Screen Readers course

Screen Readers Lesson 1

Choose, Start, and Stop a Screen Reader

First-time setup and success checks

Lesson goal in plain language: Choose JAWS, Narrator, or NVDA and start and stop it safely.

Prepare before step 1

  1. Open the correct application, website, or device screen and wait for its name to be announced.
  2. Open Screen Readers manual and review the matching procedure if any command or term is unfamiliar.
  3. Use only fictional, public, disposable, or instructor-provided practice information. Make a copy before changing an important file.
  4. Read all numbered instructions once before performing them so you know the intended final result.

Commands used or referenced

Use the exact keyboard or device commands stated in the numbered instructions.

For a plus-sign command, hold the modifier key, press and release the final key, then release the modifier. For a sequence, press and release each key in order. Stop after every command and listen for the result.

Work and verify

  1. Perform one numbered instruction and stop. Identify the active window, focused control, selected item, cell, slide, message, field, or device area before continuing.
  2. Compare the result with the lesson goal. A sound alone is not enough; verify the name, state, value, location, permission, or content.
  3. If the result is wrong, press Escape once to leave an unexpected menu, identify focus again, and use Undo only when the change is safely reversible.
  4. Save or synchronize at natural stopping points. Confirm the filename and location before closing.
  5. Complete the “Before submitting” checklist from top to bottom. Correct missing items before marking the lesson complete.
  6. Close and reopen the practice item, or return to it from the product’s main screen, to prove you can locate and verify the result independently.

Success standard: Explain what each major command did, show the finished result, and recover from one harmless focus or navigation error without another person naming the next key.

Choose your screen reader

Complete this lesson with JAWS, Windows Narrator, or NVDA. Use one primary screen reader at a time. Follow the column for your selection whenever commands differ.

Goal

Choose JAWS, Narrator, or NVDA and start and stop it safely.

Shared practice steps

  1. Choose one primary screen reader for this course. Do not run multiple screen readers at the same time unless an instructor directs you.
  2. Confirm that the computer’s speakers or headset are connected and the volume is safe.
  3. Start the selected screen reader using its method in the comparison table.
  4. Open Notepad and type one short sentence.
  5. Confirm the screen reader announces the application, focus, and typed text.
  6. Save the note and stop the screen reader using its documented method.

JAWS, Narrator, and NVDA comparison

Commands and differences for Lesson 1
TaskJAWSNarratorNVDA
StartSearch for JAWS from Start; a configured desktop shortcut may also be available.Press Windows+Ctrl+Enter.Press Ctrl+Alt+N if the installation created that shortcut, or search for NVDA from Start.
Screen-reader modifierJAWS key: Insert; Caps Lock may be configured on laptops.Narrator key: Caps Lock or Insert by default.NVDA key: Insert or Caps Lock, based on keyboard layout.
Stop or exitPress Insert+F4 and confirm exit.Press Windows+Ctrl+Enter.Press NVDA+Q and confirm exit.

Command note: JAWS key, Narrator key, and NVDA key each mean that screen reader’s modifier key. Commands can vary by keyboard layout, software version, application, and user settings. Confirm differences in the official references linked from the manual.

Your assignment

Create a one-page choice report naming the selected screen reader, why it fits the practice computer, and how to start and stop it.

Use fictional, public, instructor-provided, or redacted information only. Never submit passwords, license information, account codes, or private workplace data.

Save your work with a filename beginning Screen-Readers-Lesson-1.

Before submitting