Microsoft Gives Senior Citizens the Gift of Those Newfangled …
At no cost to themselves, participants received new in-home desktop computers running the Windows 7 operating system, touch-screen monitors, and broadband Internet service worth about $20,000, not including support, social-work services, and some software. a small video camera and microphone lets seniors use Skype and video-chat applications to keep in touch with family and friends. others use the computer to attend religious services virtually or watch videos via YouTube.
At the Flushing senior center, Microsoft also placed two-way video cameras and monitors that let homebound seniors remotely take part in activities such as tai chi and painting, while interacting with instructors and classmates at the center. for seniors with vision, hearing, and physical disabilities, Microsoft adapted the virtual centers with assistive technologies and devices.
Ethel Warfield, 81, has failing vision and uses BigKeys, a keyboard featuring 1-inch keys. She found the standard QWERTY keyboard too confusing, so Microsoft brought her an enlarged ABC keyboard, which she finds more logical and easier to see. Warfield also uses Magnifier, a new feature in Windows 7 that enlarge portions of the computer screen as a magnifying glass might. sometimes she uses a screen reader that reads text aloud. “I’m amazed at the technology,” Warfield says. “It has totally changed my life.”
Microsoft Gives Senior Citizens the Gift of Those Newfangled …