Staying Connected With Dementia: How Windows Accessibility Features Can Support Your Everyday Life

Living with dementia changes the way you interact with the world—but it doesn’t stop you from being part of it. Technology can sometimes feel overwhelming, yet the accessibility features built into Windows can become quiet companions that help you to stay connected, independent, and confident.

I often say that accessibility isn’t about “special features” - it’s about good design that works for everyone. Windows has clearly embraced that idea. With a few simple shortcuts and tools, you can keep writing, speaking, reading, and engaging with others, even on days when your concentration or memory feels slippery.

I want to share how these features help us, and then I’ve included a full list of Windows accessibility tools and their shortcut keys for anyone who might find them useful.

How Windows Accessibility Help You Day to Day

• Magnifier helps when words blur

  On days when your vision feels fuzzy or your attention drifts, IYou can use Magnifier to zoom in on text. It helps you read emails, follow online forms, and stay engaged without straining.
  

• Narrator gives you a voice in moments of fatigue

  When reading becomes tiring, Narrator reads aloud what’s on the screen. It keeps you involved in conversations and lets you keep writing—even when you eyes need a rest.
  

• Sticky Keys and Filter Keys reduce "overwhelm" Complex key combinations can be tricky when your coordination dips. Sticky Keys lets you press one key at a time. Filter Keys stops accidental repeated presses. Both reduce frustration and help you stay in control.
  

• High Contrast and Colour Filters keep things clear Sometimes colours blend together or text feels washed out. High Contrast and Colour Filters help you distinguish what’s important so you can focus on the task at hand.
  

• Voice Typing and Speech Recognition let you express yourself When typing feels slow or your thoughts move faster than your fingers, you can simply speak instead. Voice typing captures your words, helping you stay creative and connected.
  

• The On‑Screen Keyboard is a gentle backup If you're struggling with the physical keyboard, the on‑screen version gives you a calmer, more forgiving way to type.
  

• Quick Settings and the Windows key shortcuts reduce cognitive load Remembering long sequences is hard. But a single Windows key shortcut? That I can manage. These shortcuts help me feel capable and in control.

Full List of Windows Accessibility Features

(With Descriptions and Shortcut Keys)

(All shortcuts below are taken from Microsoft’s official documentation).

🔍 Magnifier

A tool that enlarges part or all of the screen to make text and images easier to see.

Action	Shortcut
Turn Magnifier of	Windows logo key + +
Turn Magnifier off	Windows logo key + Esc
Zoom in/out	Windows logo key + + / –
Zoom with mouse wheel	Ctrl + Alt + mouse scroll
Open Magnifier settings	Windows logo key + Ctrl + M
Switch to full screen	Ctrl + Alt + F
Switch to lens view	Ctrl + Alt + L
Switch to docked view	Ctrl + Alt + D
Cycle through views	Ctrl + Alt + M
Invert colours	Ctrl + Alt + I
Pan screen	Ctrl + Alt + arrow keys
Resize lens (mouse)	Ctrl + Alt + R
Resize lens (keyboard)	Shift + Alt + arrow keys
Temporarily show full desktop	Ctrl + Alt + Spacebar

🎧 Narrator

A screen reader that reads text, buttons, and controls aloud.

Action	Shortcut
Turn Narrator on	Windows logo key + Enter
Open Narrator settings	Windows logo key + Ctrl + N

(Full Narrator command list is available via Microsoft Support.)

🎨 Colour Filters

Helps users with colour blindness or low vision by applying visual filters.

Action	Shortcut
Turn colour filters on/off	Windows logo key + Ctrl + C

⚫ High Contrast

Applies a high‑contrast theme to improve readability.

Action	Shortcut
Toggle High Contrast	Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen

🖱️ Mouse Keys

Lets you control the mouse pointer using the numeric keypad.

Action	Shortcut
Turn Mouse Keys on/off	Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock

⌨️ Sticky Keys

Allows modifier keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt) to be pressed one at a time.

Action	Shortcut
Turn Sticky Keys on/off	Press Shift five times

🔇 Toggle Keys

Plays a sound when Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock is pressed.

Action	Shortcut
Turn Toggle Keys on/off	Hold Num Lock for five seconds

🧹 Filter Keys

Ignores brief or repeated keystrokes.

Action	Shortcut
Turn Filter Keys on/off	Hold Right Shift for eight seconds

🗣️ Voice Typing

Lets you dictate text instead of typing.

Action	Shortcut
Open voice typing	Windows logo key + H
Move focus to voice typing window	Windows logo key + Alt + H

🎤 Windows Speech Recognition

Allows full voice control of the PC.

Action	Shortcut
Turn on Speech Recognition	Windows logo key + Ctrl + S

🖥️ On‑Screen Keyboard

Displays a virtual keyboard on the screen.

Action	Shortcut
Turn on On‑Screen Keyboard	Windows logo key + Ctrl + O

🧩 Accessibility Settings

The central hub for all accessibility tools.

Action	Shortcut
Open Accessibility Settings	Windows logo key + U

⚡ Quick Settings

Includes accessibility toggles such as Magnifier, Narrator, and more.

Action	Shortcut
Open Quick Settings	Windows logo key + A

Final Thoughts

Living with dementia doesn’t mean giving up independence. It means finding new ways to navigate the world - and Windows accessibility features have become part of my toolkit for staying connected, creative, and confident.

If you’re living with dementia, supporting someone who is, or simply curious, I hope this list helps you discover tools that make life a little easier.

If you're someone who is agonising over the best way to write a document that is accessible for people with dementia, begin by recognising that there is NO perfect document - we're all different. Perhaps if you took the time to make people aware of what they can do THEMSELVES to make a document more accessible, you'd be empowering and liberating them.

Downloadable Cheatsheet

Here's a handy cheatsheet I made. Please download and share.

Windows Accessibility Keys.pdf

Download PDF • 133KB