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Access DOS: Computing accommodations for people with disabilities

By Don Montabana

Nearly everything in our environment, from the chairs we sit in to the tables we sit at to the cars we drive, has been designed with the "average" user in mind. In fact, sets of specifications exist that claim to describe the "standard" man and woman both in terms of anatomy and ability. These same metrics have, in turn, influenced computer design by specifying what the user should be able to do. Some individuals, however, have reduced or limited capabilities, and interacting with a computer through its most common input devices, the keyboard and the mouse, requires special accommodations.

A suite of programs developed at the University of Wisconsin cleanly addresses the most routine of the problems that computer users with disabilities face. Known collectively as AccessDOS, these programs allow users to operate the keyboard and mouse in a slightly different way. AccessDOS is an extension of the DOS operating system that resides in memory, allowing access to its alternate functions anytime the computer is in use.

If you are interested in using AccessDOS, you can obtain a copy free of charge, courtesy of IBM Corporation, from PC Books and Promotions, 800/426-7282. AccessDOS is not supported by the Computing Resource Center; support on an "as-can" basis is offered by the Trace Center at the University of Wisconsin, 608/263-2237.

AccessDOS functions

• StickyKeys permits keystroke combinations, such as the <Shift-1> combination that produces an exclamation mark (!), to be entered sequentially rather than simultaneously. Different sounds may be assigned to signal the activation and deactivation of the StickyKeys function.
• MouseKeys enables the numeric keypad on the keyboard to replace the mouse as an input device. Once MouseKeys is activated, you can use the numeric keypad to control all of the normal mouse functions (moving left, right, diagonally; single and double-clicking; etc.).
• ToggleKeys uses different sounds to indicate when the Caps, Num, or Scroll Lock keys are turned on or off.
• RepeatKeys allows adjustment of the time interval at which held- down keys repeat. Most keyboards automatically repeat a keystroke if the key is held down longer than a certain period of time.
• SlowKeys allows adjustment of the length of time a key must be pressed before it is seen as a keystroke. This is useful in cases where individuals may accidentally bump keys while using the keyboard. *
• BounceKeys prevents double characters from being processed when the same key is accidentally pressed twice in quick succession. Successive key-presses must be separated by a specified amount of time.
• ShowSounds provides visual cues to replace or supplement the beeps and other sounds the computer uses to signal the user. If the visual cues are too subtle, the screen can be set to briefly flash off and on.
• TimeOut automatically deactivates AccessDOS after the keyboard or mouse has not been used for a specified period of time. This feature would be useful in a laboratory situation where a computer might also be used by people who do not need AccessDOS functions.
• SerialKeys allows the use of a special input device (not included) to perform the functions otherwise performed by the keyboard and mouse.

AccessDOS requirements