Frequently Asked Accessibility Questions

How to find and use a screen reader

Screen readers are text-to-speech software that allow people to read and interact with content in different ways. Many people who cannot perceive what is on the screen will use them to allow audible access to web content. We strive to ensure that our content is accessible to screen readers. There are free screen reader options available including NVDA for Windows and VoiceOver for Mac. We recommend JAWS for Windows that you can use this with your favorite web browser.
Screen readers accept input in a variety of ways, but one of the most common forms is through your keyboard by pressing the down arrow in JAWS, for example, you are able to navigate through items on the page. JAWS will also accept Braille input.

Zooming in your screen

To zoom into the screen or web browser:
• On Windows, press the Windows key and plus sign (+) at the same time to zoom in. You can also use the "Magnifier" application under "Accessories".
• On Mac, go to "System Preferences", open "Universal Access" and select the "Seeing" tab. Check the box under "Zoom" to "On".
• On your Apple device, tap "Settings", then "General", then "Accessibility". Tap the "Zoom" button and toggle it "On".
You can also use "Ctrl" ("Cmd" on Mac) plus the plus (+) or minus (-) keys when you're in a web browser.

Changing colors and fonts

Some people like to change colors or fonts to see words more clearly. Most major web browsers have options to do this:

• In Internet Explorer, go to "Tools", then "Internet Options", on to "General". From here, select "Colors, Fonts, or Accessibility".

• In Mozilla Firefox, choose "Options", then "Content", then finally "Fonts & Colors".
• In Safari, select "Preferences", "Appearance" tab, and then hit the "Select…" button next to the font fields.
• In Chrome, go to "Preferences", activate the "Show advanced settings" link, go to the "Web content" heading and change the "Font size", "Customize fonts" in other ways, or set default "Page zoom".
  We recommend a mixture of settings like enlarging font size and zooming into the browser for a better experience.

Mobile accessibility tools

iOS and Android smart phones have multiple accessibility tools included. VoiceOver for iOS and TalkBack for Android are the screen readers built-in to the device.

To turn on VoiceOver, go to "Settings," then "General," to "Accessibility," and then turn "VoiceOver" on. You can set the "Accessibility Shortcut" to "VoiceOver" from the "Accessibility" page in order to triple-click the "Home" button to toggle VoiceOver on and off. TalkBack has similar features.

"Zoom", "Magnifier", "Invert Colors", "Color Filters", and "Reduce White Point" are other features and tools on iOS that you can use. These are also available through the "Accessibility Shortcut."