JAWS 15 Features

Object Navigation Using the Touch Cursor

Certain applications, especially many of the modern-style apps found in Windows 8, do not always work as expected with JAWS when navigating with the standard cursors such as the PC and Virtual PC cursors. Activating the new Touch Cursor enables you to use the ARROW keys on your computer's keyboard, or the controls on your braille display, to navigate through the actual objects in an application similar to using gestures on the touch screen of a tablet. Application objects include everything from menu bars, toolbars, and progress bars, to form controls, regions, links, etc. Press SHIFT+NUM PAD PLUS, or SHIFT+CAPS LOCK+SEMICOLON if using the laptop keyboard layout, to activate the Touch Cursor. To turn it off, activate one of the other cursors, like the JAWS or PC Cursor. Pressing the PC Cursor command (NUM PAD PLUS) will cause JAWS to say "Touch Cursor" and the Touch Cursor will remain active. If Tutor Messages are enabled, JAWS will also speak the message "Double tap to activate PC cursor". Press the PC Cursor command twice quickly to turn off the Touch Cursor and activate the PC Cursor.

The Touch Cursor is enabled by default in certain Windows 8 applications to improve navigation. These apps include News, Weather, and Store. Whenever you move focus to one of these apps, the Touch Cursor is automatically activated. To automatically enable the Touch Cursor in another application, press INSERT+V to open Quick Settings while focused in the application where you want to use the Touch Cursor, expand the Touch Cursor Options group, and then select Automatic Activation. You must do this for every application where you want to have JAWS automatically turn on the Touch Cursor.

Once the Touch Cursor is active, pressing RIGHT or LEFT ARROW will move to the next or previous object on the screen. This is the same as doing a left or right flick on a touch screen. Pressing UP or DOWN ARROW will move to the previous or next object by type. By default, these commands will move by region, or group if you are on the Windows 8 Start screen. This is the same as doing an up or down flick on a touch screen. To change what object type these commands move by, press PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN to cycle through the available types. For example, if you want the UP orDOWN ARROW keys to move by headings, press PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN until you hear "headings". Now, pressing UP or DOWN ARROW will move to the next or previous heading.

Press CTRL+HOME to move to the first object and press CTRL+END to move to the last object. To announce the current object, press INSERT+UP ARROW. To perform a Say All, which will cause the Touch Cursor to move through the application and speak each object, press INSERT+DOWN ARROW.

As you navigate using the ARROW keys, the system focus does not follow the Touch Cursor. This allows you to freely navigate objects without changing the position of the PC Cursor or mouse pointer. Pressing SPACEBAR or ENTER on the current element will move focus to that element and perform the appropriate action similar to double tapping on a touch screen. For instance, opening a menu, selecting a check box, or activating a button or link. In addition, a rectangle will be displayed around the currently selected object to visually indicate the location of the Touch cursor for sighted users.

If the Touch Cursor is on an object containing text, such as the body of a news article, you can press INSERT+ENTER or NUM PAD SLASH to enable Text Review. In this mode, you can use the ARROW keys as well as all other standard reading commands to read the text as if you were reading a regular document. Pressing the ESC key will exit Text Review and return to Touch Cursor navigation.

A good example of using the Touch Cursor is in the News app, where it is enabled by default. Once the app launches, you could press DOWN ARROWto move to the /Top Stories region and then press RIGHT ARROW to move to a particular story. When you find the article you want to read, you can press INSERT+ENTER or NUM PAD SLASH to switch to Text Review so you can use the ARROW keys or the braille display to read the article. Once you are finished, press ESC to close Text Review and then use RIGHT or LEFT ARROW to select another article from the current region, or UP orDOWN ARROW to move to a different region.

Touch Cursor Navigation Quick Keys

While the Touch Cursor is active, you can use Navigation Quick Keys to quickly jump to various types of objects, such as regions, headings, links, form controls, and so on. These commands are similar to the Navigation Quick Keys that are used when navigating HTML and PDF documents with the Virtual PC Cursor.

By default, Touch Navigation Quick Keys are not enabled when the Touch Cursor is activated. This allows you to fully use applications that support typing in the main window. For example, the News app lets you type so you can quickly locate specific stories.

If you would like Touch Navigation Quick keys to be enabled automatically when the Touch Cursor is activated in a specific application, pressINSERT+V to open Quick Settings while focused in the application, navigate to the Touch Cursor Options group, and select Touch Quick Keys. You can also press INSERT+Z while the Touch Cursor is active to temporarily toggle Touch Navigation Quick Keys on or off.

Advanced Object Navigation

For advanced users, specifically those who may be involved with developing applications, Advanced Navigation provides more detail about all objects in the UIA (User Interface Automation) structure.

With the standard Touch Cursor, you can only navigate objects that are visible on the screen in the current application. In Advanced Navigation, the Touch Cursor traverses all UIA objects in a hierarchical manner. All Objects, whether visible or not, can be traversed in Advanced Navigation.

To enable Advanced Navigation, press NUM PAD STAR, or CAPS LOCK+A if using the laptop keyboard layout, while the Touch Cursor is active. Once active, use the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys to move to the previous or next sibling object and the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move to the parent object or the first child object. To view more Advanced Navigation commands, press INSERT+H while this mode is active. Press NUM PAD STAR once more to turn off Advanced Navigation and return to the standard Touch Cursor.

Improved Windows 8 Start Screen Navigation Using the Touch Cursor

Previously, navigating Tiles on the new Windows 8 Start Screen was difficult to understand. Like a traditional desktop, the columns did not wrap, and because tiles can be different sizes, it was very difficult to orient yourself when moving with the PC focus. We now suggest you consider using the Touch Cursor mode to offer a more seamless and predictable way of learning the tiles and where they are located.

To begin, move focus to the Windows 8 Start Screen by pressing the WINDOWS key until you hear "Start Screen." Now you can activate the Touch Cursor by pressing SHIFT+NUM PAD PLUS on a Desktop keyboard or SHIFT+CAPS LOCK+SEMICOLON on a Laptop keyboard. With the Touch Cursor on, you can use the single-finger flick up and down gestures to move between the groups, or use UP and DOWN ARROWS to simulate the gestures, even if you do not have a touch screen. Note that groups are generally not named by default, so JAWS will refer to the Group name based on whatever the first tile is in the group that gains focus. At any point, you can use either a single-finger flick right or left on a Touch Screen or use theRIGHT and LEFT ARROWS to explore all tiles from your current location. If you locate a Tile for an application you wish to launch, simply double tap the touch screen with a single finger, or just press ENTER to launch the tile you are on.

Windows 8 Touch Screen Support

JAWS 15 now enables you to use the touch screen on many of today's popular Windows 8 tablets, such as the Surface™ Pro from Microsoft, to navigate and access information. To use a touch screen, you will use one or more fingers to perform various gestures right on the surface of the device's screen to control JAWS and the tablet. To take full advantage of this feature, you need a touch screen that offers five or more touch points.

The following types of gestures are recognized by JAWS:

• Taps: Tap the screen quickly with one or more fingers. You can also tap more than once, for example, a two-finger double tap.
• Flicks and swipes: Flicking and swiping are the primary navigation gestures and are used constantly. To flick, move one or more fingers very quickly across the screen in the direction of the flick. For example, flick up. To swipe, move two or more fingers in a slower motion across the screen in a particular direction. For example, three-finger swipe up. You can also swipe in one direction and then quickly swipe in the opposite direction. For instance, two-finger swipe up-down.
• Rotate: Place two fingers on the screen and then turn them in a circular motion either clockwise or counterclockwise as if you were turning a dial.
• Pinch: To pinch in, place your thumb and index finger on the screen and pinch them together. To pinch out, place your thumb and index finger together on the screen and then spread them apart.

JAWS Specific Touch Screen Gestures

When you place a finger on the screen, JAWS will announce the object under your finger. You can then move your finger around the screen and JAWS will announce each object you encounter. This is a good way to explore and find out what items are available and where they are located. When you lift your finger and then tap the screen once, the current object at that point is spoken and selected. If you perform a double tap at that current point, the current object is activated. Once you become familiar with the location of objects, you can tap the part of the screen containing the object instead of having to explore to locate it. For example, in the Windows 8 Mail app, the Preview pane where the message body is displayed for the user, is positioned on the right side of the screen. So if you have moved through the inbox, and then want to move your focus to the message you are on, tapping on the right side of the screen will quickly get you to the message.

The rotate gesture allows you to cycle between three gesture modes; Touch Navigation, Text Reading, and Speech Settings. Certain touch gestures will work differently depending on which mode is active.

In Touch Navigation, which is always the default mode, gestures move you to various objects on the screen. Text Reading allows you to use gestures to navigate by character, word, line, and paragraph. You could activate this mode if you were on an object containing text, such as the body of a news article. Text Reading will also activate automatically if a text window opens, for instance, the Results Viewer. Speech Settings gives you a quick way to change commonly used settings that might normally require several steps to access.