Episode Overview-
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #53 features a discussion about the high contrast feature of Microsoft Windows as a tool to help students access on-screen information.
The episode features a bumper from Bill Peters, whose family will be participating in the Bounce for Autism on April 22nd, 2010. Pump It Up – Inflatable Party Zones, has partnered with the Autism Society to help spread awareness and raise funds for autism research and family support. 100% of the proceeds go to the Autism Society of America. The event is happening all over the country in over 140 Pump It Up locations. You can find out more information and find a location near you from http://pumpitupparty.com or www.autism-society.org. You can also follow Bill on Twitter at @billpet.
The Compendium Blog of The A.T.TIPSCAST 
I listened to your podcast this morning on my morning drive. Good Job…again! There is a Mac OS equivalence to the Window’s contrast. By holding down the “fn control option command” keys on the left then holding down the 8, the contrast will change. Doing the same action reverses the contrast. All the Universal Access Preferences can be found in the System Preferences.
Keep up the good work Chris!
Sweet! Thanks Brian! I appreciate that! I hope that helps out all the Mac users out there!
Currently in the Linux operating system, specifically Ubuntu, this can be done but not through the Assistive Technologies options. There are two desktop themes designed for people with visual impairment. These are “High Contrast Inverse” and
“High Contrast Large Print Inverse.”
To enable these the user must navigate: System > Preferences > Appearance. Then they must select the desired theme.
In an educational setting this might be acceptable because the instructor can do this for the student, but it seems to me there needs to be a way to do this with simple key strokes such as, “Shift+Alt+Print Screen”
Shift+Alt+Print Screen… Shift+Alt+Print Screen… Shift+Alt+Print Screen… Ahhh I can’t get it out of my head!
Thanks Bill! This helps out immensely! Thanks for hunting this down!