Windows 7: The most accessible Windows yet?

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Meanwhile, Windows 7's new focus on backwards compatibility is another bonus, particularly the introduction of the Windows XP mode. This ensures that the full range of existing AT hardware and applications should still work in the new OS.“ Those sorts of thing are quite important to disabled users,” says AbilityNet's David Banes.

“If they have a third-party solution they've been using, they're always very anxious about upgrading to a new operating system in case they lose that feature. If you take away something that someone is familiar and confident with - particularly if it makes it difficult for them to their job - it causes a high level of anxiety.”

For Banes, Windows 7's native support for touch control is equally important. The standard keyboard and mouse interface, which most of us accept as standard, can be a real barrier to people who have physical disabilities, have learning difficulties, or simply have no previous experience with computers.

A touchscreen interface can remove that barrier. “The fact that what you see is what you touch is what you do is actually much, much easier for them to understand and use,” he said.

There are some areas where Windows 7 certainly could do better. Another BCAB member, Chris Hallsworth, applauds Microsoft's efforts to improve accessibility, particularly small touches like the fact that Narrator can more easily be configured to speak at startup.

Yet at the same time, Narrator's inability to speak most webpages in Internet Explorer or other browsers means he's forced to stick with third-party software.

Other users find Narrator's unstructured gush of speech - covering every area and clickable item on the page - confusing, and the voice it uses unnatural, or even incomprehensible. Third-party products, like Freedom Scientific's JAWS, still offer more natural sounding speech and a selection of voices, while also working with Braille displays, which convert the text into Braile characters that the use can feel.

“I think Narrator still needs work,” said Banes. “But what Microsoft has done is put funding into the open-source screen reader, NVDA” - a free, downloadable open-source screen reader supported and funded by, amongst others, Microsoft, Adobe, Mozilla and Yahoo. NVDA can handle a greater range of web content, with plans to expand its scope to Adobe's Flash format as well.

Unquestionably, Microsoft has work to do if it wants to make Windows accessible to everyone, straight from the box, and, for now at least, third party specialists have plenty of opportunity to offer a better experience.

However, Redmond is, at least, getting part of the way there. Arguably, the very fact that such solid accessibility features are built into the core OS is a good thing in itself.

“It will give people confidence that assistive technology actually can help them, and that those applications and customisation will work for them,” added Banes, hoping that this will go beyond just those people who would normally consider themselves as having disabilities.

“Everyone should be customising their desktop to meet their own needs,” he says.

Next time you find yourself squinting at your high-resolution screen, give that some thought.

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