main screen, double click the My Computer icon.
• Double click Control Panel, Double click Mouse
• You can also reach the Control Panel by clicking the Start button, clicking Settings, then clicking Control Panel.

Check out all the tabs at the top of the Mouse Properties box and make any changes you desire. Click on the Mouse icon and change pointer size at the Scheme pull down menu selection.

Several choices for mouse pointers are available, you might wish to let your students try different ones.

The selection of fonts is important. Generally speaking, the less cluttered fonts are the easiest to read.

Viewing the screen may be difficult for students that don't see black on white very well or have problems with glare.

To change the background and text color:

• At the very top of your screen, click Tools.
• Click Options.
• Click the General tab at the top of the Options box.
• Click the box entitled, "Blue background, white text".
• Click the OK rectangle

Windows XP has accessibility settings. Which can be accessed at the start button. Click on Programs, Accessories, Accessibility, and then select from the options.

The Magnifier and Narrator take a little getting used to, but both can greatly affect low vision students. The magnifier will show the enlarged view on the top portion of the screen.

The Narrator will read aloud menu commands, dialog box options, etc. It has settings for speed, pitch, and volume. Synthesized voices take some getting used to, but Narrator may be a good fit for a student. I strongly suggest the use of headphones. The synthesized voice over a speaker is almost guaranteed to disrupt the rest of the class!

A free download is www.readplease.com – screen reader, but may be difficult for visually impaired students to use. Students must copy and paste text into the Readplease window. It will enlarge the text and also provides settings for speed, voice, etc. I have found it to be a wonderful addition to my collection of adaptation tools. This program has wonderful possibilities for students with other learning problems or physical disabilities.

There are many good screen enlargement and screen reader programs that can be purchased. But in the current economic climate, cutbacks in funding seem to be affecting many school districts. These computer tips won't replace high quality software designed for the visually impaired, but they will help many students access instruction at no additional cost. I am sure that there are more tricks out there to help students with vision problems. If you have one please share it with me. Thanks.