How to Adjust the VoiceOver Settings in Mac OS Tiger

VoiceOver is a program that Apple developed for users who are blind, have very poor vision or have learning problems. The program speaks text to the computer user and creates a different kind of keyboard navigation system to help the user navigate. You should know how to adjust the settings for VoiceOver in Mac OS Tiger so that you can use the program to its fullest potential.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Open the VoiceOver program. It usually installs to the applications folder inside the hard drive on your computer, but it can sometimes be in the utility application folder. If you can't find it, do a search for the program by typing its name into the search box in a Finder window.

2. Pull down the file menu in VoiceOver and go to "Preferences." In this menu you can set up VoiceOver and customize it to meet your needs.

3. Look at each of the options in the "Verbosity" menu. Notice you can change the articulation of punctuation, speaking conditions and make a personal logon greeting. Play with the different settings and see what suits you best.

4. Look at the other options tabs. In the "Voices" tab, you can change the voice the computer uses and then refine it a little bit using the sliders. If your mouse is moving too quickly, you can slow this down in your overall preferences.

5. Close the VoiceOver preferences. Your options will stay as you set them unless you press the "reset" button located in the bottom left of the window. Spend some time using VoiceOver and see if you like the new settings and don't be afraid to change them around more if you don't think they are what you want.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to periodically adjust the computer's voice to have a little variety.
• You should try to set up some external speakers if you're using VoiceOver on your laptop. The program creates lots of subtle sounds that you need to hear in order to use it effectively.
• Help a disabled friend set up VoiceOver on his computer. The program is designed to help people with vision problems, but it can sometimes be hard to first set it up.
• Be sure that you're computer is set to automatically check for updates to the VoiceOver program. You can set this check in the system preferences on Mac OS Tiger.