Function	Equivalent VoiceOver Gesture	Hotkey Command	Section	Mode
Press the home button	Single press of the home button	VO + H	Home Button
Open App Switcher	Double press of the home button	VO + H (twice)	Home Button
Turn VoiceOver off	Triple press of the home button	VO + H (three times)	Home Button
Select the previous/ next item	Single finger flick to the left and right	VO +Left Arrow/ Right Arrow	Single Finger Gesture
Select the previous/ next item	Single finger flick to the left and right	Left Arrow/ Right Arrow	Single Finger Gesture	Quick Nav
Activate an item	Single finger double-tap	VO + Space	Single Finger Gesture
Activate an item	Single finger double-tap	Up Arrow + Down Arrow	Single Finger Gesture	Quick Nav
Read from the current position	Two finger swipe down	VO + A	Two Finger Gesture
Read from the top of the page	Two finger swipe up	VO + B	Two Finger Gesture
Pause reading	Two finger single tap	Control	Two Finger Gesture
Open the Item Chooser	Two finger triple-tap	VO + I	Two Finger Gesture
Play/ pause media	Two finger double-tap	VO + –	Two Finger Gesture
Dismiss an alert or go back to the previous screen	Two Finger Scrub	Escape	Two Finger Gesture
Mute or unmute VoiceOver	Three finger double-tap	VO + S	Three Finger Gesture
Toggle the screen curtain on and off	Three finger triple-tap	VO + Shift + S	Three Finger Gesture
Scroll up	Three finger swipe up	Option + Up Arrow	Three Finger Gesture	Quick Nav
Scroll down	Three finger swipe down	Option + Down Arrow	Three Finger Gesture	Quick Nav
Scroll left	Three finger swipe left	Option + Left Arrow	Three Finger Gesture	Quick Nav
Scroll right	Three finger swipe right	Option + Right Arrow	Three Finger Gesture	Quick Nav
Move to the first item	Four finger single-tap on the top half of the screen	Control + Up Arrow	Four Finger Gesture	Quick Nav
Move to the last item	Four finger single-tap on the bottom half of the screen	Control + Down Arrow	Four Finger Gesture	Quick Nav
Turn on VoiceOver Help	Four finger double tap	VO + K	Four Finger Gesture
Turn off VoiceOver Help	Four finger double tap OR two finger scrub	Escape	Four Finger Gesture
Select the previous/ next Rotor item	Single finger flick up and down	VO + Up Arrow / Down Arrow	Rotor
Select the previous/ next Rotor item	Single finger flick up and down	Up Arrow / Down Arrow	Rotor	Quick Nav
Select the previous/ next Rotor item	Single finger flick up and down	VO + Command + Left Arrow/ Down Arrow	Rotor
Adjust the rotor	The rotor gesture	Left Arrow + Up Arrow / Up Arrow + Right Arrow	Rotor	Quick Nav
Switch between open apps		Command + Tab	Keyboard Only
Move to status bar		VO + M	Keyboard Only
Copy the last spoken text to the clipboard		VO + Shift + C	Keyboard Only
Search for text		VO + F	Keyboard Only
Open Notification Center		fn + VO + Up Arrow	Keyboard Only
Open Control Center		fn + VO + Down Arrow	Keyboard Only
Turn Quick Navigation on		Left Arrow + Right Arrow	Keyboard Only
Turn Single Letter Quick Navigation on		VO + Q	Keyboard Only
Navigate through headings		H	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through links		L	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through text fields		R	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through buttons		B	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through form controls		C	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through images		I	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through tables		T	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through static text		S	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through ARIA landmarks		W	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through lists		X	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through items of the same type		M	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through level 1 headings		1	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through level 2 headings		2	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through level 3 headings		3	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through level 4 headings		4	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through level 5 headings		5	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Navigate through level 6 headings		6	Keyboard Only	Single Letter Quick Nav
Move by character		Left Arrow / Right Arrow	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Move by line		Up Arrow / Down Arrow	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Go to the beginning/ end of line		Command + Left Arrow/ Right Arrow	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Go to the beginning/ end of paragraph		Option + Left Arrow/ Right Arrow	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Go to the previous/ next paragraph		Option + Up Arrow/ Down Arrow	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Go to the top or bottom of the text field		Command + Up Arrow/ Down Arrow	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Select all text		Command + A	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Copy		Command + C	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Cut		Command + X	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Paste		Command + V	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Undo		Command + Z	Keyboard Only	Text Edit
Open keyboard hints		Command	Keyboard Only

Web Pages and HTML

Web pages are special files called HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) documents. While web pages can be very complicated, HTML files are relatively simple. They are text documents that include special tags that tell the browser program how to display and inventory them.

In-session Exercise: Below you’ll find links to the same HTML file. The first one shows the file being displayed by a browser. The second is a Word file that contains the text markup for the page. Use the JAWS read all command (Insert + Down Arrow) to read these documents.

Example web page

Example HTML document

The Web and Accessibility

You have probably noticed that some websites are more accessible than other websites. This is similar to how some software programs are more accessible than other software programs. The accessibility of a piece of software depends on the developers – the program can be made accessible if the programmers have the know how and the time to make it so. Similarly, webpages can be made accessible if the web developer makes them accessible. The problem is creating a webpage is extremely simple. There are software programs, apps, and webpages that help people with no knowledge of HTML create their own websites. Since there is no control over the quality of HTML markup and pretty much anyone can create a webpage, you’re going to find that many websites are not accessible!

If you want to read more about web accessibility, feel free to visit the link below to the American Foundation for the Blind’s article on Creating Accessible Websites

AFB Creating Accessible Websites

Web Browser Key Commands

There are a number of integral shortcut commands that are available with or without using JAWS. These commands work in all the major web browser program (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome).
Move to Address bar	Ctrl + L
Go to your home page	Alt + Home
Open a new tab	Ctrl + T
Switch between tabs	Ctrl + Tab
Close a tab	Ctrl + W
Open a new window	Ctrl + N

JAWS Key Commands for Web Browsing

There are a huge amount of hotkeys that can be used for navigating and interacting with web pages with JAWS. We’re going to start slow. Many of the hotkeys help JAWS users navigate through the content of the webpage – jumping from item to item.

General Hotkeys for Web Browsers

Go back a page	Alt + Left Arrow
Go forward a page	Alt + Right Arrow
Refresh a page	Ctrl + F5
Read Address bar	Insert + A

Headings

Headings are titles of pages or sections. In HTML, developers use h tags to mark headings. Headings have different levels with the highest level headings being marked with the h1 tag and lower level headings being marked with h2, h3, h4, and so on.
Navigate through headings	H
List headings	Insert + F6

Links

Links or “Hyperlinks” are text that contain a reference to another web address. When you click a link, you are typically taken to a new webpage. In HTML, links are distinguished with anchor tags.
Navigate through unvisited links	U
Navigate through visited links	V
List links	Insert + F7

Form Fields

Filling out online forms is a big part of web browsing.
Navigate through form fields	F
List of form fields	Insert + F5

Last Note

In HTML, you can nest your tags. What does that mean? You can have something like a link that is also an image. So, when you’re finding lists of web elements, you may notice that something may appear on more than one of your lists.

Capture a Page	F4 + Space
Navigate to File	Alt + F
Navigate to Edit	Alt + E
Navigate to Acquire	Alt + Q
Navigate to View	Alt + V
Navigate to Tools	Alt + T
Navigate to Launch	Alt + C
Navigate to Advanced	Alt + A
Navigate to Settings	Alt + G
Navigate to Low Vision	Alt + L
Navigate to Window	Alt + W
Navigate to Help	Alt + H
Navigate Between File Menus	Left & Right Arrow Keys
Navigate Within File Menus	Up & Down Arrow Keys
New Document	Ctrl + N
Open a Saved Document	Ctrl + O
Save Document	Ctrl + S
Close a Document	Ctrl + F4
Close OpenBook	Alt + F4
Switch Between Edit Mode and Read-only Mode	Ctrl + E
Undo	Ctrl + Z
Find	Ctrl + F

Cut, copy, paste, and other common shortcuts

Many of the shortcuts in OS X are almost exactly the same as the shortcuts you may be used to from Windows. All the common commands below are exactly the same in Windows and OS X with the main difference that we swap the Ctrl button (Windows) with the Command button (Mac).
Cut	Command + X
Copy	Command + C
Paste	Command + V
Undo	Command + Z
Find	Command + F
New	Command + N
Open	Command + O
Print	Command + P
Save	Command + S
Close	Command + W
Quit	Command + Q
Bold	Command + B
Italicize	Command + I
Underline	Command + U

Reading with VoiceOver

Reading with VoiceOver is similar to reading with other screen reading programs. There are commands to read by character, word, line, sentence, paragraph, and more. As well, these commands are largely based on the arrow keys. However, users coming from Windows will notice some differences in keystroke patterning.
Read previous character	VO + Shift + Left Arrow
Read current character	VO + C
Read next character	VO + Shift + Right Arrow
Read previous word	VO + Left Arrow
Read current word	VO + W
Read next word	VO + Right Arrow
Read previous line	VO + Up Arrow
Read current line	VO + L
Read next line	VO + Down Arrow
Read previous sentence	VO + Command + Page Up
Read current sentence	VO + S
Read next sentence	VO + Command + Page Down
Read previous paragraph	VO + Shift + Page Up
Read current paragraph	VO + P
Read next paragraph	VO + Shift + Page Down
Read all from beginning	VO + B
Read text attributes	VO + T

Navigating in OS X

In the Mac world, we have a whole cluster of hotkeys for moving the cursor. VoiceOver reading doesn’t move the cursor. This is a large departure from other screen readers. So, to navigate a document or select text, we’ll need to use another set of hotkeys.
Move the insertion point to the beginning of document	Command + Up Arrow
Move the insertion point to the end of document	Command + Down Arrow
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the current line	Command + Left Arrow
Move the insertion point to the end of the current line	Command + Right Arrow
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word	Option + Left Arrow
Move the insertion point to the end of the next word	Option + Right Arrow
Scroll up one page	Function + Up Arrow
Scroll down one page	Function + Down Arrow

Selecting Text

Using these navigation commands, we can add the modifier Shift and select text (just like in Windows!). Unlike Windows, VoiceOver also has a selection mode we can use to select text.
Extend text selection one character to the left	Shift + Left Arrow
Extend text selection one character to the right	Shift + Right Arrow
Extend Text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line above	Shift + Up Arrow
Extend Text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line below	Shift + Down Arrow
Select all the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the document	Shift + Command + Up Arrow
Select all the text between the insertion point and the end of the document	Shift + Command + Down Arrow
Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the current line	Shift + Command + Left Arrow
Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the current line	Shift + Command + Right Arrow
Extend text selection to the beginning of the current word, then to the beginning of the following word if pressed again	Shift + Option + Left Arrow
Extend text selection to the end of the current word, then to the end of the following word if pressed again	Shift + Option + Right Arrow
Extend text selection to the beginning of the current paragraph, then to the beginning of the following paragraph if pressed again	Shift + Option + Up Arrow
Extend text selection to the end of the current paragraph, then to the end of the following paragraph if pressed again	Shift + Option + Down Arrow
Select all objects and text	Command + A
Enter VO selection mode	VO + Enter
Read what is selected by the VO cursor	VO + F6

What is Excel?

Excel is a program for organizing data. You can create tables, graphs, and lists.

Workbooks, Worksheets, Columns, and Rows

Each Excel file is a workbook. Each workbook can has one or more worksheets. The worksheet is where you find cells and enter data. When you think about using Excel, you’re usually thinking about using the worksheet. Each new worksheet is like a new blank document, but it is within the same workbook.

Worksheets are spreadsheets organized by columns (vertical) and rows (horizontal). The rows are numbered, starting with one an going up. Columns are labeled alphabetically, starting with A and continuing to Z, then AA to AZ, and so on until ZZZ.

The Cell in Excel

The unit where a column and row meet is a cell. Cells are where the data (numbers, text, etc.) of the spreadsheet resides. The cell title is a combination of its column and row designations. For example, the cell in the first row and first column is A1. Further, the cell in the 4th column and 18th row is D18.

We can move from cell to cell using the arrow keys. Each arrow key will move you by cell in whatever direction you’ve selected. As we move into new cells, JAWS will announce the contents and location of the cell.

Opening, Saving, and Printing

Read the title bar of the active program | Insert + T

Open the file tab to save, open, print, and more | Alt + F

Create a new empty document | Ctrl + N

Open a saved document | Ctrl + O

Save file | F12

Print | Ctrl + P

Using the Ribbon with Excel

Excel uses a visual ribbon toolbar like other Microsoft Office applications. Below are keyboard commands that are helpful when working with the ribbon.

Move focus between the ribbon and the document | Alt

Move through the buttons within a ribbon tab | Tab

Move through the different ribbon tabs | Arrow Keys

Read the item currently in focus | Insert + Tab

Navigating the Worksheet

Navigating the Excel spreadsheet requires a whole series of hotkeys on its own. Spreadsheets can be large and complex, and it is easy to get lost. We already learned we can navigate the spreadsheet by using the arrow keys, but this will be too slow in some cases. Below are commands that will allow you to work with Excel with speed and clarity.

Move focus to the first cell in the worksheet | Ctrl + Home

Move focus to the last cell of contiguous data in the worksheet | Ctrl + End

Read the active cell’s contents | Insert + Tab

Read the active cell’s coordinates | Insert + C

Move to the last populated cell in any direction | Ctrl + Arrow Keys

Move until focus encounters a populated cell in any direction | Ctrl + Arrow Keys

Naming Columns and Rows

Excel is easier to use when we give columns and rows names instead of only using their coordinates.

To name a column, move your focus to the row that contains column titles and use the command below. To name a row, move your focus to the column that contains row titles and use the command below.

Name the active column | Insert + Alt + Ctrl + C

Name the active row | Insert + Alt + Ctrl + R

Read the column title | Insert + Alt + Shift + C

Read the row title | Insert + Alt + Shift + R

Cells with Data

Finding data that isn’t next to each other in Excel can be hard. How many empty cells do you have to skip before you know you didn’t miss anything? Luckily, JAWS has tools to make this easy.

The “cells with data” menu shows all the non-blank cells in your workbook. Use the up and down arrows to move through the list. When you find the cell you want, press Enter and JAWS will jump to it.

Open the cells with data menu | Ctrl + Shift + D

Open list of cells in active column | Insert + Shift + C

Open list of cells in active row | Insert +Shift + R

Selecting Data

In Excel, knowing how to select data is important. You may need to delete, move, or format whole columns, rows, or parts of a spreadsheet. Here are some key commands to help you do that.

Select all contiguous data in the active section of the worksheet | Ctrl + A

Select all data in the worksheet | Ctrl + A, then Ctrl + A

Select all cells in active column | Ctrl + Space

Select all cells in active row | Shift + Space

Read the bounds of the selected text | Insert + Shift + Down Arrow

Formatting Text

Excel allows you to change how your text looks.

Bold selected text | Ctrl + B

Italicize selected text | Ctrl + I

Underline selected text | Ctrl + U

Read formatting attributes of selected text | Insert + F

Making Your Data Work

Excel can do much more than hold data in columns and rows. It can do a range of computations. If you start a cell entry with the equals sign, that will make that cell a formula. Try this out! Enter the following text into a cell in Excel: =1+1. What does JAWS say when you read the contents of this cell now?

Turn on cell edit mode | F2

Format edit combo box | Alt + H, then N

Announces the formula | Insert + Ctrl + F2

Working with Worksheets

We can use new worksheets to create related tables and figures. For example, a workbook called “Budget” might have two worksheets: Income and Expenses. Excel is a flexible program, and you can use it in whatever way meets your needs.

Insert a new worksheet | Alt + Shift + F1 or Shift + F11

Move to the next sheet in a workbook | Ctrl + Page Up

Move to the previous sheet in a workbook | Ctrl + Page Down

Follow-up Exercise

The exercise below is based on the Excel 2013 with JAWS lesson. Please feel free to refer to the lesson or any other resource while completing this assignment.

For questions 1 to 3, use example spreadsheet 3

1. Where is the data in this spreadsheet?

2. Name the columns with data.

3. Add data to column E for each row with data. Name the column “Favorite Food” and simply add a different food for each row.

For questions 4 and 5, use example spreadsheet 4

4. Name the columns with the contents of row 1. Don’t worry about naming column A.

5. Name the rows with the contents of column A. Don’t worry about naming row 1.

For questions 6 to 8, use example spreadsheet 5

6. Format the contents of column B so that they appear as currency.

7. Format the contents of column C so that they appear as percentages.

8. Copy the contents of column B and paste them into column D.

For questions 9, use example spreadsheet 6

9. This spreadsheet contains two columns – column A has Excel formulas and column B has what the formulas are as text. Fix the errors in this spreadsheet and fill in any empty cells (in rows with corresponding data).

Please record your answers to the questions below and send them to me via email at james.allen@vermont.gov prior to our next training.

What is VoiceOver?

VoiceOver is a Screen Reader. Screen readers are software applications that will attempt to identify, interpret, and read the information being presented on the computer’s screen.

OS X is Apple’s operating system for desktops and laptops. VoiceOver is built in to OS X machines and iOS devices including iPad, iPhone, iPod. iOS was built off of and is closely related to OS X, but they are not one and the same.

OS X VoiceOver and iOS VoiceOver are not the same either. OSX VoiceOver operates off of keyboard input like other screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, Window-Eyes, and Dolphin. iOS VoiceOver operates off of touch screen gestures similar to other mobile device screen readers such as Android Talkback and Windows Narrator.

A (brief) History of OS X

The Macintosh project began in 1978 and was taken over by Steve Jobs in 1981. Apple released its first version of Mac OS, called “System” in 1984. This was followed by various updated versions from 1984 to 1999. In 1999, Apple released Mac OS 9. This version was followed by the Mac OS X series. Below you’ll find the various versions of OS X, their release dates, and version numbers.
Kodiak	Released in 2001, Kodiak was a preview version of Mac OS X.
Cheetah	Released in 2001, Cheetah was Mac OS X version 10.0.
Puma	Released in 2001, Puma was Mac OS X version 10.1.
Jaguar	Released in 2002, Jaguar was Mac OS X version 10.2.
Panther	Released in 2003, Panther was Mac OS X version 10.3.
Tiger	Released in 2005, Panther was Mac OS X version 10.4.
Leopard	Released in 2007, Panther was Mac OS X Version 10.5.
Snow Leopard	Released in 2009, Snow Leopard was Mac OS X Version 10.6.
Lion	Released in 2011, Lion was Mac OS X version 10.7
Mountain Lion	Released in 2012, Mountain Lion was Mac OS X version 10.8.
Mavericks	Released in 2013, Mavericks was Mac OS X version 10.9
Yosemite	Released in 2014, Yosemite was Mac OS X version 10.10.
El Capitan	Released in 2015, El Capitan is Mac OS X version 10.11. It is the most recent version of OS X.
How can I find out what Apple computer I have?	Go to the Apple button, the leftmost item on the menu bar in the top left corner of the screen. This will open a dropdown menu. Find “About this Mac”. This will open the About This Mac menu which will tell you your current version of Mac OS X and your processor and memory specs.

From Windows to Apple – the Great Transition

For most people, Microsoft Windows is the operating system they were first introduced to. Windows machines are commonly in workplaces, schools, libraries, and more. So, for many, moving to the Mac world is a transition. This is especially true for a screen reader user moving from a program like JAWS or Window-Eyes on a Windows machine to using a Mac with VoiceOver.

Why is it so tough? The bottom line is: Mac is really a whole new world. There is not going to be a Windows equivalent for every program, setting, and hotkey. This means that new users will find that there are things they could do in Windows that they can’t do in Mac and visa versa. The Mac world runs a little differently, especially on the accessibility side of things.

What’s different? The layout of the interface, the layout of the keyboard (to a degree), native applications and utilities, 3rd party applications, and some of the fundamental ways with which you operate the screen reader.

Is Mac harder than PC? No. The problem is that you likely don’t remember the trials and tribulations of learning how to use the Windows computer. As well, you may have forgotten how difficult it was to learn your Windows screen reader. Regardless, OS X and VoiceOver are no more difficult to learn than Windows and programs like JAWS or Window-Eyes (in fact, there are many users who would tell you that VoiceOver is a much more intuitive system than other screen readers). However, you need to keep in mind you’re learning two new skills – OS X and VoiceOver.

The Apple Keyboard

All keyboards – Apple or Windows – differ in some ways. Keyboards from different manufacturers will have different utilities mapped to the function keys. Further some keyboard manufacturers will include extra buttons above the function keys which will do a range of functions – adjust volume, bring you to your homepage, open the calculator app, and more. Further, some Windows keyboards may include a context key in the first row of keys between the Windows button and Ctrl.
So all keyboards differ to some extent. With that being said, all keyboards for Apple and Windows are very similar. Both Windows and Apple use the QWERTY keyboard – this means that the letter, number, and symbol keys (the printable keys) are in the same places.
However, the Apple and Windows keyboards do have some large differences. The differences come in the first row of keys. Apple keyboards do not have Ctrl, Windows, and Alt keys. Instead, the Apple keyboard has Control, Option, and Command keys. There is no one to one equivalency between the first row keys on Windows and Apple. The keys are used differently, though some similarities do exist.
First Row of the typical Windows Keyboard from Left to Right:	Ctrl, Windows, Alt, Space, Alt, Windows, Context, Ctrl, Arrow Keys, Numpad
First Row of the typical Apple Keyboard from Left to Right:	Control, Option, Command, Space, Command, Option, Control, Arrow Keys, Numpad

Turning on and off your Apple Computer

When your Mac is off, press the power button to turn it on.

While on, hold the power button for 1.5 seconds to display a dialog asking if you want to restart, sleep, or shut down. If you don’t want to wait the 1.5 seconds for this dialog, press Control + Power or Control + Media Eject.

To force a shut down, hold the power button for 5 seconds or press Command + Control + Power.

Tour of the OS X Interface

Menu Bar

The Menu Bar is a strip of words and icons across the top of the screen. Clicking on each of these will reveal a different menu of specific commands that allow you to control your Mac and tell it what you want it to do. These menus will change depending on what program or “application” you are using at the moment.
Move to Menu Bar	VO + M

Dock

The Dock is the bar of icons that sits at the bottom or side of your screen. It provides easy access to many of the apps that come with your Mac (like Mail, Safari, and Messages). You can add your own apps, documents and folders to the Dock, too.

VO + D

Desktop

The Desktop is your virtual workspace in Mac’s OS X. It’s the starting point for all the work (and play), and the screen over which everything floats.

Shift + VO + D

Dashboard

Dashboard provides access to several fun and functional, mini applications called widgets. OS X includes widgets for some of your favorite Apple apps, like Contacts and Calendar. These widgets give you quick access to your contacts and events without having to open up an app. You can add more widgets to Dashboard, and even create your own.

F12

Finder

How you access your drives, folders, files, etc.

Command + N

Search

Find files, folders, etc.

VO + F

System Preferences

Preferences for current app.

Command + Comma

Turning VoiceOver On and Off

Command + F5 – Turn VoiceOver on and off

Pro Tips on Starting Screen Readers

An important and sometimes difficult concept for using VoiceOver is to listen. It sounds easy enough but can prove more difficult when exercising it in action. Listening as VoiceOver speaks is critical. VoiceOver will explain the context your in and will often give you directions about what keystrokes are relevant. So, taking a deep breath and being patient is extremely important. If I move the focus with my keyboard while VoiceOver is speaking, VoiceOver will stop speaking about the last active item and move to the new item. This means that if we rush around, we’ll miss what could be critical information.

Don’t get discouraged. Like all screen readers, VoiceOver requires a large amount of memorization – not just of keyboard commands but of menu and program layouts and more. Sometimes you will be completely baffled. Sometimes you’ll forget a keyboard command for the 10th time. It’s okay. It’s all part of the process.

VoiceOver Help

The VoiceOver Help menu is an important resource. Open the help menu with VO + H.
Online Help	Opens the VoiceOver Help section of the Help Center. Use the combination VO + ? to go directly to Online Support.
Commands Help	Commands Help lists out all the VoiceOver hotkeys by type. Use the combination VO + H + H to go directly to Commands Help.
Keyboard Help	A mode where you can explore the keyboard. Hit any key and have VoiceOver echo it back. Hit escape to stop Keyboard Help mode. Use the combination VO + K to go directly to Keyboard Help.
Sounds Help	Sounds help lists the various alert sounds in VoiceOver. Use this menu to better learn the various alert sounds you may encounter in OS X.
Quick Start Tutorial	Launches a tutorial designed to give you an introduction to VoiceOver. Use the keyboard combination VO + Command + F8 to directly launch the Quick Start Tutorial.
Getting Started Guide	Opens a web browser on the VoiceOver Getting Started guide section of the Apple Support site.

Interaction

Windows, documents, and webpages have different areas that contain text, files, or other content. When the VoiceOver cursor reaches one of these areas, it identifies the content area. For example, VoiceOver may identify scroll areas, HTML content, lists, outlines, tables, groups, or text areas.

You can navigate past a content area or you can stop and interact with it to read its contents. For example, you can navigate past the Finder sidebar to get to the view browser, or you can interact with the sidebar to open folders and files.

Press VO-Shift-Down Arrow. If you’re using VoiceOver gestures, flick right with two fingers on the trackpad.

Press VO-Shift-Up Arrow. If you’re using VoiceOver gestures, flick left with two fingers on the trackpad.

The VoiceOver Utility

The VoiceOver Utility has a range of important settings. You can open up this utility with the keyboard combination VO + F8
General	Change your login greeting, turn on/off the welcome dialog when VoiceOver starts, turn on/off and setup portable preferences, toggle on/off Allow VoiceOver to be Controlled with AppleScript.
Verbosity	Change your speech & braille verbosity level: High, Medium, and Low. Change Text verbosity settings related to how and when text is read. Change what VoiceOver announces. Control when and how hints are given.
Speech	Mute and unmute speech, change the VoiceOver voice, and change the rate, pitch, volume, and intonation. In the pronunciation tab, change what VoiceOver speaks when it encounters certain text.
Navigation	Settings related to where VoiceOver focus moves, and how he keyboard cursor, mouse pointer, and VoiceOver focus operate.
Web	Adjust a range of settings related to how VoiceOver navigates and handles web content like tables, images, and more.
Sound	Mute sound effects, enable/ disable positional audio, and choose your audio output device.
Visuals	A range of settings related to the look of the interface. Adjust the size of the mouse cursor, caption font size, braille panel settings, and more.
Commanders	Change keyboard shortcut functionality related to the numpad, keyboard, and Quick Nav.
Braille	Settings related to using a braille display.
Activities	You can use VoiceOver activities to create groups of preferences for specific uses. For example, you can create an activity to use a certain voice and faster speaking rate when you’re shopping online catalogs, and create a second activity to use a different voice and slower speaking rate when you’re reading online newspapers. You can switch activities manually or have VoiceOver switch automatically based on the applications you use.

 

Follow-up Exercise

The exercise below is based on the Word 2013 with JAWS lesson. Please feel free to refer to the lesson or any other resource while completing this assignment.

1. What are five things you can do in the Home Ribbon Tab?

2. What are five things you can do in the Review Ribbon Tab?

3. What are five things you can do in the Insert Ribbon Tab?

For questions 4 to 7, use example document 3

4. Format all the text in the first sentence of the second paragraph so that it is bold.

5. Format all the text in the second sentence of the third paragraph so that it is italicized.

6. Format all the text in the first paragraph so that it is underlined.

7. Format all the text in the third paragraph so that it is three sizes larger than the rest of the document.

8. Open a new blank document, and type three sentences about your dream vacation.

9. Change the line spacing in the new document to double-spaced.

10. Save this new document as a file named “follow up exercise”.

Please record your answers to the questions below and send them to me via email at james.allen@vermont.gov prior to our next training.

Navigation

Read the Title Bar of the Active Program – Insert + T

Move Focus Between the Ribbon and the Document – Alt

Move Through the Buttons within a Ribbon Tab – Tab

Move Through the Different Ribbon Tabs – Arrow Keys

Read the Item Currently in Focus – Insert + Tab

Opening, Saving, and Printing

Open the File Tab to Save, Open, Print, and More	Alt + F
Save	F12
Create a New Empty Document	Ctrl + N
Open a Saved Document	Ctrl + O
Print	Ctrl + P

Formatting Text

Bold Selected Text	Ctrl + B
Open Fonts Menu	Ctrl + D
Italicize Selected Text	Ctrl + I
Underline Selected Text	Ctrl + U
Read Formatting Attributes of Selected Text	Insert + F
Decrease Font Size	Ctrl + [
Increase Font Size	Ctrl + ]
Single-space Lines in Document	Ctrl + 1
Double-space Lines in Document	Ctrl + 2

Review

Start Spelling and Grammar Check	F7
While in Spelling and Grammar Check, reads and spells misspelled word and spells the first suggested correction	Insert + F7

Navigating Thunderbird with JAWS

Show File Menu Bar	Alt
Move Through Sections of the User Interface	Tab
Move Through Items Within Sections	Arrow Keys
Go to Mail Start Page	Alt + Home
Go to Next Message	F
Go to Previous Message	B

Sending and Receiving Messaged

New Message	Ctrl + N
Reply to Message	Ctrl + R
Reply All to Message	Ctrl + Shift + R
Forward Message	Ctrl + L
Get New Messages	F5
Search All Messages	Ctrl + K
Find Text in Current Message	Ctrl + F
Attach File	Ctrl + Shift + A
Send Message	Ctrl + Enter
Close Message	Alt + F4

How To Add Multiple Recipients, Cc, And Bcc

In a new message, use tab to navigate the field that JAWS will call “to colon”. Type out an email address and press enter. You’ll be send to another “to colon” field, and you can add another recipient. If you want to Cc or Bcc someone, simply use tab (shift tab) to navigate to the corresponding “combo box” and use the arrow keys to change between, To, Cc, Bcc, and more.

Navigating Windows File Explorer for Attachments

You can navigate through the different parts of file explorer using tab. To move through folders and files, use the arrow keys. You can search within a folder for a specific file by navigating to the search field by using tab or by pressing Ctrl + F. Keep in mind the idea is to press enter on the file you’d like to attach. You’ll do this in the section JAWS calls “Shell Folder View”.