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All Bayside Library locations offer desktop PCs for use, running Windows 11. All branches also offer large-font keyboards for use.  Ask staff at the reception desk.

Windows 11 offers a comprehensive suite of built-in accessibility features to assist users with various needs, including Vision (like Narrator, Magnifier, and Colour filters), Hearing (Live Captions, mono audio), Mobility (Voice typing, On-screen keyboard, and Voice access), and Cognitive and Learning (Immersive Reader, Focus sessions).

These features can be found in the Settings app under Accessibility, allowing users to customize display settings, keyboard behavior, and interact with their PC using different input methods. 

Vision Features
Narrator: A screen reader that describes what's on the screen, supports Braille displays, and provides natural-sounding voice output. 

Magnifier: Zooms in on specific areas of the screen to make text and images larger. 

Color Filters: Adjusts the colors on your screen to help distinguish between subtle color differences, useful for color blindness. 

High Contrast Themes: Offers customizable color themes and themes to reduce screen brightness, helping those with light sensitivity or lower vision. 

Hearing Features
Live Captions: Automatically transcribes any audio playing on the PC, including from a microphone, into on-screen text. 

Mono Audio: Converts stereo sound into a single audio channel, which can make sounds easier to hear. 

Visual Audio Alerts: Flashes the screen or shows alerts in the title bar to provide visual feedback for notifications. 

Mobility Features
Voice Typing : Allows you to use your voice to create content, open apps, browse the web, and control your PC. 

On-Screen Keyboard: Provides a visual keyboard on the screen for typing, which can be used with a mouse or other input devices. 

Keyboard Accessibility: Features like Sticky Keys (for pressing keys one at a time), Filter Keys (to ignore repeated keystrokes), and Toggle Keys (for audible feedback). 

Cognitive and Learning Features 
Immersive Reader: A tool in Microsoft Edge that removes visual clutter and allows you to customize text size, spacing, and colors on web pages to improve reading focus and comprehension.

Focus Sessions: Helps improve focus, attention, and overall reading fluency.

How to Find and Use These Features 
1. Click the Start button.
2. Select Settings.
3. Choose Accessibility from the left-hand menu.
4. Explore the different categories to find and customize the features you need.

Our BorrowBox platform offers a range of accessibility features, and is compatible with all the most popular screen readers and offers key features including:

• Visually impaired users can enhance their reading experience by adjusting the size and type of font on the eBook reader to suit them – by clicking on the adjust options or pinching the screen. There is also a zoom in functionality on the eReader.
• The BorrowBox eAudio player also features a speed setting to adjust the speed of the narration to suit the user, as visually impaired users tend to listen at a faster speed.
• Users can also adjust the margin width and background theme to make the text easier to read.
• All adjusted settings are saved so the user only has to customize their account once.
• BorrowBox synchronises across six devices at once and automatically remembers your preferred text settings
• The BorrowBox app is fully compatible with the Voice Control feature of Apple and Android devices. 

Dyslexic users can benefit from a wide range of features that make enjoying stories possible.

• Sepia background option.
• Amend the margins to make the words easier to read.
• A specific Dyslexic font option, which makes recognizing the letters and forming words even easier.
• Settings saving automatically once applied.
• Listening to the eAudiobook whilst reading the eBook
• If you listen to eAudiobooks via BorrowBox, you can adjust the playback-speed so you can enjoy listening at your own pace.

Our streaming film service, Kanopy, provides descriptive audio and closed captioning option. 

Displaying closed captions or subtitles
To enable closed captions or subtitles while watching a film, select the CC icon in the bottom-right corner of the video player. Slide the toggle next to Captions to turn them on. If multiple tracks are available, you can select one below the toggle.  Select Captions Settings to customize how captions appear in Kanopy.


Displaying transcripts
To enable transcripts while watching a film, select the Enable Transcripts icon in the bottom-right corner of the video player.  This will open the "Transcripts" window. As the film plays, the transcript will advance automatically. You can also manually scroll up and down within the transcript.

The Libby app for eBooks, eAudioBooks and eMagazines includes a range of accessibility features.