Apple VoiceOver Quick Start Manual

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VoiceOver

Getting Started

Includes instructions and complete command lists for using VoiceOver with Mac OS X version 10.4 Tiger.

1 Contents

Chapter 1

6

Introduction

 

6

About VoiceOver

 

7

What You Need to Get Started

 

7

Using This Document

 

8

Where to Find More Information

 

8

VoiceOver Quick Start

 

8

VoiceOver Help

 

8

VoiceOver Menu

 

8

Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts

 

9

Resources on the Internet

 

9

Teaching and Learning Tools

 

9

Darkening the Screen

 

9

VoiceOver Quick Start Application

 

9

VoiceOver Keyboard Commands Diagrams

 

10

About VoiceOver Accessibility

Chapter 2

11

Introduction to Mac OS X

 

11

The Desktop

 

12

The Finder

 

12

Toolbar Buttons

 

12

Sidebar and View Browser

 

13

The Dock

 

13

The Menu Bar

 

14

Files and Folders

 

14

System Preferences

 

15

Spotlight

Chapter 3

16

Keyboard Basics

 

16

Important Keys to Know

 

17

About Function Keys

 

18

Using Function Keys on Portable Computers

 

18

Using Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down on Portable Computers

 

18

Keyboard Accessibility

2

18Sticky Keys

19Slow Keys

19Key Repeat Rate

20Keyboard Settings in VoiceOver Utility

Chapter 4

22

VoiceOver Basics

 

22

Following Instructions

 

22

Turning On VoiceOver

 

23

Using VoiceOver in the Login Window

 

23

Pausing VoiceOver Speech

 

23

Controlling VoiceOver

 

24

Reading Window Contents

 

25

Reading Text

 

25

Changing Rate, Pitch, and Volume Temporarily

 

26

Interacting With Content Areas

 

27

Using Buttons and Controls

 

28

Learning More About an Item

 

28

Navigating Menus

 

29

Navigating Quickly in a Menu

 

29

Using Pop-up Menus

 

29

Using Contextual Menus

 

30

Understanding Duplicate Menu Items

 

30

Working With the VoiceOver Menu

 

31

Using the Commands Menu

 

32

Chapter 4 Exercises

 

32

Exercise 4.1: Moving the VoiceOver Cursor

 

32

Exercise 4.2: Interacting With a Content Area

 

32

Exercise 4.3: Navigating the Menu Bar

 

33

Exercise 4.4: Navigating in a Menu and Submenu

 

33

Exercise 4.5: Using the VoiceOver Menu

Chapter 5

34

Using VoiceOver With Mac OS X

 

34

Using the Dock

 

35

Setting Dock Preferences

 

35

Working With Contextual Menus for Dock Items

 

35

Switching Between Applications and Windows

 

37

Navigating Finder Windows

 

38

Using Icon View

 

38

Using List View

 

39

Using Column View

 

40

Accessing Finder Window Buttons

 

40

Selecting Files and Folders

 

41

Copying and Moving Files

Contents

3

 

 

42The Item Chooser Menu

43Interacting With Windows

43Moving and Resizing Windows

43Moving a Scroll Bar

44Using Spotlight

44Using the Spotlight Menu

45Using the Spotlight Window

46Changing the Sort Criteria

46Chapter 5 Exercises

46Exercise 5.1: Using the Dock

47Exercise 5.2: Using the Item Chooser Menu

47Exercise 5.3: Copying and Pasting a File

Chapter 6

50

VoiceOver Utility and Preferences

 

50

Saving VoiceOver Settings

 

51

Setting the Amount of Spoken Detail

 

51

Adjusting Punctuation Settings

 

52

Adjusting Text Attribute Settings

 

52

Setting Navigation Options

 

53

Setting Website Navigation Options

 

53

Setting VoiceOver Cursor Options

 

54

Customizing Voices

 

54

Using Different Voices

 

55

Changing Rate, Pitch, and Volume

 

55

Setting Visual Options

 

56

Magnifying the VoiceOver Cursor

 

57

Using the Caption Panel

 

57

Moving and Resizing the Caption Panel

 

57

Changing the Caption Panel Font Size

 

58

Tiling Visuals

 

58

Hiding Visuals

 

59

Setting Text Pronunciation

 

59

Chapter 6 Exercises

 

59

Exercise 6.1: Using VoiceOver to Change Voice Settings

 

60

Exercise 6.2: Using VoiceOver to Change Rate, Pitch, and Volume

 

61

Exercise 6.3: Adjusting the Caption Panel

 

62

Exercise 6.4: Magnifying the VoiceOver Cursor and Tiling VoiceOver Visuals

 

62

Exercise 6.5: Adding Pronunciation to the VoiceOver Dictionary

Chapter 7

64

Web Browsing and Email

 

64

Connecting to the Internet

 

66

Using Mac OS X Mail

 

66

The Mail Toolbar

4

Contents

 

 

 

66

Opening Collapsed Folders in the Mailboxes Outline

 

67

Reading Email

 

68

Addressing a Message

 

68

Using the Safari Web Browser

 

68

Navigating Websites With VoiceOver

 

69

Using the Link Chooser Menu

 

70

Navigating Website Images

 

70

Chapter 7 Exercises

 

70

Exercise 7.1: Opening and Reading an Email Message

 

71

Exercise 7.2: Using the Link Chooser Menu

Chapter 8

72

Reading and Editing Text

 

72

Reading a Document

 

73

Working With Text

 

73

Locating the Insertion Point

 

73

Navigating in a Document

 

74

Bookmarking a Document

 

74

Cursor Tracking in Text Areas

 

74

Selecting Text

 

75

Hearing Text Attributes

 

75

Using TextEdit With VoiceOver

 

75

Checking Spelling in TextEdit

 

76

Changing Tab Stops in TextEdit

 

77

Chapter 8 Exercises

 

77

Exercise 8.1: Following the Insertion Point

 

77

Exercise 8.2: Cutting and Pasting Text

 

78

Exercise 8.3: Saving a Document

Chapter 9

79

Advanced Navigation Skills

 

79

Full Keyboard Navigation and VoiceOver

 

79

Advanced Cursor Tracking

 

80

Using the Cursor Control Keys

 

81

Using the Mouse With VoiceOver

 

81

Mouse Settings in VoiceOver Utility

 

82

Making the Mouse Pointer More Visible

 

82

Using the Numeric Keypad to Control the Mouse

 

83

Quickly Navigating to Content Areas

 

83

Chapter 9 Exercises

 

83

Exercise 9.1: Using Command-Tab to Switch Applications

 

84

Exercise 9.2: Moving Cursors Independently

Appendix

85

VoiceOver Commands

Contents

5

 

 

Introduction

1

 

 

 

Welcome to VoiceOver Getting Started. This document introduces you to VoiceOver and gets you started using your Mac in a new way.

VoiceOver is an alternative way for users with visual or learning disabilities to use Mac OS X. It provides magnification options, keyboard control, and spoken English descriptions of what’s happening on the computer screen. VoiceOver reads aloud the contents of documents (and webpages) and provides a comprehensive audible description of the user’s workspace and activities taking place on the computer. It also includes a rich set of keyboard commands for navigating the Mac OS X interface and interacting with application and system controls.

About VoiceOver

VoiceOver is an integrated part of the Mac OS X operating system. If your computer has Mac OS X version 10.4 or later installed, VoiceOver is already installed and ready to use. Just turn on VoiceOver to begin using it.

VoiceOver works in conjunction with full keyboard access, the standard Mac OS X keyboard navigation method. With full keyboard access, you can use the Tab key and arrow keys to move to controls and text fields in windows, and the Space bar to select or activate them. But when you use VoiceOver, you can do so much more.

VoiceOver uses keyboard commands to navigate your computer screen, windows, documents, and websites. It reads aloud everything it encounters and lets you know when events occur on your screen, such as when dialogs, alert messages, and progress bars appear.

6

What You Need to Get Started

To use VoiceOver, you need:

ÂA Macintosh computer with Mac OS X version 10.4 or later installed

ÂAn English language Apple keyboard

ÂBuilt-in or external speakers or headphones

A mouse and display are optional. If you don’t need a display or mouse, you can use VoiceOver without them.

An Internet connection is highly recommended.

Using This Document

This document is a comprehensive guide to using VoiceOver. It is organized into 11 chapters with a VoiceOver commands appendix. You can read the chapters in any order you choose, but if you are new to Mac OS X and to VoiceOver, you will find that reading them in the order presented lets you build upon knowledge gained in previous chapters.

ÂChapter 1,“Introduction”: In this chapter, you learn what VoiceOver is, what you need to get started using it, and where to find more information about VoiceOver.

ÂChapter 2,“Introduction to Mac OS X”: In this chapter, you learn Mac OS X basics that will help you use VoiceOver effectively. It includes a description of the screen layout, windows, Finder, and System Preferences.

ÂChapter 3,“Keyboard Basics”: In this chapter, you learn which keys control VoiceOver. You also learn about keyboard practice and how to set preferences in Mac OS X and VoiceOver if you have difficulty using a keyboard.

ÂChapter 4,“VoiceOver Basics”: In this chapter, you learn the basics of controlling VoiceOver. Users who have never used VoiceOver will find out how to navigate, read text in windows and dialogs, and select controls and objects.

ÂChapter 5,“Using VoiceOver With Mac OS X”: In this chapter, you learn how to use VoiceOver to navigate windows and perform everyday tasks on your computer using VoiceOver.

ÂChapter 6,“VoiceOver Utility and Preferences”: In this chapter, you learn how to use VoiceOver Utility to customize VoiceOver for your needs.

ÂChapter 7,“Web Browsing and Email”: In this chapter, you learn how to set up your Internet connection and use Mail and Safari to get email and browse the Internet.

ÂChapter 8,“Reading and Editing Text”: In this chapter, you learn how to use VoiceOver to read and edit text and check spelling.

Chapter 1 Introduction

7

 

 

ÂChapter 9,“Advanced Navigation Skills”: In this chapter, you learn how to use the keyboard, mouse, and VoiceOver cursor independently. You also learn how to use the mouse with VoiceOver, and about alternate ways to control the mouse.

ÂAppendix ,“VoiceOver Commands”: In this appendix, you learn all the commands you can use to control VoiceOver.

Where to Find More Information

You can use the resources and VoiceOver features described below to learn more about using VoiceOver.

VoiceOver Quick Start

When you turn on a new Macintosh computer for the first time, you hear music play as Setup Assistant starts up. If you wait a moment, you hear a spoken invitation to learn how to use VoiceOver to set up your computer. If you are new to VoiceOver, follow the prompts to start the VoiceOver Quick Start. You will learn how to navigate with VoiceOver and interact with buttons and controls.

VoiceOver Help

Your computer comes with a built-in help system for Mac OS X and all its applications. You can access these in the Help menu in the menu bar. VoiceOver Help contains pages to help you with specific tasks, complete lists of all the keyboard commands for VoiceOver, and an orientation to VoiceOver. When you open VoiceOver Help, you can look for pages by typing keywords or phrases in the text field or by looking in the index of help topics.

You can open a complete list of all the VoiceOver commands from the VoiceOver Utility Help menu.

VoiceOver Menu

The VoiceOver menu contains all the VoiceOver commands you can apply to the item in the VoiceOver cursor. It acts as a quick reference guide as you work. When you use the VoiceOver command Control-Option-F7, the VoiceOver menu appears in the middle of the screen for sighted users. Non-sighted users can use VoiceOver navigation to read the menu and make selections.

Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts

You can find lists of keyboard shortcuts for Mac OS X and most applications in the built-in help system. Search for “shortcuts” or “keyboard shortcuts” or check the index if there is one. You can change or create keyboard shortcuts in the Keyboard & Mouse preference pane of System Preferences.

8

Chapter 1 Introduction

 

 

Resources on the Internet

The Apple website has several sections devoted to VoiceOver and accessibility. You can find additional learning materials and support information at these addresses:

Âwww.apple.com/accessibility

Âwww.apple.com/accessibility/voiceover

Âwww.apple.com/support/tiger/voiceover

Âwww.apple.com/education/accessibility/technology/voiceover.html

In addition, you can find discussion groups on Apple’s website and other websites to help you connect with other VoiceOver users.

Teaching and Learning Tools

If you are teaching or collaborating with a VoiceOver user, you can turn on a caption panel that displays the text that VoiceOver is speaking. For more information about the caption panel and how to customize it, see “Setting Visual Options” on page 55.

Darkening the Screen

If you are a sighted user, you can use the screen curtain to simulate a non-sighted user’s experience. The screen curtain turns off all the visuals of the display, leaving a blank screen. This is a great way to learn how to use VoiceOver.

To turn the screen curtain on and off: m Press Control-Option-Shift-F11.

VoiceOver Quick Start Application

The VoiceOver Quick Start is available as a separate application that you can use any time. Although it was designed to help users learn the basic commands necessary to set up a computer using VoiceOver, the VoiceOver Quick Start can also be used as a basic teaching tool. You can download the VoiceOver Quick Start from this Apple accessibility website: www.apple.com/accessibility/voiceover.

VoiceOver Keyboard Commands Diagrams

You can download and print keyboard diagrams that show the VoiceOver commands assigned to keys on a standard Apple English language keyboard. These diagrams are intended for use by sighted users who want a more visual way to learn the VoiceOver commands. You can download these diagrams from this Apple accessibility website: www.apple.com/accessibility/voiceover.

Chapter 1 Introduction

9

 

 

About VoiceOver Accessibility

VoiceOver is a new technology in Mac OS X version 10.4 Tiger. You can use VoiceOver with TextEdit, Mail, and Safari to do word processing, send and receive email, and browse websites on the Internet. You can also use VoiceOver with some other applications. As developers begin to support the underlying accessibility frameworks provided in Mac OS X, more applications will become accessible with VoiceOver. Contact the manufacturers of your favorite applications to inquire about the accessibility of their products.

Visit the Apple website to learn about new developments and resources, and check the Internet for discussion groups and user groups.

10

Chapter 1 Introduction

 

 

Introduction to Mac OS X

2

 

 

 

This chapter introduces you to basic information about Mac OS X.

When you understand how your computer is organized and how to use the Finder and application windows, learning to use VoiceOver is much easier. In Chapter 5,“Using VoiceOver With Mac OS X,” you will learn how to use VoiceOver with Mac OS X to complete everyday tasks on your computer.

You can find much more information about Mac OS X in Mac Help on your computer and on the Apple website.

The Desktop

The desktop is the working area of your computer that contains folders, files, and other items. When you connect to a server or connect an external hard disk or an iPod, an icon that represents it appears on the desktop. When you insert a CD or DVD into your computer’s optical drive, it also appears on the desktop.

You can store files and folders directly on your desktop for quick access.

11

The Finder

The Finder keeps track of files and folders and manages the desktop. When you open a folder or other item on the desktop, a new Finder window like the one shown below automatically opens.

Finder windows have a toolbar at the top and two sections below the toolbar called the sidebar and the view browser. Three colored buttons above the toolbar are used to close the window, send the window to the Dock, or change the window to its previous size. See “Accessing Finder Window Buttons” on page 40 to learn the standard

Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts or menu commands to use these buttons.

Toolbar Buttons

You use the buttons in the toolbar to navigate, change the view, find items, and perform some actions.

ÂUse the Back and Forward buttons on the left side of the toolbar to move back and forth between locations on your computer, just as you would in a web browser.

ÂUse the three view buttons to choose the way you want to view the contents of your hard disk and folders. You can choose icon, list, or column view.

ÂUse the Action pop-up menu to choose commands you can perform for the item selected. For example, in the Finder window, some choices in the Action menu are New Folder, Get Info, or Open. In other applications, you see different choices in the Action menu.

ÂUse the search text field to type a word or phrase to locate an item. You can use the buttons below the search text field to focus the search to a particular location. You can choose Servers, Computer, Home, the current folder, or another location you specify.

Sidebar and View Browser

Below the toolbar, the Finder window is split into two sections. The left side is called the sidebar. At the top of the sidebar are icons that represent your hard disk, hard disk partitions if you have them, any mounted servers or volumes, and the network.

12

Chapter 2 Introduction to Mac OS X

 

 

Below a separator are icons that represent often used folders on your hard disk.

Mac OS X has folders already set up for you to store your music, pictures, movies, and documents. In the sidebar, you also see folders for the desktop contents, your home folder, and applications.

When a folder is selected in the sidebar, its contents are displayed on the right side of the Finder window in the view browser. Finder windows can display items in the view browser in icon, list, or column view.

The Dock

The Dock is a customizable list of items that provides quick access to applications and documents you use often. It appears as a row or column of icons on the screen. You can position the Dock along the bottom, left, or right edge of the screen.

When an application is open, its icon appears temporarily in the Dock. When you minimize a window, it disappears from the desktop and appears as an icon on the right side of the Dock.

Each item in the Dock has a contextual menu that gives you quick access to commands for that item. The contextual menu also contains the commands “Remove from Dock” for icons that have been placed there permanently, and “Keep in Dock” for applications that are open but whose icons are only there temporarily.

The Menu Bar

Mac OS X has a menu bar permanently located at the top of the screen. The menu bar contains a collection of menus for the application that is currently active. When you switch applications, the menus in the menu bar change to reflect the active application. Most applications include File, Edit, Format, Window, and Help menus.

The Apple menu, located at the far left of the menu bar, is the same in every application. It contains system commands and preferences.

The right side of the menu bar contains status menus. Status menus display information and provide shortcuts to system and application settings that you may frequently change. Common status menus include the volume slider, clock, and battery level indicator. You can show or hide individual status menus in System Preferences and other applications.

At the far right side of the menu bar is the Spotlight menu. You can use Spotlight, the advanced search technology built in to Mac OS X, to search your entire system for information contained in files, emails, contacts, images, calendars, and applications. For more information about Spotlight, see “Spotlight” on page 15.

Chapter 2 Introduction to Mac OS X

13

 

 

Files and Folders

Most of the information in your computer is stored in files. Files include documents, images, applications, and so on. Folders are simply a collection of files. Each file or folder is represented by an icon with its name below or to the right of the icon. You can select the text in the file’s name to change it, and you can copy, move, and delete files on your computer.

Your computer comes with some folders already set up, but you can create and delete your own folders to organize your information. Most folders and files you create are stored in a home folder with your user account name. If you have multiple user accounts on your computer, each user account has its own home folder.

You click once on a file or folder icon to select it and twice to open it. Clicking twice quickly is called a “double-click.” If you double-click an application icon, you start the application and a window for the application opens. If you double-click a file created by an application, you automatically open the application (if it wasn’t open already) and open the file. For example, if you double-click a TextEdit file on the desktop, TextEdit starts up and its icon appears in the Dock. At the same time, the document opens on the desktop.

If you can’t use a mouse to select and click, you can use VoiceOver commands instead.

System Preferences

System Preferences is a Mac OS X utility that you use to customize your computer and choose essential settings such as your network configuration and Internet access. System Preferences is located in the Apple menu and has an icon in the Dock.

You can find settings to improve accessibility in these preferences:

ÂDisplays preferences

ÂKeyboard & Mouse preferences

ÂSpeech preferences

ÂUniversal Access preferences

The easiest way to learn about the many options in System Preferences is to explore the different preference panes. Some preferences have multiple panes you access by clicking the tab buttons. Network preferences even has an Assistant button to help you troubleshoot connection problems.

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Chapter 2 Introduction to Mac OS X

 

 

Spotlight

Spotlight is extraordinarily useful for VoiceOver users. In many cases, it may be easier to use than the Finder for opening files, folders, and applications. When you type text in the Spotlight search text field, search results appear immediately in a menu below the search text field.

The more complete the word or phrase, the more refined your list of results will be. Search results are grouped by category, such as Applications, System Preferences, Documents, and Folders. You click an item in the list to open it.

If you don’t find the item you want, you can search again or click Show All at the top of the results list. Clicking Show All displays a more complete list of results in a new window called the Spotlight window.

Spotlight search results include all the metadata inside files, including the kind of content, the author, edit history, format, size, and many more details. Depending on the search word you type, you may find thousands of results. Spotlight narrows its results to show you the best matches, but you can also browse the entire list if you want.

You can use Spotlight to find just about anything, anywhere, on your computer with lightning speed. You don’t have to remember folder hierarchies or carefully store project files in meaningful folders.

You can find more information about Spotlight in Mac Help on your computer or on the Apple website at www.apple.com/macosx. See “Using Spotlight” on page 44 for information about using Spotlight with VoiceOver.

Chapter 2 Introduction to Mac OS X

15

 

 

Keyboard Basics

3

 

 

 

This chapter provides basic information about using VoiceOver with the Apple keyboard. You use your keyboard to control VoiceOver, so you need to be very familiar with your keyboard before you can use VoiceOver effectively.

If you are new to the Mac or have trouble using a keyboard, you’ll find important information in this chapter. If you use a portable computer, make sure you review the section in this chapter about function keys.

Important Keys to Know

You should be very familiar with the location of all the keys on your keyboard before you begin using VoiceOver. In addition to the letters and punctuation characters, you should know the location of these keys:

ÂControl

ÂOption

ÂCommand

ÂReturn

ÂEscape

ÂHome

ÂEnd

ÂPage Up

ÂPage Down

ÂUp, Down, Right, and Left arrows

ÂFunction keys (F1 through F11)

16

If you’re not familiar with the layout of keys on your keyboard, you can use the keyboard practice built in to VoiceOver to help you learn the name and location of the keys. In the keyboard practice, you press keys to hear their names.

Using keyboard practice:

1 Press Command-F5 to turn on VoiceOver.

The Command keys are located directly to the left and right of the Space bar. You can press either one.

The F5 key is in the top row of keys, sixth from the left.

2Press Control-Option-K to begin keyboard practice

The Control and Option keys are the first two keys on the left of the bottom row. On a portable keyboard, the Fn key comes first, then Control and Option.

3Press keys to hear their names. Press the Shift key to hear the shifted characters on punctuation keys.

4Press the Escape key to end keyboard practice

The Escape key is on the top-left corner of the keyboard.

While you’re using keyboard practice, you can’t use your computer or keyboard for any other tasks. You must press the Escape key to return your keyboard to its regular use.

About Function Keys

In VoiceOver, you use the function keys at the top of the keyboard to perform many important actions. The function keys are labeled F1–F12 on some keyboards, and some keyboards have function keys up to F16.

esc

F1

F2

F3

F4

F5

F6

F7

F8

F9

F10

F11

F12

F13

You also use the function keys to perform actions and commands in many other software applications. To use a function key or other VoiceOver command keys for another software application when VoiceOver is on, press Control-Option-Tab and then press the function key. This command lets VoiceOver know that the next key combination is for another application.

Chapter 3 Keyboard Basics

17

 

 

Using Function Keys on Portable Computers

On a portable computer, many of the function keys are programmed to perform hardware-related functions such as adjusting brightness and volume. When you want to perform an alternate action for the key, you press the Fn key and the function key together. For example, in VoiceOver you press the following key combination to open VoiceOver Utility:

Control-Option-F8

If you use a portable computer, you must press the function key with the command

Fn-Control-Option-F8

If you use VoiceOver all the time or very frequently, you can change the default behavior of the function keys so that they perform software actions. Then the portable keyboard behaves like a standard keyboard, and you press the Fn key only to change the volume or change any of the other hardware settings.

To change the default behavior of the function keys:

1Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu > System Preferences to open System Preferences.

2 Click the Keyboard & Mouse button.

3 Click the Keyboard tab.

4Select the checkbox labeled “Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features.”

When this checkbox is selected, you press the Fn key when you want to use the hardware function of the key, such as adjusting volume. When you use the keys for VoiceOver commands, you don’t need to press the Fn key with the VoiceOver commands that use function keys.

Using Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down on Portable Computers

A standard keyboard has dedicated keys for Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down. These are important VoiceOver navigation keys. On a portable computer, you use the arrow keys with the Fn key for these functions.

Keyboard Accessibility

If you are able to use a keyboard but find it difficult, some other features included in Mac OS X may help you use your keyboard more effectively with VoiceOver.

Sticky Keys

The Sticky Keys feature treats a series of modifier key presses as a single key combination. For example, you can press Control, and then Option, and your keyboard interprets that combination as Control-Option held down together.

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Chapter 3 Keyboard Basics

 

 

To turn on Sticky Keys:

1Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu > System Preferences to open System Preferences.

2 Click the Universal Access button.

3 Click the Keyboard tab.

4Select the On radio button for Sticky Keys.

When you turn on Sticky Keys, you can also set options to hear a sound when a modifier key you press is accepted, and display an icon of the symbol for the modifier keys you pressed. Checkboxes for these options are below the Sticky Keys On and Off radio buttons.

Slow Keys

With the Slow Keys feature you can control the amount of time between when a key is pressed and when it is accepted by the keyboard. If you frequently press keys accidentally, you may want a longer delay.

To turn on Slow Keys:

1Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu > System Preferences to open System Preferences.

2 Click the Universal Access button.

3 Click the Keyboard tab.

4 Select the On radio button for Slow Keys.

5Move the Acceptance Delay slider to the left for a longer delay and to the right for a shorter delay.

You can also hear audible feedback when you press keys. You hear one sound when a key is pressed and a different sound when the key is accepted. This is a very good way to monitor what’s happening if you can’t see the screen. Select the checkbox labeled “Use click key sounds” under the Slow Keys On and Off buttons to turn this on.

Key Repeat Rate

If you find that keys register more than once when you press them, you can adjust the key repeat rate. The key repeat rate and key repeat delay let you control how fast keys repeat and adjust how much time the keyboard will wait before it begins to repeat a key press. If you have trouble releasing keys fast enough, you can set the delay very long or turn off the repeat.

To adjust the key repeat rate:

1Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu > System Preferences to open System Preferences.

2 Click the Keyboard & Mouse button.

Chapter 3 Keyboard Basics

19

 

 

Apple VoiceOver Quick Start Manual

3 Click the Keyboard tab.

4Move the Key Repeat Rate slider to the left if you want repeated keys to repeat slowly (if you tend to make mistakes when pressing keys, moving this slider to a slow setting will help minimize the number of repeated keystrokes). Move the slider to the right if you want the keys to repeat at a faster pace.

5Move the Delay Until Repeat slider to the left to cause a longer delay between when you hold down the key and when the key begins to repeat.

You can move the Delay Until Repeat slider all the way to the left to turn off key repeating completely.

Keyboard Settings in VoiceOver Utility

You use the VoiceOver Utility application to customize VoiceOver settings. The Verbosity pane of VoiceOver Utility shown below includes some settings to help you use your keyboard.

Typing Echo

As you type, VoiceOver can speak what you typed. If you are not a confident typist, or if you just want to hear confirmation, you may want to use the typing echo. VoiceOver is set to echo each character as you type it. You can change the setting in the “While typing speak” pop-up menu to one of these:

ÂNone: VoiceOver doesn’t speak what you type.

ÂEvery Character: VoiceOver speaks each character as you type it. This is the default setting for VoiceOver.

ÂEvery Word: VoiceOver speaks the word you type as soon as you press the Space bar, a punctuation key, or the Return key. This tells VoiceOver that the word is complete.

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Chapter 3 Keyboard Basics

 

 

Key Press Notification

The “Announce when a modifier key is pressed” checkbox sets VoiceOver to say the name of the modifier key when you press it. VoiceOver speaks these keys:

ÂShift

ÂControl

ÂOption

ÂCommand

ÂFn

Turning on this option may help you become accustomed to the location of modifier keys on your keyboard, and it may help prevent you from making mistakes.

Caps Lock Key Notification

If the Caps Lock key is pressed, you’ll be unable to use many VoiceOver commands. Select the “Announce when the caps lock key is pressed” checkbox to hear VoiceOver announce when this key is pressed.

To open VoiceOver Utility when VoiceOver is turned off:

1Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu > System Preferences to open System Preferences.

2 Click the Universal Access button.

3 Click the Seeing tab.

4Click the Open VoiceOver Utility button.

When VoiceOver is turned on, you can open VoiceOver Utility with the VoiceOver command Control-Option-F8. You will find more information about other VoiceOver Utility settings in later chapters.

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VoiceOver Basics

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This chapter provides basic information about using VoiceOver to navigate your computer, click buttons, make selections in menus, and perform other basic tasks.

After reading this chapter, you will have enough information to begin using VoiceOver. You will have practiced moving the VoiceOver cursor, interacting with scroll bars, and navigating menus.

Following Instructions

When you use VoiceOver, you use the keyboard to activate controls. For example, when you read “click,” use the VoiceOver command Control-Option-Space bar instead of the mouse.

Menu commands are written using the greater than or right angle bracket symbol to show a sequence of menu commands. For example:

Choose Finder > Services > Summarize.

In this example, Finder is the name of a menu in the menu bar. Services is a submenu in the Finder menu, and Summarize is a command in the Services submenu. VoiceOver speaks the sequence as “Choose Finder greater than Services greater than Summarize.”

Turning On VoiceOver

You can turn VoiceOver on and off at any time; you don’t have to restart your computer or log in again. This makes it easier for users with different needs to share the same computer.

You can turn on VoiceOver in System Preferences, and also with a quick VoiceOver command.

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To turn on VoiceOver in System Preferences:

1Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu > System Preferences to open System Preferences.

2 Click the Universal Access button.

3 Click the Seeing tab.

4Select the On radio button for VoiceOver.

To turn VoiceOver on or off quickly:

mPress Command-F5. If you are using a portable computer, press Fn-Command-F5.

If VoiceOver is on, Command-F5 turns it off. If VoiceOver is off, the command turns it on. The change takes effect immediately and remains in effect even after you log out of your user account or restart your computer.

Using VoiceOver in the Login Window

If your computer requires you to log in and you want to use VoiceOver to navigate and read the contents of the Mac OS X login window, you must first set a preference in Accounts preferences.

To turn on VoiceOver for the login window:

1Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu > System Preferences to open System Preferences.

2 Click the Accounts button.

3 Click the Login Options button below the accounts list.

If the Login Options button is dimmed, click the lock icon at the bottom of the Accounts window and type an administrator’s name and password to unlock the window.

4 Select the checkbox labeled “Use VoiceOver at login window.”

Pausing VoiceOver Speech

When you’re using VoiceOver, you may want to silence the speech when you don’t want to hear something. Just press and release the Control key to stop VoiceOver from speaking. If VoiceOver is reading text and you don’t use any other commands after you press the Control key, you can press and release Control again to hear VoiceOver resume speaking where it left off.

Controlling VoiceOver

To control VoiceOver, you press and hold the Control and Option keys while you press other keys to get information and perform actions.

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When VoiceOver is on, a box is drawn around an object on the screen to show where VoiceOver is focused. This box is called the VoiceOver cursor. The visual representation of the VoiceOver cursor helps sighted users track VoiceOver’s location. Objects in the VoiceOver cursor can be buttons and other controls, text, images, files, documents, and anything else that is displayed on your computer screen.

To move the VoiceOver cursor, you hold down the Control and Option keys as you press the arrow keys. This moves the VoiceOver cursor vertically or horizontally. In general, you should navigate windows horizontally, using the Left and Right arrow keys. The VoiceOver cursor moves from left to right, wrapping to the next row as it moves forward or back.

Use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate vertically in lists and tables, or in windows where you are familiar with the layout. The VoiceOver cursor moves up and down, wrapping to the next column as it moves up or down.

For convenience, you can lock the Control and Option keys so that you don’t have to press them while you are controlling VoiceOver. Locking the Control and Option keys is useful if you are doing a lot of navigation and exploration with VoiceOver. It reduces the number of keys you need to press to accomplish these goals. With Control and Option locked, all you need to press are the remaining keys for the command, usually one or two others.

To lock or unlock the Control and Option keys:

mPress Control-Option-semicolon (;).

You can practice navigating with the VoiceOver cursor using the exercises at the end of this chapter.

Reading Window Contents

When you open a new window, the VoiceOver cursor goes to the first item in the upper-left corner of the window and stops there. As you navigate the window, you hear descriptions of the items in the VoiceOver cursor. If the VoiceOver cursor reaches text, it reads the text that’s visible on the screen.

A good way to get a sense of how a window is laid out or to find out what information the window contains is to have VoiceOver read all the contents of the window.

To read the window contents: m Press Control-Option-Shift-W.

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When you use the Control-Option-Shift-W command to read the contents of the window, VoiceOver reads only what’s visible. If there are more contents than can fit in the window, scroll bars appear at the bottom or right side of the window so that you can scroll to the rest of the content. For example, a large document may have many pages, but only part of one page is visible on the screen. You use scroll bars to make more of the document visible so that you can read it.

You can use other VoiceOver commands to read all the contents of scroll areas and other content areas without having to scroll. The next section describes these techniques.

Reading Text

Reading the contents of a window is very useful, but sometimes it isn’t enough. You’ll need to be able to read individual words, sentences, and characters as well. You can use the following VoiceOver commands for more control when you read text:

ÂControl-Option-C to read the last character in the VoiceOver cursor.

ÂControl-Option-W to read the last word in the VoiceOver cursor.

ÂControl-Option-S to read the sentence where the VoiceOver cursor is located.

ÂControl-Option-L to read the line where the VoiceOver cursor is located.

ÂControl-Option-P to read the paragraph where the VoiceOver cursor is located.

In addition, you can hear words or characters spelled phonetically to help you figure out something that is difficult to hear. To do this, you use the same commands for reading by character or reading by word, but you press the commands two or three times to hear progressively more detail.

For example, if you hear the word “tab” but aren’t sure you heard it right, you can press Control-Option-W to hear the word spoken. Press Control-Option-W again to hear the word spelled. If you’re still not sure what was read, press Control-Option-W a third time to hear each letter’s phonetic name (“tango alpha bravo”).

Changing Rate, Pitch, and Volume Temporarily

While you’re working, you may want to change the rate, pitch, or volume temporarily without changing your permanent settings. You can use a VoiceOver command to do this quickly.

To change settings temporarily:

1Press Control-Option-Command-Right Arrow. Each time you press this command, you hear VoiceOver cycle through rate, pitch, and volume. If you stopped at “rate” the last time you used the command, the next time you press the command you hear “pitch.”

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2After you hear the setting you want to change, press Control-Option-Command-Up Arrow or Down Arrow. The Up Arrow increases the setting and the Down Arrow decreases the setting.

3Release the keys to return to navigation.

These settings remain in effect until you change them, log out of your user account, turn off your computer, or turn off VoiceOver. To set your preferences for these, see “Customizing Voices” on page 54.

Interacting With Content Areas

To be successful using VoiceOver, you must understand the VoiceOver concept of interaction. When navigating the contents of windows, menus, and the desktop, VoiceOver groups related items in order to present a cleaner overall picture of the contents of the screen. So for example, moving once to the right will move the VoiceOver cursor from one button to another, not just from one word or character to the next. This allows you to quickly survey all that is available to you by navigating through the major elements of a window or application. When you find an item of interest, you then interact with it to read, add, control, or modify its contents.

Windows, documents, and webpages often have areas that contain text, files, or other content. When the VoiceOver cursor reaches one of these areas, it identifies the content area. Depending on the application or window, VoiceOver may identify these areas as:

ÂA scroll area

ÂHTML content

ÂA list

ÂA text area

ÂAn outline

ÂA group

ÂA table

When you reach a content area, you can navigate past it to something else, or you can interact with the content area to investigate, read, or modify something it contains. For example, a Finder window has a sidebar that contains folders. You can skip over the sidebar to the view browser, or interact with the sidebar to select one of its folders.

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First you use a command to let VoiceOver know that you want to interact with the items it contains. Then you use the VoiceOver navigation commands to navigate within the content area. The VoiceOver cursor stays within the boundaries of the object you're interacting with, so when you navigate left, right, up, and down, you'll navigate only to the objects within that area. If you find another object of interest, and it contains objects, you can interact with it as well. Interaction allows you to navigate the larger elements of an application quickly to locate what interests you, and also provides the control you need to investigate the smallest details.

When you’re done, a VoiceOver command stops the interaction, returning the VoiceOver cursor to the previous object or area. You can repeat the VoiceOver command to interact or stop interacting as many times as necessary. When there's nothing more to interact with, or stop interacting with, you'll hear a “beep” sound.

To interact with a content area:

ÂPress Control-Option-Shift-Down Arrow to begin interacting.

ÂPress Control-Option-Shift-Up Arrow to stop interacting with the content area.

To practice interacting with content areas, see the exercises at the end of this chapter.

You can use a VoiceOver command to read everything in the VoiceOver cursor, including content not visible on the screen. This is a quick way to find out what’s in a content area. When you use this command on an area that has scroll bars, the contents become visible as VoiceOver reads them.

To read everything in the VoiceOver cursor:

mPress Control-Option-A when the VoiceOver cursor is on a content area.

If you want to navigate or interact with the items in a content area, you have to first let VoiceOver know that you want to interact with the items it contains. Then you can use all the regular VoiceOver commands inside the content area.

Using Buttons and Controls

You can use VoiceOver commands to press a button, select checkboxes, choose an item in a list or menu, and move sliders.

For example, when instructions ask you to “click Save” or “click Cancel,” move the VoiceOver cursor to the button and use a VoiceOver command to perform the button’s action. You can use the same VoiceOver command to select a checkbox or radio button.

To click a button or select a checkbox or radio button:

mPress Control-Option-Space bar.

You use this same powerful command to select just about anything on the screen, from items in menus and lists to folders and files that you want to move or copy.

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