An Overview of All the Motor Accessibility Options in macOS
In Apple’s Macs, iPhones, and iPads, there are three types of accessibility features (vision, hearing, and motor). Generally, they’re designed to ensure that people with disabilities are able to fully control and enjoy their devices. But, their utility makes them beneficial for all users.
Since these features can be tweaked to suit the exact need of the user, it’s important to understand how they work. In this article, we’ll look at the motor accessibility features on a Mac, what they do, and how you can adjust them according to your use case. Let’s get started.
Voice Control
First on the list is the Voice Control feature, which is also one of the most usefulmacOS accessibility features, as it allows both temporarily and permanently paralyzed users to operate their Macs using their voice. You can find and enable it fromSystem Preferences > Accessibility > Voice Control.
The concept is straightforward: you enable the feature and a microphone pops up on screen. You then say specific commands like “open Safari” out loud, and macOS opens the app for you. You can view all the preset commands by clicking theCommandsbutton from theAccessibility > Voice Controlpanel.
In addition to these presets, you can also add custom commands. You can decide what function you want the system to perform, using a specific app, when you say something specific. To add custom commands, on theCommandspanel, click theadd (+)button and fill the left side panel with the specifics.
You can also add your custom vocabulary to this feature to supplement custom commands. Then, when you say those words out loud, the system will perform the specific command you designed for it. To add custom words, go toAccessibility > Voice Control > Vocabulary, click theadd (+)button, insert the word, and clickSave.
From multiple languages to in-depth custom commands, the Voice Control can be extensively tweaked to suit a user’s needs.
The second motor accessibility feature is fullKeyboardaccess, which, when enabled, allows users to control their Macs with the following shortcuts:
This accessibility feature divides up all the elements on your screen, letting you use these shortcuts to hop from one to another, and toggle each separately. The screenshot below shows the yellow highlight box that wraps the element that you’ve selected using the shortcuts above, when the fullKeyboardaccess option is active.
You can tweak the appearance of this highlight (for example, to make it more or less contrasting) from theOptionsbutton beside theEnable Full Keyboard Accesscheckbox. Here, you can also view the full list of commands this feature adds to your keyboard.
Along with theNavigation, theHardwareandViewertabs inAccessibility > Keyboardallow you to customize this feature further:
Enabling the fullKeyboardaccess feature doesn’t mean that the existing shortcuts will be overridden. You can still use them to perform different functions as you did before, like opening different apps.
Ourguide to using CheatSheet on macOSexplains how you can see all the available shortcuts on your Mac, while thecustom keyboard shortcuts guideexplains how you can add your own shortcuts to the list.
Pointer Control
Point Controlis the third motor accessibility feature on the list. It helps you tweak the performance of your mouse pointer or cursor in macOS. UnderAccessibility > Pointer Control, it has two tabs:Mouse & TrackpadandAlternate Control Methods.
TheMouse & Trackpadtab lets you customize mainly your pointer’s movement on screen. Here are different settings you can find here:
TheAlternate Control Methodstab gives you the options to control macOS cursor without using the trackpad or an external device. It has three fun options:
By clicking theOptionsbutton beside each feature, you can tweak it to suit your preferences.
Switch Control
This motor accessibility feature allows users to add simple devices (like joysticks) to operate their Macs. UnderSystem Preferences > Accessibility > Switch Control, there are four tabs that allow you to enable and customize this feature.
Apple Supportalso has a detailed guide on this topic, which explains how you can set up Switch Control devices.
Apple Has Done a Lot for Accessibility
With straightforward verbal commands, facial gestures, head movements, and keyboard shortcuts, users can simplify how they operate their Mac. This ensures that users with any sorts of motor disabilities don’t feel left out, and are able to enjoy Apple’s devices.
Just as the President of the American Foundation of the Blind once said, as reported byApple Insider, “Apple has done more for accessibility than any other company to date.” Its devices are ideal for disabled people—not only with motor disability, but also visual and hearing impairments.
If you’re partially sighted or have visual impairments, these Accessibility settings can make content on your Mac screen easier to see.
You can block out the constant surveillance and restore your privacy with a few quick changes.
These films will leave you questioning humanity, but also wanting more.
Goodbye sending links via other apps.
Anyone with more than a passing interest in motorsports must see these films.
It saves me hours and keeps my sanity intact.
