The Java Desktop System contains the following applications to enable users with a physical disability to use the desktop:
On-Screen Keyboard
Screen Reader and Magnifier
The desktop applications and utilities in the Java Desktop System are also designed with accessibility and usability in mind. However, there are some exceptions where the default applications are not suitable for users with special needs. In these situations, you must change the default application to an application that is suitable for all users, as described in the following sections:
Before you can use the On-Screen Keyboard
and Screen Reader and Magnifier
on Solaris systems,
you must follow the steps outlined in A.3 Enabling XKB on Solaris Systems of this
guide.
The On-Screen Keyboard
application displays virtual keyboards on your desktop. You can use the standard
mouse pointer or alternative pointing device to operate the virtual keyboards. On-Screen Keyboard
displays the following types of keyboards:
Compose keyboards that enable you to compose text. To type alphanumeric characters, you select the characters on the compose keyboard.
Dynamic keyboards that On-Screen Keyboard
generates to reflect the applications that are currently running on the desktop.
For example, On-Screen Keyboard
generates keyboards
that contain keys to represent the applications that are running on your desktop
or the menus that are contained in an application.
To start On-Screen Keyboard
, click Launch, then choose Applications -> Accessibility -> On-Screen
Keyboard. For more information about the On-Screen Keyboard
application, see the online Help for On-Screen Keyboard
.
If you are an On-Screen Keyboard
user, you cannot use any application in Full Screen mode because the application
window obscures the On-Screen Keyboard
display.
To resize the window for use with the On-Screen Keyboard
application, perform the following steps:
Do not enable the Full Screen mode in the application.
Give focus to the application window.
Press F10 to maximize the application.
The Screen Reader
and Magnifier
application enables users with limited vision,
or no vision, to use the Java
Desktop System and associated applications. Screen Reader
and Magnifier
provides the following functionality:
Screen reader
The screen reader enables non-visual access to standard applications in the Java Desktop System, using speech and Braille output.
Magnifier
The magnifier provides automated focus tracking and fullscreen magnification to aid low-vision users.
To start Screen Reader and Magnifier
, click Launch, then choose Applications -> Accessibility -> Screen
Reader and Magnifier. For more information about
the application, see the online Help for Screen Reader and Magnifier
.
Before you use On-Screen
Keyboard
or Screen Reader and Magnifier
,
you must disable the screensaver. To disable the screensaver, perform the
following steps:
Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> Desktop Preferences -> Display -> Screensaver.
In the Display Modes tabbed section, deselect the Lock Screen After check box.
In the Mode drop-down list, select Disable Screen Saver.
Choose File -> Restart Daemon.
Choose File -> Quit to close the Screensaver Preferences dialog.
The default online Help application for the Java Desktop System might not be suitable for some accessibility users. To change the default Help application for the Java Desktop System to an alternative Help application, perform the following steps:
Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> Desktop Preferences -> File Associations.
Click on the arrow next to Internet Services.
Select the Gnome documentation entry.
Click Edit.
Replace the contents of the Program field with the following command:
gnome-help "%s"
Click OK.
Click Close.
The default Portable Document Format (PDF) viewer application for the Java Desktop System might not be suitable for some accessibility users. To change the default PDF viewer application for the Java Desktop System to another PDF viewer application, which might provide a slight improvement for accessibility users, perform the following steps:
Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> Desktop Preferences -> File Associations.
Click on the arrow next to Documents.
Click on the arrow next to Published Materials.
Select the PDF document entry.
Click Edit.
Enter the following command in the Program to run field:
/usr/bin/gpdf
Click OK.
Click Close.