The Orion TI-84 Plus is equipped with a Help mode designed to assist you with
locating keys and confirming their functionality. Help mode can be used at any time,
even in the middle of a calculation. When the unit is in Help mode, the calculator
retains its previous status, i.e., if you were in the middle of an operation, the calculator
is not interrupted and the display remains unchanged. To enter the Help mode, quickly
press the
2nd
key (column 1, row 9) three times.
In Help mode, to assist you with locating a particular key, each key is announced
when pressed. Its primary function is also announced. When used in combination with
various modifying keys, such as
2nd
and
Alpha
, the Orion announces the secondary
functions as set by the modifying key.
To exit the Help mode, press the
On
key. The calculator returns to the speech and
operational mode you were using prior to entering Help mode and restores all the
previously set preferences. You can resume operation from precisely the point where
you left off.
Accessibility Features
The Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing Calculator is a modified TI-84 Plus. The
modifications are found at the top of the unit called the Orion. On the left side of the
Orion, there are six keys laid out in three rows of two columns. On the right side,
there are five keys in the form of a directional pad. The Orion keys are used to review
text and graphs and to set accessibility preferences, such as volume, rate, voice
selection, and playback tone duration, as well as many other useful settings.
Many of the keys have multiple functions if used with the
Shift
or the
CTRL
keys.
The following sections describe each key by function.
Control and Pause
The bottom-left key on the left-hand side of the Orion is the
CTRL/PAUSE
key.
Pressing it in conjunction with other Orion keys changes the function of those keys.
Tapping the
CTRL
key alone pauses speech feedback. Tapping the key a second time
restarts the speech function at the point it left off. Pressing any other key while the
speech function is paused deletes the buffered text.
Shift and Mute
The bottom-right key on the left-hand side of the Orion is the
Shift/Mute
key.
Pressing the
Shift
key with other Orion keys changes the functionality of the key.
Pressing the
Shift
key alone silences the speech mode.