You might not know it, but your Mac is filled with accessibility features to help make your device accessible if you have any disability. You can explore the Accessibility pane by going to the System Preferences app. Here, you will find the features organized under different domains like General, Motor, Hearing, and Vision. Unfortunately, some of the features are turned off by default, and you need to manually activate them by going to System Preferences > Accessibility.
Some of the accessibility features are mentioned below.
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader and one of the best Apple accessibility features. Most users are familiar with this feature, allowing people with low vision or blindness to navigate across their computers via voice prompts quickly.
When moving through the Dock, you can say Button, Mail, while your mouse cursor hovers over the mail icon.
The VoiceOver feature is fully customizable, and you can train it to understand specific words instantly. In addition, the talk and voice speeds can be varied according to your preference.
Keyboard
macOS offers features to ensure you are comfortable using your keyboard. For example, if you experience tremors or other impairments that may result in pressing the keyboard keys multiple times when you want to press them once, you can enable Slow Keys. Thanks to this option, the keys will register clicks after a certain length of time has passed. Learn more about Slow Keys by clicking https://setapp.com/how-to/slow-keys-on-mac.
The Sticky Keys option is also helpful for users who cannot hold modifier keys to perform shortcuts.
Zoom
Are you experiencing trouble reading text on your computer? Or do you want to see different parts of the display in greater detail? If so, you can use the Zoom function. This function magnifies the screen so you can see whatever is on your screen in greater detail. In addition, you can move around the screen and control the zoom.
You can use the trackpad on your system to zoom in on applications or gestures on the Magic Mouse. In addition, thanks to the zoom accessibility feature, you can magnify the entire screen.
Also, you can use keyboard shortcuts to zoom in or out on your Mac computer.
To enable shortcuts for accessibility zoom, go to System Preferences from your Applications folder or Dock > click Accessibility > click Zoom > select the box next to Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Zoom and enable the feature.
The shortcuts are Command + Option + = to zoom in, Command + Option + – to zoom out, and Command + Option + 8 to toggle zoom.
Select the box next to Use Scroll Gesture with Modifier Keys to Zoom, and you can choose Control, Option, or Command.
Moreover, you can change the zoom style. Go to System Preferences > Accessibility > Zoom > select split-screen, full-screen, or picture-in-picture.
Shortcut
Shortcut is an efficient feature that lets you use keyboard shortcuts. For example, you can press Option + Command + F5 to choose whichever accessibility feature you want. You can even create more than one shortcut.
Voice Control
Voice Control was introduced in macOS Catalina, enabling users to control their entire computer with their voice. You will be liberated from using your mouse or other traditional input methods. You can disable or enable specific verbal commands and even add specific vocabulary.
Invert colors
If you suffer from color blindness or have particular sensitivities, you can invert colors to have a seamless Mac experience.
Click the Apple menu to invert colors > System Preferences > Accessibility > Display > select the box next to invert colors. This will help you look at the screen without problems or discomfort.
Dictation
Do you have motor or mobility impairments? Are you suffering from repetitive stress injuries? Do you find it difficult to type on a keyboard? No matter what you are going through, Mac has the perfect solution.
Thanks to Dictation, you can talk instead of typing. The voice-to-text feature will transcribe what you say into words on the screen. This is one of the most-used accessibility features.
You can enable Dictation by clicking into a text area like the web browser’s address bar or a document > double-pressing the Fn key on your keyboard. You will see a microphone appearing on the screen, and if it receives audio, you will see activity inside it. Say the words you want the computer to type. You can also speak various symbols and punctuation you want to include in your text, such as percent signs, brackets, etc.
When you have finished dictating, click Done under the mic icon or press the Fn key. Moreover, you can change your Dictation language.
The Bottom Line
These are some Mac accessibility features that can help you get the most out of your computer. From dictating to having your device read to you, there’s nothing Macs cannot do to ensure you have the most superior user experience.
