Category: Technology

Screen Reader Tutorials

Are you new to using a screen reader or looking for resources to help you learn how to use a screen reader more effectively?

Below are links to tutorials for three popular screen readers,  NVDA, JAWS and Voice Over.

Learn NVDA

From the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB),  NVDA is a free screen reader  for Windows. AFT offers tutorials, “Learn NVDA” which have been designed to allow a person who is blind or visually impaired, and entirely new to NVDA, to independently install the program and learn how to use it. Learn NVDA will teach you:

  • How to install NVDA on your computer
  • How to navigate Microsoft Windows with NVDA
  • How to use NVDA Hotkeys
  • How to install and use the Firefox internet browser

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Getting Started with JAWS

If you are new to the Freedom Scientific product,  JAWS and wondering where to start, these Basic Training lessons  will teach you how to begin using some of the more commonly used JAWS features. Each module takes you step-by-step through performing many common tasks including starting JAWS, adjusting speech, reading documents, browsing the Internet, and much more. As you work through a lesson, try using the various features on your computer as the instructor demonstrates them.

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Learning Voice Over

VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.’s macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The link below helps users learn VoiceOver basics.

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Apps for Academics: Mobile Websites and Apps

Looking for suggestions for apps students will find helpful for their classes and research? MIT libraries at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has put together a  series of libguides featuring useful apps for academics

The lists feature  assistive technology apps and tools, many of which are free.  Each listed app is briefly described and links to down the app and/or learn more are included. The apps are organized by the following categories:

Faculty and staff will also find many of apps featured useful.

 

Related posts

Augsburg College Recommends: Free and Low-Cost Assistive Technology

Ask Questions During College Visits about Assistive Technology Services

Amanda Morin, writing for  Understood,  prepared a helpful checklist discussing assistive technology (AT). Morin says that high school students who used  AT during high school, should  ask questions  during college visits about what AT services are available on campus.  Morin’s list of questions is reproduced below.

Assistive Technology Policies

  • What’s the name of the office of disability support services at this college?
  • Is a specific person responsible for dealing with AT for students with issues like mine?
  • What’s required to be eligible for AT accommodations at this college?
  • What documentation do you need and when? Who should get it?
  • Will I need to describe how AT devices have aided me in the past?
  • Will you need me to provide an explanation of how AT will help me complete required coursework at college?
  • Does approval to use AT resources require reauthorization? How often?
  • Who on campus can help me figure out what AT tools I qualify to use? How quickly can I expect to get them?
  • Does this college allow use of AT tools for exams?
  • If so, do students need to take exams in an AT lab or other setting, or can the exams be taken in the classroom?
  • Would I need to make special proctoring arrangements for exams that are taken with AT assistance?
  • Will the office of disability services make or help make those arrangements for me?
  • Will the college make print materials available to me in electronic format, audio tape, or large print?
  • If I use screen-reading software, is the college web content compatible with my software? (For example, course registration software, library databases, class discussion boards and notes.)
  • How do I let my professors know about my AT accommodations?
  • Who should my professors talk to if they have questions?
  • Who coordinates AT accommodations (during lectures, while doing assignments, and taking tests) between the professor and the disability office?

Access to Assistive Technology

  • Are there accessible computer stations and AT devices in areas on campus other than the AT labs (such as in dorms or libraries)?
  • Will I be able to borrow equipment from an AT lab on campus?
  • How many AT labs are there?
  • Are AT tools available 24 hours a day and on weekends?
  • Do students need to sign up for time slots in advance?
  • What specific resources do AT labs on campus provide? (Make sure to ask specifically about what you need and software that is compatible with your devices.)
  • What type of training is provided for certain AT tools?
  • Are manuals or online tutorials available?
  • If I want to ask questions of other students who are using AT tools, will somebody be able to put me in touch?
  • Does the school maintain, update and repair its AT equipment regularly?
  • If something goes wrong, how quickly is it fixed?
  • Will the college order and pay for AT devices that I need that are not already available?
  • Who can help me if I have a problem accessing school-related information and materials?

Amanda Morin is a  former teacher and the author of The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education. The original of this post may be found at Checklist: What to Ask Colleges About Assistive Technology