Apple OS X, also known as Mac OS X, is Apple’s operating system for Mac desktop and laptop computers produced by Apple. There are a number of built-in accessibility features that come standard with recent versions of OS X which improve access for people who are blind, vision impaired, Deaf or hearing impaired, or with physical or motor impairment.
The built-in accessibility features include:
Vision:
- VoiceOver screen reader that includes gesture support and Braille display support. While in Windows people tend to install a third-party screen reader, VoiceOver is generally considered to be a well-featured screen reader for blind Mac users.
- Multi-Touch trackpad that allows you to use gestures similar to the on-screen gestures available on Apple’s mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad.
- Zoom screen and cursor magnification.
- Ability to inverse colours.
Hearing:
- Closed caption support for video playback.
- On screen ‘flash’ alerts.
Mobility:
- Simplified keyboard and mouse navigation with the option of an onscreen keyboard and different key commands.
While the OS X operating system is well supported with accessibility features, users often comment that using third-party software such as Microsoft Office for Mac can lead to accessibility issues due to its lack of support for built-in tools such as VoiceOver.
Further information on the accessibility features of Apple products can be found in the Accessibility section of the Apple website.
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