Navigation

Move to the address and search bar | Ctrl + L

Concept: Address and Search Bar | When your focus is in the address and search bar, you can type either a web address or keywords for an online search. If the web address you put in is incorrect, your browser will simply do a web search for it. To submit your web address or search, press enter.  

Back Button | Alt + Left Arrow

Concept: The Back Button | The back button will take you one step back in your web browsing journey. 

Next Element | Down Arrow

Previous Element | Up Arrow

Concept: Moving by Element | This is the most fundamental way to move using JAWS when working with the web. Each arrow key press will move you to the next HTML element on the page. “HTML Elements” is basically just everything on a web page – headings, links, form controls, images, tables, lists, etc. So, when you use the arrow keys, you won’t miss anything on the web page. However, using arrow keys is also the slowest way to navigate.  

Headings

Concept: Headings | Headings are titles of pages or sections. Headings have different levels which typically correspond to the page’s overall structure. 

Next Heading | H

Previous Heading | Shift + H

Headings List | Insert + F6

Links

Concept: Links | Links or “Hyperlinks” contain a reference to another web address. When you click or press enter on a link, you are typically taken to a new webpage. In JAWS, we can navigate through unvisited links (places we have never been) and visited links (locations we have been). 

Next Unvisited Link | U

Previous Univisited Link | Shift + U

Next Visited Link | V

Previous Visited Link | Shift + V

Links List | Insert + F7

Form Controls

Concept: Form Controls | Form controls refer to a group of related elements on the web. These elements include text fields, radio buttons, dropdown menus, buttons, and check boxes. All of these elements are related as they take input from the user. While there are quick keys and element lists for each of these types of elements in JAWS, there is also a combined form control list which is typically more beneficial to use. I also only highlight a few of the quick keys for the various types of form controls. 

Form Controls List | Insert + F5

Next Edit Field | E

Previous Edit Field | Shift + E

Next Button | B

Previous Button | Shift + B

Concept: Forms Mode | When using a web page, JAWS is in one of two modes: virtual PC cursor or forms mode. Forms mode allows JAWS users to input text into edit boxes. When you’re in forms mode, the printable keys will simply print out their corresponding letter into the edit field. However, when we are using the virtual PC cursor, key presses are mainly done for navigation. For example, if I am in forms mode and press the H key, JAWS will print an H into the edit field. If I am using the virtual PC cursor and I press H, I will be moved to the next heading. JAWS informs the user of which mode they are in with beep sounds. The higher beep indicates that forms mode is on. The lower beep indicates that forms mode is off. 

Concept : Tabbing | A common way to move throughout other applications with JAWS is to use the Tab key. However, tabbing isn’t quite as central to web browsing. JAWS users can tab whenever they would like on the web, but a tab on the web moves the user to the next link or form field. This can make tabbing a somewhat confusing method for navigating a web page. However, tabbing is extremely useful on the web when filling in a form. When you enter the top of a form, you will most likely be put into forms mode. When you’re ready to move to the next control in the form, the easiest way to do so is via the tab key. This gives us the added benefit of keeping JAWS in forms mode as we navigate, rather than having to manage what mode we are currently in. 

JAWS Find

Concept: The JAWS Find | JAWS find is a search that JAWS users can initiate to find text in a window. This feature is extremely helpful when using the web as you can type your search and the JAWS find will bring you to your searched term regardless if it is a heading, link, form field, plain text, or whatever. JAWS Find can also be a powerful workaround when dealing with inaccessible web content. 

JAWS Find |Ctrl + F 

Next JAWS Find Result | F3

Previous JAWS Find Result | Shift + F3

Tables

Concept: Tables | Tables present information in a tabular, two dimensional structure. This can make them hard to understand with JAWS as screen readers present information only in a one dimensional way. However, we can use a variety of JAWS commands to help tables feel easier.

Next Table | T

Prior Table | Shift + T

List Tables | Insert + Ctrl + T 

Next Cell | Ctrl + Alt + Right Arrow

Prior Cell | Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow

Cell Above | Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow

Cell Below | Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow

First Cell | Ctrl + Alt + HOME

Last Cell | Ctrl + Alt + END

Virtual HTML Features List

Concept: Virtual HTML Features List | We have learned to navigate by a handful of element types on the web. However, JAWS has even more options for navigating by types of elements. The Virtual HTML Features list will show a list of other element lists that the user can bring up. This includes graphics, lists, frames, divs, and more. Most of these other element lists won’t be as useful as the element lists already discussed above (headings, links, form fields, etc.), but they may be helpful on certain webpages or in the completion of certain tasks. 

Virtual HTML Feature List | Insert + F3 

Basic JAWS Commands

Move between sections | Tab / Shift + Tab

Move within a section | Arrow keys

Switch to JAWS | Insert + J

Open Start Menu | Windows Button

Move to Desktop | Windows + D OR Windows + M

Switch between open applications | Alt + Tab (Note – hold down alt and press tab to switch to the next application. When your desired application in announced, let go of Alt)

Hear title of current application | Insert + T

Close current application | Alt + F4

Open System Tray Dialog | Insert + F11

Google Drive can be used as a web-based application by navigating to drive.google.com. You can also download Google Drive as a desktop application for windows. You can find the download link at https://dl.google.com/drive-file-stream/GoogleDriveSetup.exe. There are differences between the web-based application and the desktop app, so using both is typically the best approach.

Google Drive for Windows

After you download and install the Google Drive for Windows app, you will find Google Drive in File Explorer. It will appear in the tree view of File Explorer. This means you can simply use File Explorer to manage you cloud-based files. However, there are some limitations. For starters, if you’re using the free version of Google Drive, you will not be able to use File Explorer to access shared documents from other users. If you are a G-Suite user, shared files will show up in File Explorer. Further, providing permissions and sharing links to files will all need to be done via the web-based Google Drive.

Google Drive on the Web

Below we’re going to focus on some basics for Google Drive to start with. If you’re looking for a complete list of commands for Google Drive, you can find one at https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2563044?hl=en.

To begin with Google Drive, we’ll focus on two areas: the navigation pane and the items view. If we think of Google Drive in-terms of File Explorer, the navigation pane would be similar to the tree view and the items view is similar to the items list.

Go to navigation panel | g then f

Go to items view | g then l

Switch between grid and list in items view | v

Note that as JAWS users, you’ll want to keep the view on list view. This will put all your files in a list that is easy to up and down arrow through. With the grid view, you would have to navigate with up, down, left, and right.

You can navigate the items view and the navigational panel with the up and down arrows. To open a file or a folder, simply press enter.

Finding Shared Google Documents

1. Navigate to drive.google.com and sign-in to the account that the document was shared with.
2. Use g then f to switch to the navigation panel. Then use down arrow to navigate to Shared with Me. Press enter.
3. Your focus will move to the list view. Your shared documents are in the order they were received, with the newest documents at the top of the file. When you find your document, press enter.
4. Your document will open in Google Documents. Use Alt + F to open the file menu.
5. Use the down arrow to navigate the file menu until you find download. Another file menu will open with different file types. Choose the file type you want (ex. Word doc, PDF, etc.) and press enter.
6. The file will now show up in your Downloads folder in File Explorer.

Checking Your Mail

When Outlook opens, you should be in the list view of your inbox.

Navigate your inbox | up arrow or down arrow

Open an email | enter

Delete an email | delete

Read an email | insert + down arrow

Close an open email | escape or Alt + F4

Sending and Replying

The commands for sending, replying, and forwarding work from an open message or from the inbox.

New email | Ctrl + N

Reply to email | Ctrl + R

Forward email | Ctrl + F

Reply all to email | Ctrl + Shift + R

Send email | Alt + S or Ctrl + enter

Switching and Sorting Mailboxes

Open the Go to Folder dialog | Ctrl + Y

Move a message | Use shift + F10 to open the context menu on the message you’d like to move. Then, navigate the context menu with up and down arrow. When you find move, press enter. A dialog will open that is very similar to the Go to Folder dialog. Use this dialog (via the arrow keys), you can select the folder you want the message to be moved to by pressing enter.

Dealing with Attachments

When you receive an email with an attached file, JAWS will typically announce “attachment” when you navigate to the message in your Inbox. You can then follow the steps below to retrieve the file:

1. Open the email with the attachment by pressing enter.
2. Your focus will be put at the top of the message. Use Shift + Tab to move your focus into the attachment area. With messages that involve multiple attachments, use left and right arrow to cycle through the attached files.
3. You can open the attachment by pressing enter. You may also use Alt + Down Arrow to expand a list of other actions, including saving the file to your computer.

Now, for the alternative situation: you want to send an email with an attachment. You can do so by following the steps below:

1. Open an outgoing email (new message, forward, reply, etc.).
2. Press Alt, this will move your focus to the Ribbon.
3. Use the left and right arrow keys to cycle through Ribbon Tabs until you find the Insert tab.
4. Press tab until you arrive at the Attachments button and press enter.
5. A dropdown menu will open. Using up and down arrow, you can move through the menu options. This menu is primarily populated by your recent documents. If the file you want to send is in this list, press enter and you’ll be returned to your outgoing email message (Skip to step 8).
6. If the file you want to send is not among them, at the bottom of the menu, you’ll find a Browse this PC option. Press enter.
7. The File Explorer dialog will open. Use this dialog the same way you would to open a saved document in Word.
8. Once you’ve selected the attachment you want, you’ll be returned to your outgoing message. Now you simply need to address the email and add your message, then you can send.

To add multiple attachments, repeat the process outlined above again. Be careful to consider that Outlook has maximum file sizes for outgoing emails, so some files will either need to be sent separately or transmitted via a different medium.

Fixing Your View

The default View settings in Outlook are not optimized for a JAWS user. Changing your settings is easy, but it is also a process you may need to repeat in the future when adding new accounts or when the settings get inexplicably set back to default.

Turning Off Automatic Group By

1. From Outlook, use alt to move into the Ribbon.
2. In the Ribbon, use the left and right arrow keys to switch to the View tab.
3. In the View tab of the Ribbon, use tab to move to Current View and press enter.
4. A dropdown menu will open. Use the arrow keys to move to View Settings… and press enter. Note: you can accomplish steps 1 through 4 using the alt path: alt, then V, then Y, then 1, and then V.
5. The Advanced View Settings dialog will open. Use tab to move to Group by and press enter.
6. The Group By dialog will open. Use space bar to toggle off Automatically Sort according to arrangement.
7. Use tab to move to the OK button and press enter.
8. The Group By dialog will close and return your focus to the Advanced View Settings dialog. Tab to the OK button and press enter.
9. The date categories in your inbox (ex. yesterday, Thursday, Last week, etc.) should now be gone.

Turning Off the Reading Pane

1. From Outlook, use alt to move into the Ribbon.
2. In the Ribbon, use the left and right arrow keys to switch to the View tab.
3. Use tab to move through the View tab options until you arrive at Layout. Press enter.
4. A dropdown menu will open. Use the arrow keys to move to Reading Pane and press enter.
5. Another dropdown menu will open. Use the arrow to move to the Off option and press enter. Note: You can achieve steps 1 through 5 with the following alt path: alt, then V, then Y, then 2, then R, and then O.

What’s new in JAWS 2022?

This update to JAWS brings a lot of fixes and tweaks to existing features, but there are not any big new features in the 2022 version. Here are some things you should know about JAWS 2022.

Discontinued Support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1

Freedom Scientific has discontinued their support of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. What does that mean? It means that JAWS 2022 cannot be installed on these operating systems. However, earlier versions of JAWS will continue to work, so if you have not upgraded yet, things should continue to perform as normal with your current version of JAWS or ZoomText Fusion. 

Voice Assistant Improvements

Freedom has continued to tweak and improve their 2021 Voice Assistant feature. In past versions, the default wake word for using the voice assistant was “Sharky”. In 2022, they changed it to “Hey Sharky.”

Another change is for Fusion users who can now say either “Hey Sharky” or “Hey Zoomy” to interact with either voice assistant (in the previous versions, Fusion users only could use the ZoomText voice assistant. Previously, Fusion users could only access ZoomText features using the voice assistant.

JAWS Tandem Changes

This is actually a change that was added to JAWS 2021 in November, but it was an easy one to miss, so I wanted to include it here. Freedom upgraded the security of the JAWS tandem and now Tandem only works for users with JAWS 2020 or later. Further, you’ll need to have the November 2021 updates to versions 2020 and 2021 for tandem to work. 

Want More Update Info?

There are many, many more updates and changes in version 2022. You can read about all the updates by following the links below:

What’s New in JAWS 2022 Screen Reading Software

What’s New in Fusion 2022 and ZoomText 2022

Accessible Forms in Word

Word is a great option to create accessible forms. When set up correctly (which will be outlined below), Word forms are intuitive and easy to use.

Enable Developer Tab

To add form fields to a Word document, you’ll first need to enable the developer tab to display in the ribbon. Fortunately, this is relatively easy:

1. From Microsoft Word, open the File menu (Alt + F).
2. In the File menu (Backstage view), go to Options (down arrow and then enter).
3. The Word Options dialog will open. Go to Customize Ribbon (down arrow and then tab).
4. In the list below Customize the Ribbon, find Developer and click the the check box to enable it (tab to navigate to “Ribbon Tree View”, then use the down arrow to navigate to Developer and press space bar to enable the Developer tab).
5. Click the OK button (tab and then enter).

Legacy Form Fields

Now that the Developer Tab is enabled, we can add form fields to our document. Follow the steps below:

1. In the ribbon, switch to the Developer tab (Alt, then right arrow, and then tab).
2. In the Developer tab, go to the Controls Group and select Legacy Tools Submenu (tab and then enter). You may also choose to open this via the Alt path which would Alt, then L, and then N.
3. The Legacy Tools dialog will open. Here you will find options for text box, check box, and combo box. There are the three types of controls we have at out disposal for Word forms. Choose the type of control you want to use (right and left arrows and then enter).

Adding Alt Text

You have your form fields, it is now time to put in your Alt Text. Follow these steps:

1. Open the context menu on the form field you’d like to add Alt Text to (right click or use shift + F10).
2. In the context menu, select properties (down arrow and then enter).
3. The Text Form Field Options dialog will open. Select Add Help Text (tab and then enter).
4. The Form Field Help Text dialog will open. In the Status Bar tab, select Type your own (tab, then down arrow).
5. Type your Alt Text in the entry box.
6. Press the Ok button in the Form Field Help Text dialog (Tab and then enter).
7. Press the Ok button in the Form Field Options dialog (Tab and then enter).

Writing Effective Alt Text

Now, after all that work you’ve done, you want to make sure you’re adding effective Alt Text that helps your users fill out your form. Below is a link to a Microsoft Article that outlines best practices for writing Alt Text:

Everything you need to know to write effective alt text

Keep in mind when writing Alt Text that a screen reader user will not be able to access any text in the form aside from the Alt Text added to form controls.

Locking Your Document

The last step to make your Form accessible is to lock editing on the form. This will stop your users from accidentally deleting form elements or getting lost in the textual portions on the form. This will also allow users to navigate between form controls using tab and shift + tab. Before you follow the steps below, make sure to save your document.

1. Once again go to the ribbon and then open the Developer tab (Alt, then left/ right arrow, and then tab).
2. On the Developer tab, select Restrict Editing (tab and then press enter). You may also wish to use the Alt path to reach Restrict Editing by pressing Alt, then L, then P, and then E.
3. The Restrict Editing pane will open. Enable the “Allow only this type of editing in the document” check box (tab and then space bar).
4. A Combo box below the “Allow only this type of editing in the document” check box will become enabled. Select Filling in Forms with the combo box (tab, then arrow keys, and then enter).
5. Finally, press the “Yes, Start Enforcing Protection” button (tab and then enter).
6. The Start Enforcing Protection dialog will open. This dialog asks you to input a password to protect your document and stop others from disabling your protection. Ultimately, it is up to you whether or not you require a password. If you want to add a password, type out your intended password and then repeat the password in the Re-enter password to confirm field (tab). If you don’t want a password, leave both these fields blank.
7. Press the Ok button (tab and then enter).

Finishing Up

Hopefully, you were able to follow all the steps outlined above to create form fields with Alt Text in Word. Remember, your alt text cannot be read visually by the end user, so don’t forget about about users who will be filling out the form visually.

Meet Sharky

JAWS 2021 introduces a new feature – a voice assistant that will help users with various JAWS features using natural speech. Think of it like Amazon Alexa but for JAWS. So, how does it work? It’s easy, you simply say “Sharky”. You’ll hear a tone in response and an image of a microphone will briefly appear on the screen. After hearing a Voice Command, the voice assistant will play a different tone. You can also wake up the voice assistant by pressing Insert + Alt + Spacebar.

What Can Sharky Do?

So, what can Sharky do? Sharky can do a variety of JAWS features. These include the following list:

Help
Talk faster
Talk slower
Change settings
Command search
What time is it
List links
List headings
List spelling errors
Tell me a joke

This is not an exhaustive list. A full list of commands is at the end of this post under the heading Full Voice Command List. You can also learn more and to view a full list of voice commands for specific actions by saying “Sharky, help.” You can also select Getting Started from the Voice Assistant menu. Sharky has commands for the web, Word, Outlook, OCR, and more.

If Sharky doesn’t hear what you asked, they will respond: “Sorry, I didn’t hear anything.” However, if you give Sharky a command that it outside its repertoire, it will instead respond: “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

A Couple Things to Consider

1. Give time for processing and response.

   Since all voice recognition processing is performed over the Internet using Microsoft Services in the cloud, there will be a slight delay depending on your connection. Be patient and experiment with different commands. This is a new technology being added to our software products and will continue to change and evolve over time. We welcome your suggestions and feedback.

2. You can disable the Voice Assistant if you don’t want it on.

   To turn off the Voice Assistant or change other options, such as whether or not JAWS listens for the wake word or to turn off the sounds, open the JAWS Utilities menu, expand the Voice Assistant submenu, and then select Settings. If you want to turn the Voice Assistant on, from the JAWS main window, press ALT+U to open the Utilities menu, expand the Voice Assistant submenu, and then select Talk to JAWS.

3. Microphone considerations.

   The JAWS Voice Assistant uses your computer’s internal microphone or you can talk to it using an external microphone or headset. The wake word is not available if you are using a Bluetooth microphone. In this case, you must use the keystroke before speaking the voice command.

4. Languages.

   Supported languages include English, Dutch, German, Spanish, and French.

Final Thoughts

Additional features and functions for the Voice Assistant are going to be added as the year goes on, so the Voice Assistant will continue to improve and expand.

Full Voice Assistant Command List

Below is the full list of Voice Assistant commands as of JAWS version 2021.2102.34 that comes directly from JAWS Help.

General Voice Commands

“Display the Voice Assistant help topic” or “Help”
“Display the Window List dialog box” or “Window list”
“Display the Commands Search dialog box” or “Command search”
“Display the Keyboard Manager dialog box” or “Keyboard Manager”
“Display the Dictionary Manager dialog box” or “Dictionary Manager”
“Display the Settings Center dialog box” or “Settings”
“Temporarily increase the voice rate” or “Increase voice rate”
“Temporarily decrease the voice rate” or “Decrease voice rate”
“Temporarily set the voice rate to [number] (Example, set voice rate to 100.)” or “Set voice rate to [number] (Example, set voice rate to 100.)”
“Toggle the screen shade” or “Toggle screen shade”
“Toggle the audio ducking” or “Toggle audio ducking”
“Toggle the speech on demand” or “Toggle speech on demand”
“Use the JAWS Cursor” or “JAWS Cursor”
“Use the PC Cursor” or “PC Cursor”
“Use the Touch Cursor” or “Touch Cursor”
“Toggle the Virtual PC cursor” or “Toggle Virtual PC cursor”
“Copy the speech history to the clipboard” or “Copy speech history”
“OCR the selected file” or “OCR file”
“OCR the PDF contents” or “OCR PDF”
“OCR the current window” or “OCR window”
“OCR the screen” or “OCR screen”
“OCR the current control” or “OCR control”
“OCR from a camera” or “OCR camera”
“OCR from a scanner” or “OCR scanner”
“Stop the OCR” or “Stop OCR”
“Tell me a joke” or “Joke”

Web Pages

“Display the list of links” or “List links”
“Display the list of headings” or “List headings”
“Display the list of graphics” or “List graphics”
“Display the list of tables” or “List tables”
“Display the list of form fields” or “List form fields”

Item Lists in Word

“Display the list of links” or “List links”
“Display the list of headings” or “List headings”
“Display the list of graphics” or “List graphics”
“Display the list of tables” or “List tables”
“Display the list of form fields” or “List form fields”
“Display the list of comments” or “List comments”
“Display the list of grammatical errors” or “List grammatical errors”
“Display the list of spelling errors” or “List spelling errors”

Navigation in Word

“Go to the first comment” or “First comment”
“Go to the next comment” or “Next comment”
“Go to the previous comment” or “Previous comment”
“Go to the last comment” or “Last comment”
“Go to the first grammatical error” or “First grammatical error”
“Go to the next grammatical error” or “Next grammatical error”
“Go to the previous grammatical error” or “Previous grammatical error”
“Go to the last grammatical error” or “Last grammatical error”
“Go to the first spelling error” or “First spelling error”
“Go to the next spelling error” or “Next spelling error”
“Go to the previous spelling error” or “Previous spelling error”
“Go to the last spelling error” or “Last spelling error”
“Go to the first heading” or “First heading”
“Go to the next heading” or “Next heading”
“Go to the previous heading” or “Previous heading”
“Go to the last heading” or “Last heading”
“Go to the first table” or “First table”
“Go to the next table” or “Next table”
“Go to the previous table” or “Previous table”
“Go to the last table” or “Last table”
“Go to the first page” or “First page”
“Go to the next page” or “Next page”
“Go to the previous page” or “Previous page”
“Go to the last page” or “Last page”
“Go to the first field” or “First field”
“Go to the next field” or “Next field”
“Go to the previous field” or “Previous field”
“Go to the last field” or “Last field”
“Go to the first section” or “First section”
“Go to the next section” or “Next section”
“Go to the previous section” or “Previous section”
“Go to the last section” or “Last section”

General Outlook Navigation

“Go to the Calendar view” or “Calendar”
“Go to the Messages view” or “Messages”
“Go to the Contacts view” or “Contacts”
“Go to the Tasks view” or “Tasks”
“Go to the Notes view” or “Notes”

Navigating Outlook Messages

“Go to Attachments” or “Attachments”
“Display the list of links” or “List links”
“Display the list of headings” or “List headings”
“Display the list of graphics” or “List graphics”
“Display the list of tables” or “List tables”
“Display the list of grammatical errors” or “List grammatical errors”
“Display the list of spelling errors” or “List spelling errors”

What is JAWS OCR?

JAWS OCR is a feature that performs Ocular Character Recognition (OCR) on graphics, documents, application windows, and the computer screen. What is OCR? It is process wherein textual information is generated from an image file, thereby making is accessible to screen reading software.

Why would one want to use OCR? Many times screen reader users may encounter files or images (etc.) that visually contain text but JAWS can’t read them. For example, if I take a picture of street sign, there is no way for a screen reader to read the text on the sign. There is no textual data in that image file. However, if I use a program to perform OCR on the image, now I have text that can be read.

A more common use of OCR is dealing with scanned documents. If I have a printed document and I put it through a scanner, the file that I get on my computer is little more than an image. Visually, all the text can be read. However, the file contains no text, so JAWS would not be able to tell you anything about it. If you take that file and perform OCR, you can generate text for JAWS to read.

How do you use JAWS OCR?

Perform OCR on the current control (such as a graphical button) | Insert + Spacebar, then O, then C
Perform OCR on the current application window | Insert + Spacebar, then O, then W
Perform OCR on the entire screen | Insert + Spacebar, then O, then S
Perform OCR on a PDF document | Insert + Spacebar, then O, then D
Perform OCR on a file | Insert + Spacebar, then O, then R
Cancel OCR in progress | Insert + Spacebar, then O, then Q
Get OCR help info | Insert + Spacebar, then O, then Question Mark (Shift + Forward Slash)

Perform OCR on a control

Let’s go through instances in which we’d use the commands above, because there are a lot of them. Starting at the top, why perform OCR on the current control? This would likely be a troubleshooting step. It’s relatively common that we encounter a button in an application or in webpage that JAWS calls blank or unlabeled or simply has no information on. Many times, the developed forgot to add this description because the purpose of the control is indicated visually. Imagine a button that says “Print” on it, but JAWS calls the button blank. Using JAWS OCR, we can read the visual text on this type of control.

Perform OCR on the application window

Similar to above, this feature, in my mind, would be much more commonly used as a troubleshooting feature rather than a way to do reading. So, when might you use it? Possibly on an application that JAWS is encountering a lot of unlabeled or blank information. Maybe a particularly inaccessible webpage? Or a piece of software that hasn’t been designed for JAWS?

Perform OCR on the entire screen

Again, this feature is more for troubleshooting than reading documents, etc. I might use this feature is my PC is performing strangely, and I am suspicious there is a pop-up window on the screen. In some instances, messages or alerts from certain application or system software can pop-up on the screen. Despite the messages being displayed on the screen, JAWS can’t actually get these windows in focus, they only respond to the mouse pointer. If that were the case, you could use the screen OCR feature to see what might be lurking on your screen.

Perform OCR on a PDF document

This is where the fun begins for JAWS OCR. As we saw above, the first three commands were more there for troubleshooting. However, document OCR allows us to read those files lacking textual data. So, I open a PDF and JAWS has nothing to say? I perform my JAWS OCR document command (Insert + Spacebar, then O, then D). JAWS will say that OCR has started, then a new window will open with my text results. I can read through the text results the same way I would read anything, using the up and down arrows. I can Alt + Tab away from the document window and come back. Very easy!

Perform OCR on a file (New in JAWS 2021)

This last feature is what was added with JAWS 2021. Now, a JAWS user has the ability to scan an inaccessible document from Windows File Explorer. But why? Can’t you just open a PDF a read it that way? Yes – but this feature is a little different. Instead of opening in a JAWS results viewer window, you can have the results sent directly to a Word document. Further, you can use this feature without having to remember any key commands. From file explorer, use Shift + F10 to open the context menu on the document you want to scan. Then, you’ll now see options in the context menu to use Convenient OCR to Word with JAWs and Convenient OCR with JAWS.

What is Picture Smart?

Picture Smart is a feature built into JAWS (starting with the 2019 version) that allows users to submit images for analysis. Why would you want to analyze a photo? To get a textual description and info of the picture. Below are the keyboard commands to use Picture Smart. As you can see, there are different keystroke combinations contexts we may encounter images.

Describe a photo acquired from the Pearl Camera or a flatbed scanner | Insert + Spacebar, then P, then A

Describe a selected image in Windows File Explorer | Insert + Spacebar, then P, then F

Describe the current control | Insert + Spacebar, then P, then C

Describe an image on the Windows Clipboard | Insert + Spacebar, then P, then B

Example of Using Picture Smart: Describing Current Control

We’ll try it out. Below is a picture of me. The photo is a selfie of me giving a thumbs up to the camera.

We’ll start out as if we had this image open in Photos app in Windows 10 (that is a default photo viewer in Windows 10, so this would be what we would likely get if we opened the image file). So, for this one, I am going to use the command to get a description of the current control (Insert + Spacebar, then P, then C). When I do this, JAWS will say “Picture Smart in Progress”. Then, a new window opens that contains the textual analysis of my image. This window is titled Picture Smart Results. You can Alt + Tab away from the Window and return to it. Below is what the results window tells me about my image:

Caption is a man in glasses looking at the camera.

These tags describe the photo

human face, person, smile, text.

These tags probably describe the photo

glasses, indoor.

This tag possibly describes the photo

man.

So, how did it do? Pretty well. The picture is me smiling and giving thumbs up. From the results, we got the following info pointing to me: human face, person, smile, glasses, and man. We also learned the image is indoors. The results also said text, which may lead you to believe that I might have added some text to this photo. I did not. What that seems to be pointing to is the text in the Photos app interface. We can see this for ourselves in a moment.

At the bottom of the picture Smart Results Window, there is a link labeled More results. If we activate this link, we’ll hear JAWS once again say “Picture Smart is in Progress”. Then our Picture Smart Results Window gets updated with expanded results. Below are those expanded results.

Caption is a man in glasses looking at the camera.

Total number of faces in this photo is 1.

This text appears in the photo

Photos – IMG 6158.JPG
A See all photos

• Add to
  A Edit & Create v
  IA Share.

These objects appear in the photo

Ceiling fan, Glasses.

This object probably appears in the photo

Person.

These tags describe the photo

Ceiling fan, Eye, Eyebrow, Glasses, Hand, human face, person, Smile, text, Vision care.

These tags probably describe the photo

Gesture, Happy, indoor, Jaw.

This tag possibly describes the photo

man.

As you can see, the More results link gave us a bit more information on the image. Specifically, we learned what that text result was pointing to: the text in the Photos app interface (i.e. Add to, A Edit & Create v, IA Share). We also got some info about the background (Ceiling fan). It wasn’t able to tell us that I was making a thumbs up, but it did include gesture as a possible tag.

Example of Using Picture Smart: Describing Selected Image in Windows File Explorer

Lets try again, but this time we will use the command to launch picture smart from Windows File Explorer (Insert + Spacebar, then P, then F). Very similar as our last command, we get a Smart Results Window. Below is the information it gives us:

Caption is a man wearing glasses and smiling at the camera.

These tags describe the photo

glasses, human face, man, person.

These tags probably describe the photo

indoor, selfie, smile.

Did we learn anything new? Not really, pretty similar to when we used the control command from the Photos app. However, this time we did get the word Selfie, which was missing from our first attempt with the control command. What happens when we select more results this time? Take a look below.

Caption is a man wearing glasses and smiling at the camera.

Total number of faces in this photo is 1.

These objects probably appear in the photo

Ceiling fan, Glasses, Person.

These tags describe the photo

glasses, Hand, human face, Light, man, Organ, person, Photograph, Smile, Thumbs signal, Vision care.

These tags probably describe the photo

Ceiling fan, Gesture, indoor, selfie.

Again, we have pretty similar results as we did with the control command. However, this time we did get the tag thumbs signal, which I have to interpret as meaning thumbs up.

So, that is the JAWS Picture Smart. But what did they add in 2021?

JAWS 2021 Picture Smart Improvements

Below are the features added to Picture Smart in JAWS 2021.

Describing images on web pages

From Freedom Scientific: “If focused on an image that is part of a web page, such as a photo on Facebook, pressing INSERT+SPACEBAR, P followed by C now describes the photo.”

Let’s try this out. I went to my Facebook page and found a picture I posted of my three sons (5, 3, and 1 at the time) sitting on a couch watching a movie. Below is the actual Image:

Now, before we use Picture Smart, lets see what Facebook’s automatic Alt Text describes this picture as: May be a picture of one person and baby. Not very descriptive or entirely correct. Now, lets try it with Picture Smart.

Caption is a baby sitting on a couch.

These tags describe the photo

baby, boy, child, clothing, human face, indoor, person, sofa.

These tags probably describe the photo

infant, smile.

These tags possibly describe the photo

newborn, seat.

This tag vaguely describes the photo

toddler.

As you can see, the Picture Smart gave us a little more info than Facebook. Now, lets check out the more info link:

Caption is a baby sitting on a couch.

Total number of faces in this photo is 3.

These objects probably appear in the photo

Person, Top.

This object possibly appears in the photo

Clothing.

These tags describe the photo

baby, boy, child, clothing, Comfort, Couch, Eye, Facial expression, Furniture, Head, human face, indoor, Organ, person, Smile, sofa.

These tags probably describe the photo

infant, Living room, Sharing.

These tags possibly describe the photo

newborn, seat.

This tag vaguely describes the photo

toddler.

Like before, More results gives us the most complete description of the image. Without More results, you’d likely be unsure how many people the image contained. Note that you need to navigate to the image on the web for the command to work correctly. If you try it in the wrong place, JAWS will tell you that the control is not an image.

Submitting images to multiple services to help improve accuracy 

From Freedom Scientific: “By default, images are submitted to Microsoft for analyzing. However, the Results Viewer now contains a More Results link which submits the image again to additional services for analyzing and displays an updated description. You can also add SHIFT to a Picture Smart command to use multiple services. For example, INSERT+SPACEBAR, P followed by SHIFT+F, SHIFT+C, or SHIFT+B.”

We’ve already seen what the More results link can bring us. From the two images we’ve looked at, it seems like More results gives us a better idea of the image than the standard results. Using the shift key as outlined above, you might save yourself some time and jump straight to more results.

Using Picture Smart in multiple languages

From Freedom Scientific: “If you are using JAWS or Fusion in a language other than English and you attempt to use Picture Smart, JAWS and Fusion will use machine translation to display descriptions in the particular language. You can also manually choose from 38 languages for displaying results, configurable using the new Picture Smart Language option in Settings Center.”

More languages are always a great feature.

Update: Use Picture Smart from File Explorer

You can perform Picture Smart scanning without having to remember the keyboard command! How? If you have a file in Windows File Explorer, simply navigate to it and open the context menu (Shift + F10). In the menu, you’ll see an option Picture Smart with JAWS. Simply activate this option and JAWS will perform Picture Smart on your image file.

1. Open Windows File Explorer by pressing the Windows button and E.
2. Use Shift + Tab to move from the Item list to the tree view.
3. Use the up and down arrows to navigate to your downloads folder.
4. Press enter to open the downloads folder and then tab to move into the list view.
5. Use the up and down arrows to navigate to your book.
6. From your book, use Shift + F10 to open the context menu.
7. Use down arrow to navigate to extract all and press enter.
8. The Extract Compressed dialog will open. Press enter.
9. A file explorer window with your extracted files will open. Use Alt + F4 to close it. This will return you to the initial file explorer window.
10. Use the down arrow to find the extracted copy of your book. It will appear below the zipped version. If you are unsure you have the correct version, press right arrow twice on the book. The extracted version should have be type file folder.
11. Use Ctrl + C to copy your extracted book.
12. Use Shift + Tab to move from the list view to the tree view.
13. Use the up and down arrow to navigate the tree view to find your external drive.
14. Press enter to open your external drive and then tab to move into the list view.
15. Use the down arrow to move through the items on your external drive. If you’d like to clear your external drive, use Ctrl + A to select all and then delete to clear the contents. If your drive is already empty, you will get no voice feedback when you use the arrow keys.
16. Use Ctrl + V to paste your extracted book onto your external drive.