Most operating systems are already equipped with several features that can make your screen easier to see and read. These features are included in your operating system at no additional cost. Click here for instructions on how to adjust your computer to address visual challenges.

Screen magnifiers work like a magnifying glass for the computer by enlarging a portion of the screen which can increase legibility and make it easier to see items on the computer. Click here for a list of screen magnification products.

Screen readers are used to verbalize, or "speak," everything on the screen including text, graphics, control buttons, and menus into a computerized voice that is spoken aloud. Click here for a list of screen readers.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras are used to take a picture of printed material, handwritten information, diagrams, and other "hard" copies and display the information on a screen. Click here for a list of hand-held magnification products.

Scanners can convert typewritten material into computer images. Once material has been scanned, it can be manipulated for screen magnification, read by a screen reader, or even prepared for Braille production. Refreshable Braille displays take information from the computer screen and mechanically lift small rounded plastic or metal pins as needed to form Braille characters. The user reads the Braille letters with his or her fingers, and then, after a line is read, can refresh the display to read the next line. Click here for a list of vision hardware.

The following organizations specialize in visual challenges and can provide further assistance and information:

• American Foundation of the Blind
  
• Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind
  
• National Federation of the Blind
  
• John Hopkins University Wilmot Eye Center
  
• Lighthouse International