♿Accessibility
Please take a moment to refer to the Quick Start Guide for Legal Kiosk Accessibility Features below. Scroll through the rest of this page if you need more detailed information on how to use these accessibility applications.
We are committed to ensuring fair and equal access to our Virtual Court Kiosks for all users. Each kiosk is mounted on a desk that can be adjusted in height to accommodate various needs— Learn how to adjust the height of a desk.
To support users with many disabilities, our kiosks are equipped with advanced accessibility features. This includes six leading accessibility software applications such as NVDA and Windows Magnifier, which enlarges content on screen and uses speech synthesizers to vocalize on-screen information for those with visual impairments.
We are dedicated to continuously improving the accessibility of the Virtual Court Kiosks, adapting and evolving to meet diverse user requirements and accessibility standards.
Screen reading and text enlargement features
NVDA
Our Virtual Court Kiosks are equipped with NVDA screen reading software which can help ensure that all users, including those with visual impairments, can access the kiosks and interact with the content. NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) is a free, open-source screen reader that enables people with vision impairments to access and interact with digital content on a computer. NVDA works by converting text and other on-screen content into speech or braille, allowing users to hear or read what is displayed on the screen.
Here are the main hotkeys that allow you to launch and operate NVDA:
When you see the "+" symbol between keys in a shortcut below, it means you need to press the keys at the same time.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl + Alt + N | Launch NVDA |
Insert + Q | Turn off NVDA |
Ctrl | Stop reading |
Tab | Read next focusable item |
Enter | Activate link |
Enter or Space Bar | Activate button |
H | Go to next heading |
D | Go to next landmark/region |
Up Arrow | Read previous line |
Down Arrow | Read next item |
Right Arrow | Read next word |
Left Arrow | Read previous word |
Insert + F7 | Open the elements list to navigate by headings, links, form fields, and other elements on a web page. |
For more keyboard commands, please refer to NVDA Quick Reference: Windows Keyboard Commands.
Windows Magnifier
Windows Magnifier is an accessibility tool built into the Windows operating system that helps individuals with visual impairments or low vision to better see and interact with the content displayed on the screen. It works by magnifying portions of the screen, making them larger and easier to discern.
The magnifier can be used on its own or with the NVDA screen reader.
Important Note: Currently Magnifier cannot be started using the Windows logo key due to conflicts with the kiosk software. Developers have replaced this key with the Ctrl + Alt keys.
Here are the main hotkeys that allow you to launch and operate Windows Magnifier.
When you see the "+" symbol between keys in a shortcut below, it means you need to press the keys at the same time.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Windows logo key + (+) | Open Windows Magnifier |
Windows logo key + Esc | Close Windows Magnifier |
Windows logo key + (+) | Zoom in |
Windows logo key + (-) | Zoom out |
Ctrl + Alt + Mouse scroll wheel | Zoom in and out using the mouse scroll wheel. |
Ctrl + Alt + Arrow keys | Pan in the direction of the arrow keys. |
Ctrl + Alt + I | Toggle to invert screen colors or return the inverted screen colors to default colors while Magnifier is on. |
Ctrl + Alt + F | Switch to Full-screen mode. |
Ctrl + Alt + D | Switch to Docked mode |
Ctrl + Alt + L | Switch to Lens mode |
Ctrl + Alt + M | Toggle between Full-screen and Lens mode. |
Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar | Temporarily show the entire screen when zoomed in. |
Camera Mouse
Camera Mouse is an application designed to provide a hands-free mouse control experience, particularly beneficial for individuals with limited physical mobility. It uses a webcam to track the user's head movements, translating them into mouse cursor movements on the screen.
Getting Started
Launch Camera Mouse from the kiosk Menu
Use the mouse to click on a feature of your face. A green square should appear where you clicked. It’s recommended to use the inside corner of an eyebrow or eye or the ridge below the nose.
If you are unable to use the mouse, you can use the 5-4-3-2-1 feature to click on your face. You will move your head to the green square and after 5 seconds the square will lock in place.
Once the feature on your face is being tracked by the computer, just press the Ctrl key or function key F9 or wait 4 seconds (“Auto start”). Now the tracking of your head should control the mouse pointer. To return back to mouse control you can move the mouse or press the F9 key or the Ctrl key again.
Move your head around very slowly at first. The green square should track the feature. If by chance it loses the feature, then move the mouse and select a different feature by clicking on it.
Adjust settings for comfort and ease of use.
Navigating Kiosk Interface
Move your head gently to control the cursor.
Clicking in Camera Mouse is done using “Dwell Time”. This means that while you are controlling the cursor with your head, holding the mouse pointer on the screen within a certain small area for a certain period of time then a mouse click will be issued.
There are four buttons in the application that are optional for you to utilize:
2-click button: When pressed, the very next click to be a double-click (instead of single-clicking).
Right-click button: When pressed the very next click will be a right click (instead of a left click).
Pause button: When pressed the user pauses Camera Mouse for 20 seconds.
Display image in smaller window button: When clicked, the video image in the standard Camera Mouse window will be displayed in a smaller window.
You can minimize the Camera Mouse window by pressing the Minimize button at the top right of the window (the left of the three buttons). If the Camera Mouse window is minimized, the window will not appear but the Camera Mouse program will continue to run in the background and to track.
To bring the Camera Mouse window back from being minimized just click on the Camera Mouse tab (the green square) that should appear at the very bottom of the Windows screen
Tips for Optimal Use
Ensure your face is well-lit.
Keep the camera steady and at eye level for accurate tracking.
Additional Information
For detailed instructions and further assistance, refer to the Camera Mouse manual or visit the FAQ section on their website.
Dynamic Keyboard
The Dynamic Keyboard created by CanAssist at the University of Victoria is a virtual keyboard designed to help the user type on our Kiosks when they are using Camera Mouse. It assists users by predicting and suggesting appropriate letters and words, enhancing their typing speed. This keyboard is especially helpful for people who do not have the fine motor skills required to operate a standard keyboard.
How to Use Dynamic Keyboard
Start by opening Camera Mouse. Make sure you can move your head to navigate through menus and select applications.
Use Camera Mouse to move to the Dynamic Keyboard icon located on the Kiosk menu. Hover over the icon until it automatically selects and opens the application.
Once the application is open, you'll see two arrows at the top corners of the screen. The top left arrow is for accessing the keyboard and the top right arrow lets you switch between open applications (and has a notepad option for taking notes).
Before you start typing, click in the text input area. For instance, in Microsoft Word, click inside the document, or in a browser, click in the address bar.
After clicking in the text input area, use the top left arrow to open the keyboard.
Get acquainted with the layout of the keyboard before beginning to type. As you do so, you'll observe that the application, positioned behind the keyboard, captures your text input.
The keyboard displays five boxes, each containing five different letters.
In the center, there's a semi-circle where the keyboard shows predictive words.
The lower right box functions as the space bar.
The central bottom box offers more options.
The lower left box is the backspace button.
Quit Dynamic Keyboard
Numbers
Show all Letters
Punctuation characters
Shift
Tab scrolls through open applications
Back-Tab goes to the last action you took within the keyboard
Back takes you back to all letters
When you have completed writing your text, press “enter” to complete the text input (ex: you are writing in a URL address and need to complete the command). Otherwise, if you are done typing, simply click the top left arrow again to close the keyboard.
Voicebot
Voicebot is an application designed to enhance accessibility allowing users to have hands-free interaction with the kiosk interface through voice commands. The software offers an intuitive way for all users, including those with physical disabilities, to access kiosk information and services.
Activating Voicebot
Voicebot is ready to assist from the moment you approach the kiosk, there’s no need to click on an application icon. Here’s how to engage with it effectively:
Use the prefix "Voice" to have Voicebot enter listening mode. For instance, to open a browser, you would say "Voice Browser." This initial keyword is crucial for Voicebot to recognize and process your command.
Examples of Voice Commands:
Say "Voice Documents" to open your document folder.
Say "Voice Copy" to copy highlighted text.
Say "Voice Close" to exit the active window.
Effective Communication Tips
Speak clearly to improve Voicebot’s accuracy in understanding your commands.
A quicker speech pace is preferred. Voicebot is designed to recognize and process commands more efficiently at a slightly faster speed.
In loud areas, use the provided headset with a microphone to ensure your commands are heard accurately. Adjust the microphone close to your mouth for best results.
Keyboard shortcuts for Voicebot
| Action | Description | Command |
|---|---|---|
Browser | Launch the web browser. | "Voice Browser" |
Close Window | Close the current window. | "Voice Close" |
New Tab | Open a new tab in the browser. | "Voice New Tab" |
Close Tab | Closes the current browser tab. | "Voice End Tab" |
Scroll Down | Scroll Mouse Wheel down. | "Voice Scroll Down" |
Scroll Up | Scroll Mouse Wheel up. | "Voice Scroll Up" |
Tabbing Navigation | Navigate between focusable elements (such as hyperlinks and form controls) | “Voice Tab” |
Enter | Open a link or button/Completes an entry. | “Voice Select” |
Click Mouse Left | Press and release the left mouse button. | "Voice Click" |
Doubleclick Left | Doubleclick the left button to select. | "Voice Doubleclick" |
Copy | Copy the selected text. | "Voice Copy" |
Cut | Cut the selected text. | "Voice Cut" |
Select All | Select all text in a document or field. | "Voice Select All" |
Paste | Paste from the clipboard. | "Voice Paste" |
Undo | Undo the last action. | "Voice Undo" |
Redo | Redo the last undone action. | "Voice Redo" |
Refresh | Refresh the current webpage. | "Voice Refresh" |
Cycle | Cycling focuses on open applications. | "Voice Cycle" |
Restart | Restart the computer. | "Voice Reboot" |
Volume Down | Decrease system volume. | "Voice Volume Down" |
Volume Up | Increase system volume. | "Voice Volume Up" |
Mute Volume | Mute the system volume. | "Voice Mute" |
Camera Mouse | Opens the Camera Mouse app. | "Voice Camera Mouse" |
Dynamic Keyboard | Opens the Dynamic Keyboard app. | "Voice Keyboard" |
NVDA | Opens the NVDA Screen Reader app. | "Voice Reader" |
Documents | Open explorer. | "Voice Documents" |
Microsoft Word | Opens Microsoft Word. | "Voice Word" |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Opens Microsoft PowerPoint. | "Voice PowerPoint" |
Magnifier | Opens the Magnifier tool. | "Voice Magnify" |
Microsoft Excel | Opens Microsoft Excel. | "Voice Excel" |
Zoom | Opens the Zoom desktop app. | "Voice Zoom" |
Immersive Reader - Microsoft Word
Immersive Reader in Microsoft Word is a reading enhancement tool designed to improve accessibility and comprehension. It offers features like Read Aloud, text customization (including size, font, and spacing), adjustable background colors, focus modes to narrow text width, line highlighting for better tracking, syllable division for ease of reading, and grammar tools to identify parts of speech.
How to Use Immersive Reader
Launch the Microsoft Word application on your kiosk.
Open the document you want to read in Immersive Reader. You can either open an existing document or start a new one.
Look for the 'View' tab at the top of the Word window. Click on it to reveal various viewing options.
In the View tab, you should see an option for 'Immersive Reader'. It might be labeled directly or found under a 'Learning Tools' section, depending on your version of Word.
Once you're in the Immersive Reader, you can adjust various settings to enhance your reading experience. This includes text size, font, background color, line focus, and more.
After adjusting the settings to your liking, you can start reading your document in the Immersive Reader mode.
When you’re finished, you can exit the Immersive Reader by clicking on the 'Close Immersive Reader' button or similar option, typically located at the top of the screen.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Read Aloud
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
Start or exit Read Aloud | Ctrl+Alt+Space |
Pause or play Read Aloud | Ctrl+Space |
Speed up reading speed | Alt+Right |
Slow down reading speed | Alt+Left |
Read the previous paragraph | Ctrl+Left |
Read the next paragraph | Ctrl+Right |
Helperbird
Helperbird is a Firefox accessibility extension that enhances web browsing, reading, and writing for individuals of all abilities. It offers personalized features like text-to-speech, dyslexia support, customizable visual aids, and reading and writing tools to make online content more accessible and productive. Helperbird caters to specific needs with over 30 accessibility tools, ensuring everyone can navigate the web effortlessly.
How to use Helperbird
1. Launch the web browser on the kiosk desktop.
2. Locate and select the icon for Helperbird at the upper right corner of your browser bar. When Helperbird is active, a green bar labeled “on” will be visible above its logo. By default, Helperbird is set to be on. However, if it is not active, a red bar with the label “off” will appear above the logo instead.
3. Click on the Helperbird logo and the extension will open to show quick actions and other features.
4. The quick actions toggle should already be turned on, but if it's not, make sure to switch it on. This will activate its features and make sure they work correctly.
5. You're all set to start using Helperbird. Try out some of the popular reading, writing, or accessibility features we've listed below. Feel free to explore the extension further to discover additional features that could be useful to you, or visit the Helperbird website to see the full list of features.
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
Streamline your web browsing by showing image and link descriptions on mouse over with Helperbird on any website or PDF. | |
Effortlessly set your scroll speed to slow, medium, or fast and navigate through websites at your own pace. | |
Enables you to change the background color of web pages, which can reduce eye strain and improve focus. | |
Improve link visibility with underlining and stroking, and benefit from station support on any website. | |
Enhance your reading experience by organizing text into columns, making it easier to follow and read large sections of text on web pages. | |
Effortlessly adapt your cursor size to suit your needs. Ideal for users with visual or dexterity challenges. | |
Make reading easier for users with dyslexia by allowing the choice of dyslexia-friendly fonts such as Lexend or OpenDyslexic. | |
Designed to aid reading by providing a semi-transparent ruler that follows your cursor. | |
The Font Changer allows you to customize the font style on web pages, which can be particularly helpful for enhancing readability or for users with dyslexia. | |
The Font Color feature allows you to change the color of the text you read on website. | |
The Text Size feature in Helperbird allows you to adjust the size of text on web pages for better readability. | |
Allows you to prevent animated GIFs from playing on web pages, which can be helpful for reducing distractions or for users who are sensitive to motion on the screen. | |
Enables users to highlight text on web pages, providing a digital experience akin to using a highlighter on paper. | |
Change the color of text you highlight on web pages. This can be useful for studying, annotating, or simply marking important sections of text. | |
Choose from a range of high-contrast color filters designed to make text more visible and your online experience more user-friendly. | |
Allows you to highlight important text on the webpage you are on and gives you options to read it out loud, find the meaning of a word in the dictionary, search for the word online, open the selected text in Microsoft's Immersive Reader, highlight the text in color, or translate the word into another language. | |
Immersive Reader is designed to create a focused reading space, helping you understand and engage with content better. | |
Allows you to adjust the spacing between letters, which can help improve readability for many users, including those with dyslexia. | |
Allows you to extract text from images, PDFs, and web pages into selectable and readable text. | |
Allows you to apply a color filter to your screen for better visual comfort. | |
Similar to dyslexia ruler, reading guide helps you focus on the text you're reading by providing a solid bar that follows your cursor. | |
Remove ads and distractions, leaving the page in a nice clean format. | |
Select the text you want to be read out loud and adjust the speed or pace of the reading to your preference. | |
Allows you to quickly activate various tools with simple keyboard combinations. | |
Improve your reading experience and readability by easily customizing the alignment. | |
Effortlessly zoom in on text and entire pages for superior readability and visibility. | |
Text-to-Speech player makes it easy to listen to content on any webpage. | |
Translation feature can instantly translate entire webpages into your preferred language. | |
Enhance your video watching experience on any webpage by controlling playback speed and volume. | |
Experience speech-to-text conversion to make communication simpler and more efficient. | |
Increase the volume beyond the maximum level set by your device, making it easier to listen to audio on web pages. |
Video Meeting Accessibility
Below is a list of common accessibility features provided by the Zoom, Teams, Webex, and Courtcall platforms which are beneficial to those who are deaf or hard of hearing:
Common Accessibility Features of All Platforms:
Screen Sharing: Screen sharing capabilities allow participants to share visual content, including presentations, documents, and videos.
Chat or Messaging: All platforms include a chat or messaging feature that enables participants to communicate via text in real-time.
Closed Captioning, Live Transcription or Interpretation: All platforms offer an option to enable closed captioning or live transcription during meetings or conferences. CourtCall offers a service to request an interpreter prior to a meeting, but does not have closed captioning and live transcription.
Platform-Specific Troubleshooting Links:
Setting Up and Using Printer Accessibility Settings
Some Virtual Court Kiosks include a printer with scan and copy capabilities (HP LaserJet Managed MFP E42540) and others just have a scanner (HP ScanJet Pro 2600 f1). These printers and scanners can be configured to magnify text, read the content aloud, and select options using gestures. For more information on accessibility compliance, read more from the manufacturer.
Accessibility features in HP LaserJet Managed MFP E42540
The Accessibility app on the printer control panel provides viewing options to help users who have vision disabilities access the control panel icons and menus. Use the High Contrast, Invert Colors, and Screen Zoom setting options to enhance the readability of the content on the control panel.
Open the app by navigating to and selecting the Accessibility icon on the control panel.
ACCESSIBILITY ICON
If you do not see the icon immediately, swipe the screen left or right to scroll between pages until you see the accessibility icon.
2. On the Accessibility menu, select the accessibility option in the left pane, and then select the desired setting in the right pane.
High Contrast: To adjust the brightness level of the control panel HIGH CONTRAST SETTING OFF (LEFT IMAGE) AND ON (RIGHT IMAGE)
Invert Colors: To adjust the background color and text (white or black) of the control panel INVERT COLORS SETTING OFF (LEFT IMAGE) AND ON (RIGHT IMAGE)
Screen Zoom: To increase the size of the contents by selecting a magnification percentage or the Pinch to Zoom setting ZOOM 150% SETTING OFF (LEFT IMAGE) AND ON (RIGHT IMAGE)
Accessibility scanning features in HP LaserJet Managed MFP E42540 and HP ScanJet Pro 2600 f1
Save a scan as Editable Text (OCR)
Use HP Scan for Windows to save scan files as editable text with Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
Place the original on the scanner glass or into the automatic document feeder (ADF).
CAUTION:
Do not load photos into the ADF to prevent damaging them or the printer.
In Windows, search for and open HP Scan.
From HP Scan, select Save as Editable Text (OCR) in the list of shortcuts, and then change any desired scan settings.
Click Scan.
The printer scans the original and a preview of each page displays.
In the Destination field, choose how you want to save the editable text using the File Type drop-down.
To save the text with the original formatting, select Rich Text (.rtf) (default).
To save the text only without the original formatting, select Text (.txt).
Click Save.
When prompted, choose where you want to save the file on the computer, and then click Save.
HP Scan saves the file to the computer.
Filter out color from a document (color dropout)
You can filter out a color channel (red, green, or blue) or up to three individual colors. For specific colors, the sensitivity setting controls how closely a scanned color must approximate the specified color.
Removing colors from the scan might reduce the scan file size and improve optical character recognition (OCR) results.
To select colors to eliminate from a scan in HP Scan software, follow these steps:
Open the HP Scan software.
Scan a sample page, which has the colors to be dropped, into the viewer.
Click the More button, and then click the Image tab and select the Color Dropout feature.
Enable a color to drop and select the color from the preview using the eyedropper tool. Be sure to save the colors.
Only the color dropout options available for your scanner are selectable.
For information about the color dropout settings, see the online help for the scanning software that you are using.
Scan using text-enhanced black and white mode
Use this feature to enhance the scanned image when scanning black and white text. To use this feature, complete the following steps:
Open the HP Scan software.
Select a scan shortcut.
Click More, select the Image tab, and then select Black/White (1 bit) from the Color Mode drop-down box.
Select Threshold for Black/White, select Enhance Content, and then click OK.
Troubleshooting
For any issues or concerns regarding accessibility software functionality, please reach out to Bailey Goldenbaum at bailey@goa2jtech.com or contact TLSC kiosk support at kiosks@tlsc.org.
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