MacMost: Accessibility

In this special live video I look at many different ways to use your Mac keyboard to control everything. Learn how to launch apps, select text, manage your files, and so much more.

You can change the size of the pointer as well as the border and outline color. If you want more options, you can always get a third-party app, though some options are only achieved using screen recording apps.

Your Mac can speak announcements, read selected text out loud and repeat back to you what you type. Check out these Accessibility features can be useful to anyone.

Screen Zoom allows you to zoom in on a portion of the screen to see the images or text there when they are too small otherwise.

Full Keyboard Access is a new Accessibility feature that aims to give you access to everything on your Mac using only the keyboard. In addition to buttons, links and other controls, you can work with Control Center, Notifications, the Menu Bar and Dock.

Voice Control on your Mac is more powerful than ever, but it can take a few carefully chosen commands to do what you want. Instead, you can add custom commands to quickly go to web pages, choose menu items type long passages of text and other things.

Hover Text is an Accessibility feature of Catalina and Big Sur that allows you to see the text your cursor is hovering over in a larger size. You can also see the text you are typing into fields or even apps like Pages. It is great for those that occasionally find text in an app to be too small to read.

Starting with macOS Catalina 10.15.4 you can use Accessibility to control your cursor with your head, and even click and drag with facial expressions. Even if you don't need this functionality, it can be useful as a temporary way to control your Mac is some situations, or just a way to give your hands a rest.

Voice Control can do more than just activate menu items and buttons. You can also use grids to pick a specific spot on the screen and click it, or even drag from one spot to another. Other commands allow you to add modifier keys or move the cusor by precise amounts.

If you need to repeat a specific set of keyboard commands or movements often, you can reduce the sequence to a single action. One method is to use Automator Watch Me Do actions, which record key presses and allow you to repeat them. You can also write a script in Automator to press keys. A third method involves using the Mac Accessibility Keyboard to record and play back the sequence.

How can you type on your Mac if you keyboard isn't working or is missing? How can you control the cursor to click on things if your mouse or trackpad is not working? There are methods to type and point that you can use in an emergency or until you get a replacement. You can bring up the Accessibility Keyboard to type using the cursor, and use Mouse Keys to move to cursor using only the keyboard. The trick is to know how to bring those up when things aren't working.

In macOS Catalina enhanced dictation is now part of Voice Control as part of your Mac's Accessibility features. It has several improvements over previous version of macOS dictation, including several ways to work to correct text, move the cursor, make selections and type difficult words.

With the new Voice Control feature in macOS Catalina you can control almost anything on your Mac with your voice. You can access menu commands, dictate text, click buttons and even click a specific point on the screen using grids. This functionality is critical for some, but for others it can also offer a nice hands-free alternative to using your Mac.

The Keyboard Panel Accessibility feature on your Mac lets you create sequences of keypresses that you can repeat by pressing a button. This could make some unusual tasks easier to perform. In this example we'll use a panel button to repeat an unusual search and style function in Pages.

You can use Dictation Commands to trigger a keyboard shortcut, menu item, or to even insert some text. You can do this while typing, or while dictating. You can set the spoken phrase to precede a dictation command to make sure the command only executes when you want it to.

Mouse Keys are an accessibility feature of your Mac that allows you to control the position of the cursor and click the mouse button using only your keyboard. It can work with the numeric keypad, or with some of the keys on a keyboard without a keypad. This can come in handy if you have trouble with your mouse or trackpad and need a way to access things on your Mac.

In System Preferences there are several keyboard-related accessibility features that can be useful for anyone. You can set modifier keys to remain active so you can use keyboard shortcuts without needing to hold down multiple keys at the same time. You can enable typing sounds and a slight delay to prevent keyboard errors. You can also bring up an on-screen keyboard to use if you are having hardware issues.

In System Preferences you can select from a variety of voices that are used when you have text read aloud to you on your Mac. You can also set a keyboard shortcut to read selected text. Another option will automatically read alerts out loud after a delay. This can be handy for recognizing when there is a problem or warning.

There are many functions in System Preferences, Accessibility, Display that any Mac user may find useful. You can enlarge the cursor, change the contrast of your screen and reduce the motion effects and transparency of elements.

The Zoom feature in the Accessibility functions of your iPhone can help you read a small piece of text. It can easily be turned on or off so you can use it only when you need it. There are any options and ways to trigger the Zoom feature, so take a few minutes to try it out before the next time you need it.