The following sections may provide helpful tips for using visual aids with the AOL service:

Keyboard shortcuts
Screen readers
Screen magnifiers

Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can speed up navigation. See a list of all keyboard shortcuts.

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Screen readers

We continue to strive to improve the performance of the service with screen reader software. For information on how to use recent versions of the software in conjunction with a screen reader, see: Using screen readers.

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Screen magnifiers and tips for members with low vision

The rest of this page provides tips specifically to help users of assistive technology that enlarges icons and text. The following information will help make the service easier to read.

The four options below include tips on how to enlarge the text for your favourite product features, including email, Instant Messages and chat.

• Microsoft Accessibility Wizard
• Set your font preferences
• Set your text preferences
• Use the text styling toolbar

Microsoft Accessibility Wizard
Use the Microsoft Accessibility Wizard to select font sizes and other settings.
The Microsoft Accessibility Wizard allows you to change many features within your computer and the service to help you see or read the screen easier. For example, you could:

• Reset your 'screen resolution' so that everything on your computer is bigger.
• Open the Microsoft Magnifier, which will let you select a particular item on an online area or the internet that you want to get a closer look at
• Make the scroll bar on your email and internet larger so it is easier to move up and down the page.

Follow these four steps to reach the Accessibility Wizard:

1. Go to the Windows Start button or press Ctrl + Esc.
   
2. Click on Programs (Windows XP users should select All Programs) and select Accessories.
   
3. Click Accessibility and navigate to Accessibility Wizard.
4. Complete the Accessibility Wizard based on your personal needs.

Set your font preferences
You can choose the sizes for text in email, Instant Messages and chat ranging from as small as 8 point to as large as 72 point. This will make it easier for you and others to see what you type. See examples of text sizes:

Write your email, instant messages and chat in 8 point text

Write your email, Instant Messages and chat in 10 point text

Write your email, Instant Messages and chat in 16 point text

You can also choose different fonts, for example: Arial, Times New Roman or Tahoma.

Follow these steps to make your text size bigger in email, Instant Messages and chat:

1. Sign on and select Settings from the toolbar
2. On Version 9.0, click Font & Text Settings.
   On older versions, click Font, Text & Graphics.
3. Under the Font Preferences heading, select your preferred font, text size and colour for writing email, Instant Messages and chat.
4. Under the Text Preferences heading, select your preferred size for viewing text from other people: Small, Medium or Large.
5. Click Save.

Tip: By setting your text size, you will more easily be able to read what you write, and people to whom you write will receive your messages in the text size you selected. However, it will not control the text sizes of messages you receive. Instead, you can enlarge the text of an email you receive as follows:

1. Open the email.
2. Select Ctrl + A to select all the text in the email.
3. Select Ctrl + C to copy all the text.
4. Select Ctrl + N to create a new window.
5. Select Ctrl + V to paste the email text into the new window.

Set your text preferences

You can make text bigger on certain screens that display content and information (for example, news headlines) as follows:

1. Sign on and select Settings from the toolbar.
2. On Version 9.0, click Font & Text Settings.
   On older versions, click Font, Text & Graphics.
   
3. Under the Text Preferences heading, select Small, Medium or Large.

Use the text styling toolbar

The text styling toolbar is located in three places: the email message screen, the Instant Message screen and the chat screen. In each case, it is found just above the box where you type your message. This toolbar contains a number of formatting features that you can use to make your comments more legible to yourself and to others. Some of the available formatting features are: font, bold, underline, left align, centre, colour of text, background colour, insert hyperlink and stationery.

Tip: Use the following keyboard shortcuts for accessing the text styling toolbar while in the text box (the area in which you type your email message, Instant Message or chat message):

Ctrl + B = Bold
Ctrl + T = Italics
Ctrl + U = Underline

The formatting features for bold, italics and underline are the only features with keyboard shortcuts; all other features must be activated using your mouse. Or, if you have a 'right mouse click' key on your keyboard, you can use that to activate the menu which allows you to use many of these options. Tip: The changes you make using the toolbar will apply only to that message. If you want to make the same text styling changes permanently every time you use email, Instant Messages or chat, follow the instructions above in Set your font preferences.

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