Narrator is the integrated screen reader available in Windows.

The Jaws user guide contains further information. For example Shift + h moves to the previous heading. Note: Use the Shift key with the above commands to move to the previous instance of the element instead of the next. Read from cursor point to the bottom of the pageĬontrol + Alt + up/down/left/right arrow keys Jaws uses the Numpad Insert key to modify the behaviour of other keys on a desktop keyboard, or the Capslock key on a laptop keyboard. Jaws officially supports Firefox and Internet Explorer. It can be installed on the desktop or run from a portable USB drive. Jaws is a proprietary screen reader for Windows from Freedom Scientific.

This post focuses on four popular desktop screen readers: Jaws, Narrator, NVDA and VoiceOver. It’s based on a very small sample of people, but it still provides a useful glimpse into the technologies used by blind or partially sighted people. The best source of information we have is the WebAIM screen reader survey (last conducted in January 2014). There isn’t much information available about the platforms, devices and screen readers that people use.

Even with these useful screen reader commands, you won’t experience things in the same way as a person who uses a screen reader all the time. Just remember not to make design decisions based only on your tests. When you test your website with a screen reader there are a few basic commands you should know.

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