ZoomText,
Step-by-Step
IU Adaptive Technology and Accessibility Centers
ZoomText Overview
What is ZoomText?
How to start, open a file, and exit
How to enable and disable ZoomText
ZoomText is a Screen Magnifier
It is powerful software designed for the visually impaired and consists of two main technologies
Screen magnification with the power of magnifications (1x 16x)
Screen reader speaks as you work
The primary users of ZoomText include students with visual impairments.
How to Start ZoomText
To open ZoomText, click on ZoomText icon on your desktop.
Opening Files with ZoomText
Under the Finders icon, click on the Desktop button
Select the location of your file
Click Open
Exiting ZoomText
Three ways to exit ZoomText
Press ALT key + F4
Select Exit from the File menu
Press ALT key + Delete key and then select Exit from the File menu
Enabling and Disabling ZoomText
When you open ZoomText, it automatically begins magnifying and reading your screen. You can enable and disable ZoomText at any time without exiting your program.
To disable, click on the ZoomText button or press ALT +DELETE
To enable, click on the ZoomText button or ALT + INSERT
ZoomText button
Using ZoomText
The ZoomText User Interface
Minimizing and Restoring ZoomText
To minimize ZoomText, press the Esc key or click on the minimize button on the ZoomText task bar.
To restore ZoomText, press ALT key + INSERT or CTRL +SHIFT + U on your keyboard
ZoomText Magnifier Power
On the main menu under magnifier, select Power
Choose the level of magnification that you desire
ZoomText Magnifier Shortcuts
Magnification Power
Press ALT + NUMPAD (+) to increase magnification power
Press ALT + NUMPAD () to decrease magnification
Type of ZoomText Windows
Click on the Type button on the main toolbar and ZoomText gives you five options for different windows
By choosing Settings, you can configure and personalize your window settings
Selecting ZoomText Windows
Press CRTL +Shift + Z several times to go through the different ZoomText Window Types
ZoomText Freeze Feature
The freeze feature allows you to view and observe information in one location while simultaneously working on information in another location
Under Type, set the zoom option to FULL
Set New under Freeze
The Freeze Tool becomes active
ZoomText Freeze Window
Move the mouse point to scroll the location freeze area into view Drag to select the freeze area
The freeze window appears with sizing on the screen
To size the window, drag any handle pull in or pull out
To remove freeze window Press CTRL + SHIFT + F
ZoomText Exercise 1
Under the magnifier increase the level of magnification to 16
Under Zoom Window type or settings, select Lens
ZoomText Color Enhancements
Color Enhancement improves the clarity of the text and graphics on your screen. The color enhancement options consist of a variety of filters.
To choose a preset color scheme, select Color Scheme on the Magnifier toolbar and select the desired color scheme
ZoomText Custom Color Setting
On the Magnifier menu, choose Color Enhancements, select Custom, adjust the custom settings as desired, then click the OK .
ZoomText Pointer Enhancements
Sometimes, the background of the screen size and color of the pointer make it easy for you to see the location of the mouse pointer on the screen
You can select the settings for the mouse pointer under the Enhancements toolbar.
ZoomText Exercise 2
Click on the Enhancements section of the magnifier toolbar and select the pointer color and cursor icon.
Screen Reading with ZoomText
Screen Reading Features
What is Echo?
What are Reading tools?
What is the Speak It tool?
How to enable and disable speech?
Web finders
ZoomText Echo
The Echo setting allows you to control how ZoomText speaks text as you type. Under Reader select Typing. ZoomText gives you five options such as Keys, Echo, or No Echo.
Click settings to Customize.
ZoomText Programs Echo
Programs echo determines in ZoomText which items are spoken as you navigate such as Window titles, menus, dialog boxes, and so on.
In the Reader menu, choose Program Echo
Adjust the program echo options as desired
Click the OK button
ZoomText AppReader
App Reader
Open the document, web page, or email that you wish to read
On the Reader toolbar select App Rdr. App Reader begins reading from the current text cursor position
To stop and start automatic reading press ENTER or click the mouse
ZoomText DocReader
Doc Reader
Doc Reader can read documents, web pages and email in a special environment like a black background with white text for easier reading. It can automatically read an entire document by word, by line, sentence, or paragraph.
Open the document you wish to read
On ZoomText's Reader toolbar, select DOC Rdr
ZoomText SpeakIt
Speak It
The Speak It tool allows you to read selected area of the screen by clicking or dragging with the mouse or by pointing the mouse on each word.
Text that appears on graphical images cannot be spoken.
To exit the Speak It tool, right-click or press ESC.
Enabling and Disabling Speech in ZoomText
By unselecting Enable Speech output in the Speech dialog box you can turn off the speech voice
ZoomText also gives you options to select different voices, rate, pitch, and volume adjustment
To review all these options go under the reader menu, and select speech, then under speech select synthesizer
ZoomText Web Finders
Internet Explorer must be open before and during the time you try the Web Finder
Browse to a page with links
Leaving the Browser open, switch to the ZoomText User Interface and start the Web Finder
Remember ZoomText is not a web browser; it reads other applications.