Digital advice

Technology can seem daunting but there are lots of resources available to help get you started.

Making Computers, tablets and smartphones more accessible

Many people aren’t aware, but all computers, tablets and smartphones have built in settings allowing you to make them more accessible without needing any additional software or hardware. 

These settings are a great, free way to test out accessibility to see what works for people. 

For example, if you have limited vision you might benefit from having the computer screen read out loud to you. Rather than buying an expensive screen reader, there are settings which do this for you. Trying out these settings lets you test a solution before buying any software — and you never know — it might even be enough!

Useful resources

There are a number of websites out there dedicated to computer accessibility, and all are a great place to start when considering what changes you can make to make a computer easier to use.

 

Most of these sites are divided up based on disability and will ask about the disability before making suggestions for changes you can make.

eAccessibility Wales - An online directory for software, hardware and computer settings to make your computer easier to use.

My Computer My Way – MCMW is another useful resource for accessibility features and accessible hardware and software.

BBC My Web My Way  - BBC My Web My Way has a great set of how-to guides on making computers more accessible.