Adjusting your colour scheme and accessibility options within Desktop@UCL & Windows 7

This guide will show you how to adjust various display options in Windows XP to improve your viewing experience.
This guide is aimed at...
- Staff
- Students
- Visitors
- IT Administrators
- SLMS staff
- Researchers
Before you start...
- A computer running Windows 7 or Desktop @ UCL windows desktop
Instructions
Colour Schemes
Place your cursor on a blank area of your computer desktop and click the right mouse button. A menu list will appear. Click on Personalize and a box will appear.
If you scroll down the My Themes you will come to Basic and High Contrast Themes which are useful styles settings for those with a visual impairment.

Figure 1 - Windows theme selection screen
If you then click on the icon Window Color and then on the Advanced appearance settings at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 2 - Color scheme selection screen
In the following box if you click on the Item drop down bar you are then able to choose a colour scheme for each by clicking on the Color 1 option and then the Other button you can then select either from the Basic Colors colour palette or you can create your own custom colour using the colour area to the right of it and saving it into the Add custom colors box then click ok and apply. Do this with each area you need to change. For example, ‘Window’ or Application Background.
Tip: Apply each one separately to know that they are changing as you want them.

Figure 3 - Window Color and Appearance screen

Figure 4 - Colour selection screen
Ease of Access Center – Accessibility Tools
Go to the Personalization settings (Figure 1) and click on Ease of Access Center’

Figure 5 - Ease of access center
Here you have a range of tools to use including, Magnifier, the screen reader Narrator, On Screen Keyboard and Adjust settings for keyboard. All these different tools will enable the user with a disability an easier way to work with their PC. All settings changed and saved will be there each time you log on after.
Help & Support
For further help and assistance you can contact the Disability IT Support Analyst
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