How to improve the visibility of the insertion point or caret

[John Butler]

Hello all visually impaired users
I have an elderly customer who manages to write documents well in a medium
sized font. Her problem is that she finds it difficult to distinguish the
blinking insertion point from the text. On her system even if I increase the
font size the caret remains a very narrow line.

What is the best was to help her?

John

 

[Rae Drysdale]

How about changing the font colour? That way there is a contrast between the
font and the insertion point.

 

[John Butler]

Rae
Thanks
I have done that but the caret is still very small and so not easy for
disadvantaged eyes to see. She does find it but it is difficult and slow for
her.

John

 

[Rae Drysdale]

Have you looked at the accessibility options in the Control Panel. There is
an option to change the width and blink speed of the cursor. There's also a
wizard that you can answer questions to, and an onscreen magnifier that you
might find useful.

 

[Aalaan]

A very simple solution if you have a mouse wheel is to hold down CTRL and
use the mouse wheel to magnify the Word screen.

 

[John Butler]

Aalan

Thanks unfortunately the lady is mainly concerned with email and as she is
handicapped she has a "big trackball" which has no wheel

Accessibility solutions mentioned by Rae to do help as they affect the
cursor\mouse whereas the caret is the insertion point for the keyboard and
still there if there is no mouse present.

John

 

[Graham Mayor]

As indicated in your other thread on the same subject - this is the *cursor*
and nothing to do with the mouse. Its width and blink rate can be adjusted
from the Windows Accessibilty Options - try the Display tab!

Please do not multi-post. If you wish to post to more than one newsgroup,
then put all the groups in the same 'send-to' line separated by commas. This
links the messages and minimizes duplication of effort by those who respond
to questions.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[John Butler]

Graham

I will have another look at the accessibility settings and reply to you.
What is the other thread?
John

 

[John Butler]

Graham
I do not find anything that affects the size or visibility of the blinking
caret. Increasing the fonst size makes an a hardly discernible change,
changing the font colour makes a minimal differnce between text and caret.
I do not see any thing in the dispaly settings.

 

[Graham Mayor]

The other thread is in the docmanagement forum where you asked an identical
question - or is there another John having problems with terminology and an
identical issue?

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Graham Mayor]

Windows > Control Panel > Accessibility Options > Display > Cursor Options >
Width!

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[John Butler]

Graham

That is very helpful but I that tab is not present on the handicapped
customer's system which is a three year old notebook using XP Pro +SP2.
I do find it on my control system whcih is state of the art.
John

 

[John Butler]

Must be an evil twin using Microsoft help! I will look for the doc
management using Outlook Express which is my normal way of accessing news
Groups Just in case I have a problem finding it could you give the full news
group address.
John

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

microsoft.public.word.docmanagement

 

[John Butler]

Suzanne

Thanks. I have got it. I will use that group.

John

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Are you referring to the Display tab or are you looking for a Cursor Options
tab? The Cursor Options are on the Display tab.

On one notebook that I have that is older than that, the Display tab is
there with the Cursor Options settings on it.

Given your insistence of referring to the cursor as a caret are you sure you
weren't looking for a caret?<g>

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[John Butler]

Doug,

I have switched this thread to eord.documanagement