Screen Readers course

Screen Readers Lesson 2

Keyboard Help, Speech Control, and Basic Information

First-time setup and success checks

Lesson goal in plain language: Use keyboard help and control speech without losing focus.

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

Use keyboard help and control speech without losing focus.

Shared practice steps

  1. Open the screen reader selected in Lesson 1.
  2. Use its keyboard-help command and press several harmless keys to hear their descriptions.
  3. Exit keyboard help before returning to work.
  4. Press Ctrl while speech is talking to stop speech.
  5. Use the current-focus command to identify the selected control.
  6. Use the window-title command to confirm the active application.

JAWS, Narrator, and NVDA comparison

Commands and differences for Lesson 2
TaskJAWSNarratorNVDA
Keyboard helpInsert+1 toggles Keyboard Help.Narrator+1 toggles Input Learning.NVDA+1 toggles Input Help.
Stop speechCtrlCtrlCtrl
Current focusInsert+TabNarrator+TabNVDA+Tab
Window titleInsert+TNarrator+TNVDA+T

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 command card for keyboard help, stopping speech, current focus, and window title.

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-2.

Before submitting