WW0786: Customizing Win 3.0 for Individuals with Disabilities

 Last reviewed: July 10, 1997
Article ID: Q112438
3.00 3.00a WINDOWS kbfile kbdisplay kbappnote

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.0, 3.0a

Microsoft has an Application Note, "WW0786: Customizing Windows 3.0 for Individuals with Disabilities.

Download WW0786.EXE, a self-extracting file, from the Microsoft Software Library (MSL) on the following services:

You can find WW0786.EXE, a self-extracting file, on the following services:

  • Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet 

          On the www.microsoft.com home page, click the Support icon.
      Click Knowledge Base, and select the product.
      Enter kbfile WW0786.EXE, and click GO!
      Open the article, and click the button to download the file.
  • Internet (anonymous FTP) 

          ftp ftp.microsoft.com
      Change to the Softlib/Mslfiles folder.
      Get WW0786.EXE
  • Microsoft Download Service (MSDL) 

          Dial (425) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL
      Download WW0786.EXE

For additional information about downloading, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online
               Services

THE TEXT OF WW0786

  Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
 WW0786: CUSTOMIZING WINDOWS(TM) 3.0 FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

                                                   Revision Date: 5/94
                                                      No Disk Included
The following information applies to Microsoft Windows, version 3.0. 

| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY     |
| ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an Application |
| Note) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER      |
| EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED      |
| WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR       |
| PURPOSE. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and    |
| the use of this Application Note. This Application Note may be      |
| copied and distributed subject to the following conditions:  1) All |
| text must be copied without modification and all pages must be      |
| included;  2) If software is included, all files on the disk(s)     |
| must be copied without modification (the MS-DOS(R)  utility         |
| diskcopy is appropriate for this purpose);  3) All components of    |
| this Application Note must be distributed together;  and  4) This   |
| Application Note may not be distributed for profit.                 |
|                                                                     |
| Copyright (C) 1993-1994 Microsoft Corporation.  All Rights          |
| Reserved.                                                           |
| BallPoint, Microsoft, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and      |
| Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                    |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|


         CUSTOMIZING WINDOWS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
         =====================================================
This Application Note provides information about the following products and services available for computer users with special needs:
  • Support services for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing
  • Access Pack for Microsoft Windows, a product that makes Windows more accessible for people with movement or hearing disabilities
  • Keyboard layouts designed for people who type with a single hand or wand
  • Microsoft Mouse driver version 9.0
  • Microsoft documentation on audio cassettes and floppy disks
  • Products available for individuals who are blind or have low vision
  • Customizing Windows without additional hardware or software
  • More information about products and services for people with disabilities 

        NOTE: The information in this Application Note applies to Windows
    users in the United States only. If you are outside the United
    States, your Windows package contains a subsidiary information card
    listing product support telephone numbers and addresses. Contact
    your subsidiary to find out whether the types of products and
    services described in this Application Note are available in your
    area.

    MICROSOFT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD-OF-HEARING =====================================================================

Through text telephone (TTY) services, Microsoft provides people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing with the same technical product support and customer service as hearing customers.

For sales information and nontechnical customer service, you can contact Microsoft Consumer Sales on a text telephone at (800) 892-5234 between 6:30 A.M. and 5:30 P.M. Pacific time. For technical assistance, you can contact Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) on a text telephone at (425) 635-4948 between 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. Pacific time. Microsoft support services are subject to Microsoft prices, terms, and conditions in place at the time the service is used. 

                   ACCESS PACK FOR MICROSOFT WINDOWS
                  ==================================
Microsoft distributes Access Pack for Microsoft Windows, which provides people who have movement or hearing disabilities with better access to computers running Windows. With Access Pack for Microsoft Windows, you can configure your Windows system to do the following:
  • Allow easier use of SHIFT, CTRL, and ALT key combinations for people who type with a single finger, a mouthstick, or a wand.
  • Ignore accidental key presses.
  • Adjust or disable the rate at which a character is repeated on the screen when you hold down a key.
  • Prevent extra characters if you unintentionally press a key more than once.
  • Allow you to use the keyboard to control the mouse cursor. 

        NOTE: If you use this feature with Microsoft Paintbrush, your
    system stops responding (hangs). To work around this problem, use
    Paintbrush keyboard commands. For more information, run Paintbrush
    and press F1--each specific task help topic has information on the
    keyboard equivalent for the mouse action.
  • Allow you to use an alternate input device to control the computer's keyboard and mouse.
  • Provide a visual cue when a computer makes sounds.
  • Enable you to turn off these services for people who do not need them.

Access Pack for Microsoft Windows, which was developed by the Trace R&D Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, is available on the Microsoft Windows Driver Library in the file ACCP.EXE.

The Microsoft Windows Driver Library (WDL) is available on online services. For more information about the WDL, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q135314
   TITLE     : Windows 95 Driver Library

   ARTICLE-ID: Q82006
   TITLE     : Windows Driver Library Information
The MSDL is available seven days a week from 2:30 A.M. to 1:00 A.M. at (425) 936-MSDL (936-6735). The modem settings are: 

   1200,n,8,1
   2400,n,8,1
   9600,n,8,1 (V.32, V.32bis, V.42, V.42bis)
   14,400,n,8,1 (V.32, V.32bis, V.42, V.42bis)

    NOTE: If you cannot connect with 14,400, lower the bits per second
    to 9600 and try again.
Customers who do not have a modem can obtain disks by calling PSS at (425) 637-7098 (voice telephone) or (425) 635-4948 (text telephone). 

           KEYBOARD LAYOUTS FOR SINGLE-HANDED COMPUTER USERS
           =================================================
Windows has built-in support for the two-handed Dvorak keyboard layout, which may be useful for preventing or coping with some types of repetitive motion injuries associated with typing. To use this layout, choose the International icon in Control Panel.

Two additional layouts are designed for people who type with the left hand only or with the right hand only. These layouts can also be useful for people who type with a single finger or a wand. Since these layout are not compatible with Windows 3.0, you need to update to a later version of Windows before installing them. The single-handed layouts are included with the PSS Application Note GA0650, "Dvorak Keyboard Layouts." If you have a modem, you can download GA0650 from the network services listed in the previous section. The filename is GA0650.ZIP, except on MSDL, where this Application Note is available in the self-extracting file GA0650.EXE.

Customers who do not have a modem can obtain GA0650 by calling Microsoft Consumer Sales at (800) 426-9400 (voice telephone) or (800) 892-5234 (text telephone). 

                  MICROSOFT MOUSE DRIVER VERSION 9.0
                  ==================================
If you have trouble seeing the mouse when you are moving it and you are using the Microsoft Mouse or the Microsoft BallPoint(R) Mouse, you can upgrade to version 9.0 of the Microsoft Mouse driver.

The optional utilities included with the 9.0 Microsoft Mouse driver offer the following features:

  • Larger pointer sizes--You can choose a small, medium, or large pointer size.
  • Larger I-beam pointer--The I-beam pointer is larger than the regular I-beam.
  • Pointer growth--You can make the pointer increase to the large pointer size when you begin to move the mouse.
  • Cursor color choice--You can choose a white, black, or transparent mouse pointer.
  • Snap-To--You can configure the mouse pointer to jump to the default button when a dialog box opens.
  • Locate--You can make the mouse pointer jump to the middle of the screen when you press a specified control key and mouse button.
  • Sensitivity--You can independently adjust the vertical and horizontal sensitivity. This can be useful for people whose control or range differs for vertical and horizontal movement.
  • Orientation--You can customize the mouse orientation. This can be useful for people who need or want to hold the mouse at a particular angle. 

        NOTE: Mouse driver version 9.0 and the optional utilities mentioned
    above are included with Microsoft Mouse version 2.0.

If you own a Microsoft Mouse, you can order the version 9.0 driver by calling Microsoft Consumer Sales at (800) 426-9400 (voice telephone) or (800) 892-5234 (text telephone). There is a charge for these drivers. 

           DOCUMENTATION ON AUDIO CASSETTES AND FLOPPY DISKS
           =================================================
People who cannot use printed documentation can obtain many of Microsoft's publications from Recording for the Blind, Inc. (RFB). RFB distributes these documents on audio cassettes and floppy disks to registered members of its distribution service. RFB's collection contains more than 80,000 titles, including Microsoft product documentation and books from Microsoft Press. You can contact Recording for the Blind at the following address and phone and fax numbers: 

   Recording for the Blind, Inc.
   20 Roszel Road
   Princeton, NJ  08540

   (800) 221-4792     Voice telephone
   (609) 987-8116     Fax


       PRODUCTS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE LOW VISION
      ==========================================================
If you are blind or have low vision, many products are available to help you use Windows. For persons with low vision, there are several screen-enlargement utilities. For blind individuals, there are screen readers that provide alternative output by synthesized voice or refreshable Braille displays. Screen readers for Windows 3.0 are not available. If you need this type of product to use Windows, you need to upgrade to Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups version 3.1.

For more information on the products available, see the "Getting More Information" section of this Application Note. For more information about customizing Windows for individuals with low vision, see the following section. 

    CUSTOMIZING WINDOWS 3.0 WITHOUT ADDITIONAL HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE
    ===============================================================
There are many ways you can adjust the appearance and behavior of Windows to suit varying eyesight and motor skills without any additional software or hardware. For example, by changing settings in your WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files, you can control screen colors, font sizes, and mouse behavior. You can change these settings in Control Panel or by directly modifying the files. The following sections describe how to identify which settings to modify to achieve the desired results and how to safely modify the WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, and other Windows initialization files.

Modifying Initialization Files

Windows initialization files (.INIs) contain information about your system environment. For example, the WIN.INI file contains settings about your Windows environment, and the SYSTEM.INI file contains settings that tell Windows about your system's hardware needs.

You can configure Windows and Windows-based applications to meet your needs and preferences by modifying the information stored in these files. For more information about WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI, refer to the WININI.TXT, WININI2.TXT, SYSINI.TXT, SYSINI2.TXT, and SYSINI3.TXT files located in your Windows directory. You can print or view these files from Microsoft Windows Notepad. 

   IMPORTANT: Errors made when editing initialization files can lead
   to undesirable results when you run Windows. Before changing any
   entry, make a backup copy of your original file. Also, some text
   editors can damage characters that have ANSI values greater than
   127. To avoid these problems, we recommend that you use Control
   Panel or Setup whenever possible to make changes. If you must edit
   the file, use a text editor such as Microsoft Windows Notepad,
   System Configuration Editor (SYSEDIT.EXE), or MS-DOS Editor.
To change .INI file entries with a text editor:

  1. Create a backup copy of the .INI file you want to edit. For example, run File Manager and copy WIN.INI to WIN.BAK.

  2. Open the .INI file with a text editor, such as Notepad.

  3. Edit the specific entries and save the file.

  4. Restart Windows so that the changes take effect.

The next four sections of this Application Note discuss the initialization file entries you can change to achieve the specific results you want. Many of the initialization file entries discussed below are not present in the WIN.INI file by default but you can easily add them with a text editor.

Changing Colors

  • If you have trouble differentiating the system colors, or if they cause eyestrain, you can adjust them in the Colors dialog box of Control Panel.
  • If the desktop pattern or wallpaper causes eyestrain, you can adjust them in the Desktop dialog box of Control Panel.
  • If you have trouble differentiating the colors used by Windows Help, you can adjust them by using the IFJumpColor, IFPopupColor, JumpColor, MacroColor, and PopupColor entries in the [Windows Help] section of the WIN.INI file. The syntax for these entries is 

          <entry>=red <value> green <value> blue <value>

    where the <value> is a number from 000 to 999, with 999 giving the highest intensity. You must include three digits for each value, and you must include each color value. You can experiment with this setting to create a color that works best for you. The following table lists some colors you can work with: 

       Setting          Resulting color


       000 000 999      Blue
   000 999 000      Green
   999 000 000      Red
   999 999 000      Yellow
   999 000 999      Magenta

Changing Fonts

  • If you have trouble reading the Windows system fonts (which are used to display window titles, menus, and dialog boxes), you can increase the font size using the FIXEDFON.FON, FONTS.FON, and OEMFONTS.FON entries in the [boot] section of the SYSTEM.INI file. However, you should replace the default fonts only with other system font files supplied with Windows. These fonts include 8514FIX.FON, 8514SYS.FON, and 8514OEM.FON.

    For example, if you are using a VGA video driver, your .FON files are probably set as follows: 

          fixedfon.fon=vgafix.fon
      fonts.fon=vgasys.fon
      oemfonts.fon=vgaoem.fon

    To increase the size of the system font, expand 8514FIX.FON, 8514SYS.FON, and 8514OEM.FON from the original Windows disks to your Windows program directory (usually C:\WINDOWS). For example, type the following command at the MS-DOS command prompt, and then press ENTER: 

          expand a:\8514fix.fon c:\windows\system\8514fix.fon

    Then, edit the [boot] section of your SYSTEM.INI file to read: 

          fixedfon.fon=8514FIX.FON
      fonts.fon=8514SYS.FON
      oemfonts.fon=8514OEM.FON


        WARNING: Do not use font files other than the system .FON fonts
    supplied with Windows.

    - If you have trouble reading small fonts used by some applications, you can restrict the fonts available to Windows-based applications by removing the fonts you do not want in the Fonts dialog box of Control Panel. You do not need to actually delete the font files. If you remove all the fonts, only the system fonts remain available to applications. 

        NOTE: You may also need to adjust the icon spacing in the Desktop
    dialog box of Control Panel and choose Arrange Icons from the
    Window menu in Program Manager to make all your icon titles
    visible.
  • If you have trouble locating the text-selection cursor (also known as the caret or insertion bar) in your applications, you can adjust the rate at which it flashes. To do this, choose the Desktop icon in Control Panel.

Changing Mouse Behavior

  • If you have difficulty controlling the Microsoft Mouse, you can adjust its speed in the Mouse dialog box of Control Panel.
  • If you have trouble positioning the mouse on window frames so that you can adjust the size of the windows, you can increase the window border width setting in the Desktop dialog box of Control Panel.

Changing Keyboard Behavior

  • If you have trouble using the keyboard because of the speed at which it repeats, you can adjust this setting in the Keyboard dialog box of Control Panel. (You can adjust keyboard settings even further using Access Pack for Microsoft Windows, which is described later on in this Application Note.)

    KeyboardSpeed establishes how much time elapses between repetitions of a character on the display when you hold down a keyboard key (the default is 31 milliseconds).

  • You can use Windows Recorder to automate common tasks. For more information about using Recorder, run Recorder and choose Contents from the Help menu to open Recorder Help.
  • You can use two methods to reduce the number of keystrokes required to switch between applications. You can use Task List to display a list of all applications currently running, or you can assign a shortcut key to each MS-DOS-based application (as long as Windows is running in 386 enhanced mode). Task List can be invoked by pressing CTRL+ESC, or by choosing Switch To from any application's Control menu. Application shortcut keys for MS-DOS-based applications can be assigned by creating a .PIF file for the application only when Windows 3.0 is running in 386 enhanced mode. For more information on Task List and shortcut keys, see the "Microsoft Windows User's Guide." 

                           GETTING MORE INFORMATION
                       ========================

Information from Microsoft

For more information on Microsoft products and services for people with disabilities, contact Microsoft Consumer Sales at one of the following numbers: 

   (800) 426-9400      Voice telephone
   (800) 892-5234      Text telephone
Third-Party Product Information

The Trace R&D Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison produces a book and a compact disc (CD) that describe products that help people with disabilities use computers. The book is titled "ResourceBook" and contains nearly 500 pages of descriptions and photographs of approximately 2,000 aids. The CD provides a database of more than 12,000 products and other information for people with disabilities. It is issued twice a year and is also available in many public libraries. You can contact the Trace R&D Center at the following address and phone and fax numbers: 

   Trace R&D Center
   S-151 Waisman Center
   1500 Highland Avenue
   Madison, WI  53705-2280

   (608) 263-2309      Voice telephone
   (608) 263-5408      Text telephone
   (608) 262-8848      Fax

Assistive Technology Programs

For general information and recommendations about how computers can help specific individuals, customers should consult a trained evaluator who can best match the individual's needs with the available solutions. An assistive technology program in your area can provide referrals to programs and services available to you. To locate the assistive technology program nearest you, contact the Center for Developmental Disabilities at the following address and phone and fax numbers: 

   National Information System
   Center for Developmental Disabilities
   University of South Carolina
   Benson Building
   Columbia, SC  29208

   (800) 922-9234,  Voice or text telephone, outside South Carolina
    extension 301
   (800) 922-1107   Voice or text telephone, in South Carolina
   (803) 777-6222   Voice or text telephone, outside the United States
   (803) 777-6058   Fax

KBCategory: kbfile kbdisplay kbappnote
KBSubcategory: wfw wfwg win30
Additional reference words: appnote 3.0 3.00 3.0a 3.00a appnote
Keywords : kbenable wfw wfwg win30 kbappnote kbdisplay kbfile
Version : 3.00 3.00a
Platform : WINDOWS

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Last reviewed: July 10, 1997
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.