Accessibility Services

Zoomtext Magnifier, software available at the Toronto Public Library, is of great help to people with low vision. The Library now has Zoomtext Magnifier Version 10.

An earlier blog post by a colleague of mine gave a basic outline of the software and where it is located in TPL. As she mentions, software is available on one computer in all branches. Toronto Reference Library has the software loaded on several of its computers. 

Here are some of the things Zoomtext can do for you:

Window Views

On Zoomtext, you can choose from several different window views. Some examples:

• Overlay View will magnify the entire desktop.
• Line View magnifies one line of text at a time. This is best used while looking at a document. 
• Docked View enlarges one half of the screen (top, bottom, left or right). 
• Freeze Window allows a part of the screen that would normally be out of view because of the magnification to be visible at all times.

Enhancements

• Invert Brightness inverts white and black values on the screen – for example, black type on a white background becomes white type on a black background. The higher contrast makes the page easier to read.
• Reverse Video inverts colours – again, this increases the contrast.
• Point Enhancement allows you to more easily locate your pointer on the screen. For instance, you can ask the program for a red arrow in a red circle, or a giant green arrow (there are other choices too).
• Cursor Enhancement makes the blinking text cursor easier to read onscreen.  

There is a lot more to Zoomtext. Stay tuned!