“…colour is the result of a number of processes and interactions – some of them natural, some technological and others historical or cultural.” (TASI) For those with colour blindness or colour deficiencies difficulties can arise when trying to distinguish between certain colours so controls or different buttons in applications with similar shapes can cause problems. It is important to know how to change colours, test for colour combinations and generally be aware of the issues that can arise.
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Colour changes in Windows
This can be achieved through the control panel settings for the desktop (Video for Windows 7) or within individual programs, but if you just want the colours in the windows to change and not the menu bars or menu text colours try the free download ColourExplorer.
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Making colour changes to web pages
This depends on the browser you are using such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox (slideshow), (both have various accessibility features) and the web pages you visit. The BBC have provided some guidance in their My Web My Way
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Test the impact of reading with colour
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Need to reduce the glare of black text on white
This can either be done through colour changes as mentioned above or using a grey scale that can also help stop jumping letters or words. This can be done manually by changing contrast levels on the monitor or by using software like ClaroView (there is a trial version) and there is a free ruler overlay available from FX Software or you can experiment with thin plastic film over the screen.
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Format web pages to suit your needs
This may not always work as it depends on the webpage, but try using ATbar as a bookmark that does not require downloading and you can change the colour of font, links, the background and even the toolbar itself – ATbar works with most browsers and also offers text to speech, increased line spacing, use spell checking or word prediction to aid writing and a dictionary – plus many more plugins from the marketplace to customise your own ATbar.
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Learn more about the impact of colour
Colour Matters Factoids
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Colour difficulties or need to make sure you have picked the right colour
It may be worth seeing how your work looks to different viewers. Try Vischeck and What Colour