Assistive Technology Blog: mac accessibility

10/26/13

OS X Mavericks Includes Switch Control Similar To iOS 7

Posted By Unknown 1:02 PM 0 apple, apple universal access, assistive technology, built in, education, free, mac, mac accessibility, OS X Mavericks, OS X Mavericks switch control, universal design

Apple's new and free Mac operating system called OS X Mavericks includes a new accessibility feature called Switch Control. Switch Control allows switch users to navigate and use their Macs. Switch Control allows switch users to interact and control their Macs. Switch users are users who are only able to activate a few large buttons and who don’t have the ability to interact with the complexities of a keyboard or mouse. For example, a quadriplegic may be able to activate switches mounted on their wheelchair with their head. Switches come in all different sizes and configurations but they give users who are unable to interact with the keyboard or mouse the ability to control their computers. It is exciting to see Apple continuing to improve OS X accessibility as well as iOS accessibility. Switch Control on the Mac is similar to other switch interfaces and very similar to Switch Control on iOS 7. Click here to read about Switch Control for iOS 7.

Watch the above video to learn more about Switch Control on OS X Mavericks. Click here to download OS X Mavericks.

7/25/12

Apple Releases OS X Mountain Lion With New Accessibility Features

Posted By Unknown 4:21 PM 0 apple, assistive technology, at, blind, mac accessibility, mountain lion accessibility, os x accessibility, os x mountain lion, VoiceOver

Apple's Mac operating system has been updated. The new update is called OS X Mountain Lion. The new operating system includes over 200 new features including a number of accessibility enhancements. One feature called Dictation allow users to speak their text input instead of typing. Mountain Lion also includes better syncing with iOS devices. OS X Mountain Lion also includes enhancements to VoiceOver. To view a detailed list of all new accessibility in Mountain Lion click here. Apple's website says the following about about OS X accessibility,

"Every Mac comes standard with a wide range of assistive technologies that help people with disabilities enjoy the power and simplicity of the Mac. We call this Universal Access, and it includes many features you won’t find in other operating systems at any price. In OS X, they’re built right in."

To view a detailed list of OS X accessibility features click here. OS X Mountain Lion is available for download from the Mac App Store for $19.99. Click here to download Mountain Lion. Click read more below to view images of Mountain Lion.