Accessible braille technology manual

Focus 40 Blue Accessible Manual

A progressive keyboard-and-braille guide for Windows and JAWS users.

First-time keyboard guide

Use this short routine before following the Focus 40 Blue Accessible Manual procedures. It explains exactly how the keyboard directions in this manual work.

Press a single key

  1. Find the named key without pressing it if possible.
  2. Press and release the key one time. Do not hold it unless the step specifically says to hold it.
  3. Stop and listen to the full screen-reader announcement before pressing another key.

Press a keyboard combination

  1. When a command contains a plus sign, such as Ctrl+S, hold down the first key.
  2. While continuing to hold the first key, press and release the final key once.
  3. Release the first key. The plus sign is not a key and should not be pressed.
  4. Listen for the expected result described in the procedure. If nothing changes, verify that the correct application or webpage has focus and try the command once more.

Press a sequence of keys

  1. When keys are separated by commas or the word “then,” press and release them in order instead of holding them together.
  2. After each key, listen for a menu, tab, control, or new screen before continuing.
  3. If the announcement does not match the step, press Escape once to close the current menu or dialog and restart that procedure.

Know which navigation key to try

Verify before moving on

  1. Listen for the window, page, or application name so you know where focus is.
  2. Perform only one numbered step.
  3. Compare what the screen reader announces with the “What should happen” information in the procedure.
  4. If the result is wrong, stop. Use the procedure’s recovery directions, Escape to cancel, or Ctrl+Z to undo when that command is supported.
  5. Continue only after you can identify the result. Save completed work with Ctrl+S whenever the application supports saving.

First complete independent workflow

This rehearsal joins existing procedures into one uninterrupted session without repeating their directions. Follow the linked procedure when a step names it, then return here for the next verification.

Safety check: Confirm the exact device model, firmware or software version, active connection, battery level, and storage location before using a command.

  1. Open Focus 40 Blue Accessible Manual and wait until its name, starting screen, or connected-device status is announced.
  2. Choose a fictional, public, disposable, or instructor-provided practice item. Do not use private client, student, medical, financial, or account-recovery information.
  3. Open Connect the Focus to JAWS by USB. Read its “What you will learn,” “Before you begin,” keyboard-command, and expected-result information before pressing anything.
  4. Complete that procedure one numbered action at a time. After each key, stop and identify what changed before continuing.
  5. State the result aloud or record it in a practice note. If it differs from “What should happen,” use that procedure’s recovery directions before advancing.
  6. Continue directly to Read, pan, and route the cursor without closing the application or device session. First confirm that focus, account, file, book, conversation, or project context is still correct.
  7. Complete the second procedure and verify the resulting name, state, location, permission, value, or content. Do not rely only on a success sound.
  8. Save or synchronize when the product supports it. Wait for the completed state before disconnecting a device, closing a browser, or switching accounts.
  9. Continue to Use Focus keyboard help. Use the exact command listed there; if the command varies by model or version, use Keyboard Help, the product’s shortcut list, or the linked official reference instead of guessing.
  10. Introduce one harmless recoverable error, such as opening the wrong menu or moving focus away. Press Escape once, identify the active window or device area, and return to the correct step.
  11. Review the finished practice item from its beginning. Confirm its title or filename, structure, content, destination, sharing state, and saved or synchronized status as applicable.
  12. Close and reopen the item or return to it from the product’s main screen. The workflow is complete only when you can locate it and verify the same result independently.

Success standard: Complete all three linked tasks, explain the commands used, recover from the practice error, and locate the finished result without another person directing the next key.

Identify your Focus model first

This course emphasizes the Focus 40 Blue fifth generation. A fifth-generation Focus has a Menu button centered between braille keys 1 and 4. Older Focus 40 Blue models have different controls, ports, features, and firmware. Never install firmware until the exact model and generation are confirmed.

Major controls and features

Basic and advanced how-tos

Connect the Focus to JAWS by USB

Keyboard commands: Insert+J opens the JAWS window. Alt+O opens Options, then B opens Braille in common JAWS versions.

  1. Start JAWS and save open work.
  2. Connect the Focus directly with its USB cable and power it on.
  3. Wait for the braille cells to refresh.
  4. Open JAWS Braille settings and confirm Focus is the active display.
  5. Press a Windows key and verify that its result appears in both speech and braille.

You should feel: Text matching the focused Windows control.

If that does not happen: Confirm the cable, power, JAWS driver, and exact Focus generation before changing settings.

Read, pan, and route the cursor

Device commands: The left and right panning buttons move one display width. A cursor router button moves the cursor to its corresponding braille cell.

  1. Open a harmless practice document.
  2. Read the current 40-cell line from left to right.
  3. Press the right panning button once and confirm the next portion appears.
  4. Press the left panning button to return.
  5. Press the cursor router above a known word.
  6. Type one practice character, verify its location, then undo with Ctrl+Z.

If that does not happen: Confirm the active window and editing caret before routing again.

Use Focus keyboard help

Device command: Press Space with T-H chord, dots 1-4-5-6, for Focus keyboard help.

  1. Save work and turn keyboard help on.
  2. Press one unfamiliar Focus control.
  3. Read its description without performing the command.
  4. Exit help before returning to the document.

If that does not happen: With Focus connected to JAWS, press Insert+Space followed by J and search JAWS Command Search for the function.

Switch among saved connections

Device commands: On fifth-generation Focus Blue, Menu+Dot 1 through Menu+Dot 5 selects a Bluetooth connection; Menu+Dot 8 selects USB.

  1. Save work on the currently connected device.
  2. Identify which connection number belongs to the target device.
  3. Press Menu with the assigned dot once.
  4. Wait for the display to refresh and verify the target device’s focused item.
  5. Use Menu+Dot 8 to return to USB when needed.

If that does not happen: Do not repeat rapidly. Confirm pairing and the saved connection number in the Focus Connections menu.

Ten-lesson learning path

  1. Lesson 1: Orientation, Power, and Device Identification — Create a tactile orientation guide naming the major controls and explaining how to identify the device generation.
  2. Lesson 2: Connect by USB and Configure JAWS — Write a USB connection and JAWS verification checklist.
  3. Lesson 3: Pair and Manage Bluetooth Connections — Create a credential-free Bluetooth pairing and connection-switching guide.
  4. Lesson 4: Read, Pan, Route the Cursor, and Select Text — Submit a command chart for panning, navigation, cursor routing, and text selection.
  5. Lesson 5: Type with BrailleIn and Edit Text — Create Focus-Lesson-5.txt or DOCX containing a short corrected workplace note.
  6. Lesson 6: Navigate Windows, File Explorer, and Documents — Create a keyboard-and-braille workflow for finding and reading a workplace file.
  7. Lesson 7: Navigate Webpages, Forms, Lists, and Tables — Document an accessible web-navigation practice session.
  8. Lesson 8: Use Scratchpad, BRF Book Reader, and microSD Safely — Create a local note and a storage-safety checklist; submit only your original note.
  9. Lesson 9: Braille Settings, Study Mode, Cleaning, and Updates — Create a safe settings, cleaning, and firmware checklist.
  10. Lesson 10: Final Focus 40 Blue Workplace Project — Complete an end-to-end Focus 40 Blue workplace task and submit only the original summary.

Safe working routine

  1. Identify the Focus model and generation.
  2. Confirm power, battery, cable, and connection mode.
  3. Confirm the active JAWS braille display and Windows focus.
  4. Practice on a copy and verify the destination before saving or transferring.
  5. Restore reversible settings after practice.
  6. Disconnect, clean, and update only according to the official instructions.

Official Freedom Scientific references

Start Focus 40 Blue Lesson 1

Return to Manuals

Basic and advanced step-by-step procedures

These procedures make the manual usable on its own. The separate lessons provide assignments and progress tracking when you want a course experience.

Basic procedure

1. Orientation, Power, and Device Identification

What you will learn: Create a tactile orientation guide naming the major controls and explaining how to identify the device generation.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Place the Focus on a stable surface with the braille cells nearest you.
  2. Locate the 40 braille cells, cursor router buttons, Perkins-style keys, Spacebar, Shift buttons, panning buttons, NAV rockers, rocker bars, selector buttons, and Menu button by touch.
  3. Use the centered Menu button to identify a fifth-generation model; older Focus models have different controls and firmware.
  4. When operating on battery, hold Power for about two seconds to turn the display on.
  5. Press Menu to review battery status, then return without changing settings.
  6. Hold Power for about three and one-half seconds to turn off when not connected by USB.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Create a tactile orientation guide naming the major controls and explaining how to identify the device generation.

Basic procedure

2. Connect by USB and Configure JAWS

What you will learn: Write a USB connection and JAWS verification checklist.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Start JAWS before connecting the Focus.
  2. Connect the approved USB-C cable to the Focus and computer; USB supplies power and data.
  3. Wait for Windows and JAWS to recognize the display.
  4. If braille does not appear, open JAWS Options, Braille, and verify Focus is the active display without removing other needed configurations.
  5. Press Insert+J, then Insert+T, and confirm speech and braille identify the expected window.
  6. Open a short document and verify that panning buttons move through the displayed text.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Write a USB connection and JAWS verification checklist.

Basic procedure

3. Pair and Manage Bluetooth Connections

What you will learn: Create a credential-free Bluetooth pairing and connection-switching guide.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Disconnect USB only after saving open work and confirming adequate battery charge.
  2. Open the Focus connections menu and choose an available Bluetooth slot.
  3. On the Windows computer, open Bluetooth settings and select the Focus device whose name matches the display.
  4. Confirm the connection before entering any pairing code shown by the approved devices.
  5. Switch between an established USB connection and one Bluetooth connection using the documented connection controls.
  6. Do not remove someone else’s pairing or share device identifiers in the assignment.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Create a credential-free Bluetooth pairing and connection-switching guide.

Basic procedure

4. Read, Pan, Route the Cursor, and Select Text

What you will learn: Submit a command chart for panning, navigation, cursor routing, and text selection.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Open a short instructor-provided document with JAWS.
  2. Use the left and right panning buttons to move through the braille line.
  3. Use rocker bars or configured NAV rockers to move by line, sentence, or paragraph.
  4. Press a cursor router above a braille cell to move the editing cursor to that location.
  5. Practice selecting a short passage with the documented Shift and cursor-router method.
  6. Cancel the selection or undo any accidental edit, then save only a practice copy.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Submit a command chart for panning, navigation, cursor routing, and text selection.

Basic procedure

5. Type with BrailleIn and Edit Text

What you will learn: Create Focus-Lesson-5.txt or DOCX containing a short corrected workplace note.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Confirm BrailleIn is enabled in JAWS for the Focus.
  2. Open a blank practice document and type a sentence with the Perkins-style keys.
  3. Enter a space, new line, punctuation, and a capital letter using the configured braille input table.
  4. Compare contracted and uncontracted input only if the instructor has enabled both.
  5. Use cursor routing and Backspace to correct an intentional error.
  6. Save the document with a descriptive filename and proofread it in braille.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Create Focus-Lesson-5.txt or DOCX containing a short corrected workplace note.

Advanced procedure

6. Navigate Windows, File Explorer, and Documents

What you will learn: Create a keyboard-and-braille workflow for finding and reading a workplace file.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Use the Focus and JAWS to open the Start menu and search for File Explorer.
  2. Navigate to an instructor-provided practice folder without moving or deleting files.
  3. Open a text or Word document and read its title.
  4. Move by heading, paragraph, line, word, and character using the configured Focus or JAWS commands.
  5. Switch between two open applications and verify focus before typing.
  6. Close the practice files and record the commands that worked on the assigned configuration.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Create a keyboard-and-braille workflow for finding and reading a workplace file.

Advanced procedure

7. Navigate Webpages, Forms, Lists, and Tables

What you will learn: Document an accessible web-navigation practice session.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Open Chrome and visit the Accessible Learning Center.
  2. Use JAWS quick navigation with the Focus to move by heading, link, list, form control, and table.
  3. Press a cursor router above a link and confirm it activates the intended item.
  4. Complete a practice form using fictional data and verify Forms Mode status.
  5. Navigate a simple table by row and column, listening to headers.
  6. Leave the page without submitting information to an external organization.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Document an accessible web-navigation practice session.

Advanced procedure

8. Use Scratchpad, BRF Book Reader, and microSD Safely

What you will learn: Create a local note and a storage-safety checklist; submit only your original note.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Open the fifth-generation Focus Scratchpad from the Menu.
  2. Create a short note and save it with a descriptive TXT or BRF filename.
  3. Close and reopen the note to verify it was stored.
  4. Open an instructor-provided BRF in the Book Reader and practice panning and bookmarks.
  5. If microSD storage is used, verify the source and destination before copying a practice file.
  6. Use the documented safe removal process and never copy or submit protected books.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Create a local note and a storage-safety checklist; submit only your original note.

Advanced procedure

9. Braille Settings, Study Mode, Cleaning, and Updates

What you will learn: Create a safe settings, cleaning, and firmware checklist.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Open JAWS Braille settings and identify the active translation table without changing it.
  2. Review VariBraille or firmness settings on a supported fifth-generation Focus and change only an instructor-approved reversible value.
  3. Enable Braille Study Mode in JAWS and press a cursor router to hear the character in that cell.
  4. Restore the original settings after practice.
  5. Clean the display only with the power disconnected and the method in Freedom Scientific’s official cleaning instructions.
  6. Check the exact model and generation before any firmware update; never install fifth-generation firmware on an older Focus.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Create a safe settings, cleaning, and firmware checklist.

Advanced procedure

10. Final Focus 40 Blue Workplace Project

What you will learn: Complete an end-to-end Focus 40 Blue workplace task and submit only the original summary.

Before you begin: Place the device on a stable surface, identify its exact model, and use only nonprivate practice files. Save open work before changing connections or settings.

Exactly how to do it

  1. Connect the Focus 40 Blue to a Windows computer running JAWS.
  2. Use File Explorer to locate an instructor-provided workplace document.
  3. Read the document in braille, navigate to two headings, and correct three marked items.
  4. Use BrailleIn to write a short summary in a new file.
  5. Save the summary, verify its filename and location, and reopen it for proofreading.
  6. Troubleshoot one simulated connection problem using power, cable, connection, and JAWS checks before requesting help.

JAWS and braille tip: Use Insert+T to confirm the window title, Insert+Tab to identify focus, and Insert+1 for Keyboard Help. Focus commands vary by device generation, JAWS settings, application, and connection method; use the official guide linked from the manual when a command differs.

What should happen: You can complete the procedure and verify the result using the keyboard, your screen reader, or your braille display.

If that does not happen: Stop and identify the active device, connection, application, and screen-reader focus. Confirm the exact model before repeating a device command or changing firmware or settings.

Practice: Complete an end-to-end Focus 40 Blue workplace task and submit only the original summary.