Accessibility Features of the iPad
This document is a summary of the different accessibility features available on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and the basics of their use.
Created by Shawn Whyte, Technology Youth Intern at the Stony Plain Public Library
January 2013.
For more information consult the iPod Touch user guide and the iPad user guide.
Information contained within is taken from the above-mentioned user guides, and can be adapted to suit the needs of any organization.
Table of Contents:
I. General
A. Turning on Accessibility Features using iPad
B. Turning on Accessibility Features using iTunes
II. Triple Click Home
III. Vision
A. Voiceover
B. Wireless Braille Displays
C. Zoom
D. Large Text
E. Minimum Font Size for Mail Messages
F. White on Black/Invert Colours
G. Speak Selection
H. Audible Alerts
IV. Hearing
A. Closed Captions
B. Mono Audio
C. Visual Alerts
V. Physical and Motor Skills
A. Assistive Touch
B. External Keyboards
VI. Learning
A. Guided Access
1. General – Turning on Features
A. Turn on accessibility features using iPad: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility.
B. OR: Turn on accessibility features using iTunes: Connect iPad to your computer
and select iPad in the iTunes device list. Click Summary, then click Configure
Universal Access at the bottom of the Summary screen.
II. Triple-click Home (iOS 6)
For accessibility features that you want to turn off and on easily
Triple-click Home lets you turn some Accessibility features on or off anywhere by pressing the Home button quickly three times. You can use Triple-click Home for these features: VoiceOver, Invert Colours, Zoom, AssistiveTouch, Guided Access
(Triple-click Home starts Guided Access if it’s turned on. See Guided Access) any and all of these may be set simultaneously in which case it will ask which of the available choices you want:
a. To set the Triple-click Home function: Go to Settings > General >
Accessibility > Triple-click Home.
If you select more than one, you’re asked which one you want to control whenever you triple- click the Home button.
b. Set the click speed: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Home-click
Speed.
c. Triple-click Home on (1st Gen) iPad
You can set Triple-click Home to turn VoiceOver on or off, turn White on
Black on or off, turn touch on or off, or bring up a menu [1stGenMenu] to:
-Turn VoiceOver on or off
-Turn White on Black on or off
-Turn Zoom on or off
-Turn AssistiveTouch on or off
III. Vision
http://help.apple.com/ipad/5/voiceover/en/ for HTML Manual Compatible with Voiceover
A. Voiceover
For those unable to read the screen
“Important: VoiceOver completely changes the gestures used to control iPod touch. Once VoiceOver is turned on, you have to use VoiceOver gestures to operate iPad—even to turn VoiceOver off again.”
You can use VoiceOver and Zoom at the same time. for more information see http://help.apple.com/ipad/5/voiceover/en/iPad74ec1a8b.
html or iPod touch users guide Pg. 113-121
1.
To turn VoiceOver on: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver.
2.
To practice VoiceOver gestures: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility >
VoiceOver, then tap VoiceOver Practice. When you finish practicing, tap Done.
If you don’t see the VoiceOver Practice button, make sure VoiceOver is turned on.
3.
To adjust the speaking voice:
You can adjust the characteristics of the speaking voice to make it easier to understand:
a. To change the speaking volume: Use the volume buttons on iPod touch.
You can also add volume to the rotor and swipe up and down to adjust
b. To change the speaking rate: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility >
VoiceOver and drag the Speaking Rate slider.
You can also add Speech Rate to the rotor, then swipe up or down to adjust
c. To use pitch change: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver >
Use Pitch Change.
VoiceOver uses a higher pitch when speaking the first item of a group (such as a list or table) and a lower pitch when speaking the last item of a group.
d. To change the language for iPad/iPod touch: Go to Settings > General >
International > Language.
VoiceOver pronunciation of some languages is affected by Settings > General >
International > Region Format.
e. To change pronunciation: Set the rotor to Language, then swipe up or
down. Language is available in the rotor only if you select more than one pronunciation.
f.
To select the pronunciations available in the language rotor: Go to
Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Language Rotor. Drag up or down to change the position of a language in the list.
g. To change the basic reading voice: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility >
VoiceOver > Use Compact Voice.
4.
Rotor
Use the rotor to choose what happens when you flick up or down with VoiceOver
turned on.
The available rotor positions and their effects are context dependant.
a. Operate the rotor: Rotate two fingers on the iPod touch screen around a
point between them.
b. Change the options included in the rotor: Go to Settings > General >
Accessibility > VoiceOver > Rotor and select the options you want to be available using the rotor.
B. Wireless Braille displays
iPad includes built-in support for refreshable Braille displays that use Bluetooth. Braille displays with input keys and other controls can be used to control iPad when VoiceOver is turned on. A list of supported displays is at www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone/braille-display.html
.
For information about common braille commands for VoiceOver navigation and information specific to certain displays, go to www.support.apple.com/kb/HT4400 .
1.
Set up a braille display: Turn on the display, then go to Settings > General >
Bluetooth and turn on Bluetooth. Then go to Settings > General > Accessibility >
VoiceOver > Braille and choose the display.
2.
Turn contracted or eight-dot braille on or off: Go to Settings > General >
Accessibility > VoiceOver > Braille.
3.
The braille display uses the language that’s set for Voice Control. This is normally the language set for iPod touch in Settings > International >
Language. You can use the VoiceOver language setting to set a different language for VoiceOver and braille displays.
a. Set the language for VoiceOver: Go to Settings > General > International >
Voice Control, then choose the language.
If you change the language for iPad, you may need to reset the language for
VoiceOver and your braille display.
4. Set the leftmost or rightmost cell to display status information: Go to Settings >
General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Braille > Status Cell, and tap Left or
Right.
Information provided includes:
- Announcement History contains an unread message
- The current Announcement History message hasn’t been read
- VoiceOver speech is muted
- The iPod touch battery is low (less than 20% charge)
- iPod touch is in landscape orientation
- The screen display is turned off
- The current line contains additional text to the left
- The current line contains additional text to the right
a. To see an expanded description of the status cell: On your braille display,
press the status cell’s router button.
C. Zoom
Useful for those who need to magnify the screen
The Zoom accessibility feature lets you magnify the entire screen of any app you’re using. you can use Zoom together with VoiceOver.
While using Zoom with an Apple Wireless Keyboard (see Apple Wireless Keyboard on page 24), the screen image follows the insertion point, keeping it in the center of the display.
1.
To turn Zoom on or off: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Zoom.
Or use Triple-click Home.
D. Large Text
Large Text lets you increase the text size in alerts, and in Calendar,
Contacts, Mail, Messages, and Notes.
1.
to set the text size: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Large Text.
Large Text can only be turned on or off in iPod touch settings.
E. Minimum font size for mail messages
To increase readability, set the minimum font size for Mail message text to Large, Extra
Large, or Giant..
The Large Text setting overrides this minimum font size.
1. To set the minimum mail message font size: Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts,
Calendars > Minimum Font Size
F. White on Black/Invert Colours
Helps with reading for certain conditions.
1.
Invert the screen’s colours: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Invert
Colours.
G. Speak Selection
Even with VoiceOver turned off, you can have your iPod touch read aloud any text you can select.
1.
To turn on Speak Selection: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speak
Selection.
There you can also adjust the speaking rate and choose to have individual words highlighted as they’re read
2. Have text read to you: Select the text, then tap Speak.
H. Audible Alerts
iPad lets you activate audio alerts for incoming and outgoing mail and calendar event requests. iPad also offers an audio option for confirming keyboard actions.
1.
To set alerts,other tones , keyboard clicks and a sound for when iPod touch locks. : Go to Settings > Sounds.
You can also set Alert Volume.
III. Hearing
A. Closed Caption
iPad supports open captions, closed captions, and subtitling, captions appear onscreen as with a TV. “Note: Not all video content includes closed captions, you can create your own movies with captions using outside applications & tools, e.g. Compressor”
1.
Turn on closed captioning for videos: Go to Settings > Videos > Closed
Captioning.
B. Mono Audio
Useful for partial hearing loss
iPad can route both right- and left-channel audio source material into both earbuds, enabling users with hearing loss in one ear to hear both channels in each ear. You can also adjust the volume balance between the left and right channels.
1.
Turn Mono Audio on or off and adjust the balance: Go to Settings > General >
Accessibility > Mono Audio.
C. Visual Alerts
Apps such as Mail and the App Store also display visual badges indicating the number of unread messages and updates available.
1. To manage alerts for your apps: Go to Settings > Notifications.
IV. Physical & Motor Skills
A. AssistiveTouch
This feature helps you use iPad/iPod touch if you have difficulty touching the screen or pressing the buttons. You can use AssistiveTouch with or without a compatible accessories (e.g. a joystick) to control the iPod touch/iPad. It allows users to replicate gestures such as pinch and swipe using just one finger or a stylus. Other actions can also be added, such as adjusting the volume, touching the home button, and shaking the device.
1. To turn on
AssistiveTouch: Go to Settings >
General > Accessibility >
AssistiveTouch.
You can set Triple-click Home to turn AssistiveTouch on or off.
2.
To adjust the tracking speed of an attached accessory: Go to Settings >
General > Accessibility >
AssistiveTouch > Touch speed.
3.
To show or hide the AssistiveTouch menu: Click the secondary button on your accessory. Move the small white dot (the menu button): Drag it to any location on the screen.
4.
To hide the menu button (only if you have an attached accessory): Go to
Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch > Always Show Menu.
5.
To perform a swipe or drag that uses 2, 3, 4, or 5 fingers: Tap the menu button, tap Device > More > Gestures, and then tap the number of digits needed for the gesture. When the corresponding circles appear on the screen you can the perform the gesture with one finger. once finished tap the menu button to end.
6.
To perform a pinch gesture: Tap the menu button, tap Favourites, and then tap Pinch. When the pinch circles appear, touch anywhere on the screen to move the pinch circles, then drag the pinch circles in or out to perform a pinch gesture. When you finish, tap the menu button.
7.
Creating your own gesture: Tap the menu button, tap Favourites, and then tap an empty gesture placeholder. Or, go to Settings > General > Accessibility >
AssistiveTouch > Create New Gesture.
8.
To use a created gesture: Tap the menu button, tap Favourites, tap the desired gesture, then place the circle at the location you want the gesture performed.
9.
To delete a custom gesture go to Settings > General > Accessibility >
AssistiveTouch, flick to the left over selected gesture, then tap delete
10. To lock or rotate the screen, adjust the volume, or simulate shaking the device:
Tap the menu button, then tap Device.
11. To simulate pressing the Home button: Tap the menu button, then tap Home.
12. To exit a menu without performing a gesture: Tap anywhere outside the menu
B. External Keyboards
“Supported keyboards include the Apple Wireless Keyboard and most other
Bluetooth wireless keyboards that use the Apple keyboard layout, other
Bluetooth keyboards may work too (some unique or specialized keys may not be supported or work as expected)”
1.
Pairing a Bluetooth device with iPod touch:
a. Make the device discoverable.
See the documentation that came with the device. For an Apple Wireless
Keyboard, press the power button.
b. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn Bluetooth on.
c. Select the device and, if prompted, enter the passkey or PIN.
See the instructions about the passkey or PIN that came with the device.
2.
Switch the language when using a wireless keyboard: Press Command–Space bar to display a list of available languages. Press the Space bar again while holding down the Command key to choose a different language.
3.
Turn off a wireless keyboard: Hold down the power button on the keyboard until the green light goes off.
iPod touch disconnects the keyboard when the keyboard is turned off or out of range.
4. Unpairing a wireless keyboard: Go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap next to the keyboard name, then tap “Forget this Device.”
V. Learning
A. Guided Access
Useful for restricting access to a specific app or disabling the hardware buttons and certain parts of the screen
1. To use Guided Access: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided
Access
Triple-click Home to turn on in app you want to lock
2.
To set the Passcode: Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access > Set
Passcode
A passcode is required to turn off guided access.
