Downloading Zoom for Windows
Zoom is available on the web, as an app for Android and iOS, and as a Windows 10 application. For this guide, we’re going to be focusing on the Windows 10 application as it is the best way to use Zoom as a JAWS user.
The first step on the Zoom journey is to download the app for Windows.
Once the program is installed, open it. Now, you’ll need to create an account.
Creating a Zoom Account
The Zoom account creation process is relatively straight forward. You can either set up an entirely new account or create an account from your Facebook or Google accounts.
How to Join or Start a Meeting
There are a couple different ways you might find your way to a Zoom Meeting. The first is by following a link in an email. If you do so on a computer with the Zoom application, the application will open.
You may also go to the application, tab to New Meeting, and press enter. You’ll then get a pop-up Window asking for the meeting ID. You can simply type in the ID of your meeting (provided by the meeting organizer).
Finally, you can start your own meeting. Simply tab to New Meeting and press enter.
Basic Zoom Commands for Meetings
The Zoom for Windows interface is relatively straight forward and can be navigated easily using Tab and Shift + Tab. In some instances, you might instead need to use F6 and Shift + F6.
Turn on/off always show meeting control toolbar | Alt
More info: By default the toolbar will timeout and hide. Press Alt to keep this from happening.
Mute/unmute audio | Alt + A
Start/Stop Video | Alt + V
Raise/lower hand | Alt + Y
Display/hide Participants panel | Alt + U
More info: Alt + U will open the chat panel. Here you can view your participants
Open Invite window | Alt + I
More info: Alt + I will open the invites window. Here you can invite additional participants.
Display/hide In-Meeting Chat panel | Alt + H
More info: Alt + H will open the chat panel. Here you can type text messages to other meeting participants. More on chat and alert controls below.
Alert and Chat Controls
Hear most recent chat alerts | Ctrl + 1 through 0
More info: Press Ctrl + 1 through to Ctrl + 0 to hear the 10 most recent chat messages. Press twice quickly to virtualise. Now available in the primary Zoom interface and in a meeting.
Switch between recent chats and recent alerts | Ctrl + F5
More info: Press Ctrl + F5 to enable or disable a special feature where only chat messages are output using Ctrl + 1 through to Ctrl + 0. If enabled, this will ensure that messages such as “You have muted the computer audio” are not spoken when using these keystrokes. Moreover, people seem to drop in and out of meetings at an alarming rate, and if all you want to do is to flick through your chat messages then hearing other announcements is superfluous. Now available in the primary Zoom interface and in a meeting.
Mute announcements and alerts | Alt + Windows + S
More info: When in a meeting, use Alt + Windows + S to enable or disable the announcement of Alerts, such as when someone has left the meeting room. Note that with the free scripts alerts are only suppressed from within the Zoom client at this time.
Hear last alert | Alt + Windows + A
More info: Press Alt + Windows + A to hear the last alert, even if it was not spoken. This should enable you, for example, to ascertain whether someone has entered the room, but you are in control of that output.
Verify whether alerts are enabled or disabled | Insert + Tab
Screen Sharing
Launch share screen window and stop screen share | Alt + S
More info: Alt + S will only work to launch and stop screen share when meeting control toolbar has focus.
Start/stop new screen share | Alt + Shift + S
More info: Alt + Shift + S only work to start and stop screen share when meeting control toolbar has focus
Pause or resume screen share | Alt + T
More info: Alt + T will only work to pause or resume screen sharing when meeting control toolbar has focus
Gain Remote Control | Alt + Shift + R
More info: Remote control allows another participant to gain control of your screen.
Stop Remote Control | Alt + Shift + G
Move focus to Zoom’s meeting controls | Ctrl + Alt + Shift
Show/Hide floating meeting controls | Ctrl + Alt + Shift + H
For Meeting Organizers
Mute/unmute audio for everyone except host | Alt + M
More Training Resources for Zoom
Freedom Scientific recently did a webinar on using Zoom with JAWS.
JAWS and Zoom, a Lesson on Learning from Freedom Scientific
Further, Jonathan Mosen recently made his book “Meet Me Accessibly – A Guide to Zoom Cloud Meetings from a Blindness Perspective” free to download.
Vermont DBVI Training 