Big Arrow Cursors 1.0 Big Arrow Cursors increases the size of the arrow cursor to enhance its visability. Shareware. See http://www.windows95.com/apps/cursors.html
Meta-Mouse 2.01 Meta-Mouse 2.01 is a program for Windows 95 whose purpose is to improve the visibility of the mouse cursor. This is accomplished in several ways: (1) The cursor can be made to blink on and off, (2) The cursor can be made much larger, displaying either a large black arrow with a white border, a large white arrow with a black border, a large inverse-color arrow, or numerous others, (3) The cursor can be made to change its shape dynamically (see the "Ultra-High Visibility" option), and (4) The normally "white" part of the cursor can be changed to one of several other colors, including dynamic color cycling. Shareware ($21 + S/H). See http://www.cylexinc.com/mmou.htm for a 30-day free trial version (fully functional).
Windows Alternative Mouse Pointers Designed for both laptop and low vision users, the alternative mouse pointers bring back the ever popular (and often requested) Windows black pointer set (the standard Windows pointers colored black as opposed to white) and the new inverted pointers in an effort to make the mouse pointer more visible.
The inverted set must be seen to be appreciated - they "invert" over the background. So, if your background is purple, your pointer is green; over a blue background the pointer turns yellow; over red the pointer is cyan. Both styles, black and inverted, come in standard, large and extra large sizes. See http://www.microsoft.com/kb/softlib/
Big-W New software is available now, at low cost, to enable people with poor eyesight to comfortably use personal computers running Microsoft Windows. Compatible with Windows, versions 3.1 and 3.11 and with Windows 95, this utility increases the screen images by any amount the user selects, from 1X to 10X. Big-W is not limited to English language users; it functions equally well in all language editions of Microsoft Windows. Big-W is suitable for PC users throughout the world. Shareware ($39.95 + S/H). See http://www.senior.com/sites/bigw-1.html
Loupe displays a magnified view of whatever is beneath the mouse cursor, much like a printer's or jeweler's loupe. Loupe continues to operate when minimized. The program name on the Taskbar is replaced by the current mouse coordinates. Loupe also displays information about the current hardware configuration and dynamic system resource usage as well as an ASCII / ANSI character code chart, MS Windows Error Codes and Horizontal and Vertical rulers. Freeware. See http://www.pcworld.com/cgi-bin/shareware?ID=1725
Shorthand 4.0 Shorthand is a typing productivity tool designed to work concurrently with a Windows word processor or text editor application. Just as a stenographer uses shorthand symbols to represent longer words or phrases, Shorthand allows you to represent words or phrases with a much shorter abbreviation or keyword. Instead of typing in the word or phrase, you type the shorter keyword and Shorthand will take care of inserting the longer word or phrase into your word processor. Shorthand is not limited to word processors. It works just as well with most Windows dialog boxes. Shorthand can be used to enter names, logins, passwords, internet addresses directly into terminal windows. Shareware ($25). See http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~lim/shorthand or http://www.sped.ukans.edu/~dlance/windows.html
Microsoft Windows Word Completion/Prediction Information For an in-depth discussion of word completion/prediction and a list of companies which produce word completion/prediction products, see http://trace.wisc.edu/text/computer/multi/ctg_wp.html
Clipboard text will be loaded and read aloud automatically when you start the program. You may open and have files with the txt extension read aloud from inside the program. Freeware. See http://www.pixi.com/~reader1/
VoicePad 1.0 Kurzweil VoicePad for Windows 95 Release 1.0 is the world's first voice-enabled word processing application to be distributed as shareware. The product enables you to seamlessly integrate voice input with the keyboard and mouse, creating a natural and intuitive approach to document creation.
Kurzweil VoicePad Release 1.0 can be used to create memos, letters, reports and other documents through dictation. You can also format text, navigate through the application's menus and dialogs, change the application's settings, and preview and print documents using intuitive voice commands. See http://www.kurzweil.com/
Miscellaneous
Other Microsoft Windows Software Resources
For other Microsoft Windows software resources available,
including the Access Pack for Windows 3.X, see http://trace.wisc.edu/trace/computer/win/. (Note, all the features of the Access Pack are now built into Windows
95, so you no longer have to order the Access Pack separately.)
Windows Dvorak Layout Software Microsoft distributes Dvorak keyboard layouts that make the most frequently typed characters on a keyboard more accessible to people who have difficulty using the standard "QWERTY" layout. There are three Dvorak layouts: one for two-handed users, one for people who type only with their left hand, and one for people who type only with their right hand. The left- or right-hand keyboard layouts can also be used by people who type with a wand. See http://www.microsoft.com/kb/softlib/