ZoomText and Fusion Low-Vision Manual

First-time learner: how to follow a task

Read the task title and its starting location before pressing anything. A keyboard command acts on the active application and focused control. Merely having these instructions visible does not make the other application active.

1. Keep these instructions available. Open the application separately. On Windows, hold Alt, tap Tab to choose its window, and release Alt. Check the window title before continuing.
2. Focus is the place receiving your next keystroke. A screen reader announces its name and role; a visible border or highlight may mark it. Tab selects the next keyboard-accessible control. Shift+Tab reverses that movement. Neither command means “activate.”
3. At a button or link, press Enter to activate. A checkbox is an on/off choice: Space changes it. Listen for checked or not checked. In an open menu, use arrows to select an item, then Enter. Escape usually closes that menu; it does not universally return to the previous page.
4. At a text field, enter only the requested information. Ctrl+A selects all text in that field; typing then replaces it. Confirm focus before doing this. Use Left and Right to review a small correction, or Backspace to remove the character before the cursor.
5. After opening a dialog, listen to its title, read its instructions, and Tab through its controls. Use Cancel if you are unsure. Do not repeatedly activate a button while a page or file is loading.
6. At the result checkpoint, stop. Say what changed. If the result is different, use that task’s recovery paragraph before attempting the next task.

With a screen reader, arrow-key reading and text editing can use different modes. If letters become navigation commands instead of text, confirm you reached an editable field and consult your reader’s forms/focus-mode instructions in the Screen Readers manual. Do not turn the reader off to solve an unidentified focus problem.

When a task says to locate a named control, start with Tab or Shift+Tab and listen to each complete label and role. Tab skips ordinary paragraphs. If the page itself needs to be read, use your screen reader’s reading commands. If you pass the same controls twice without finding the requested one, stop and check the application, page, account, and open dialogs. A fixed number of Tab presses is unreliable because layouts change.

Recording progress: Write down the task, your starting location, the result, and one step to practice again. These activities are optional and repeatable; they are not a sequence of locked lessons.

Before you begin

Choose one practice task at a time. Have your usual accessibility tools running and a way to record which steps helped. Use a familiar, non-sensitive document or book for the first exercise.

Keyboard directions

A plus sign means hold the first key while tapping the final key, then release both. For three-key combinations, hold both modifiers while tapping the last key. Do not type the plus sign. “Then” means release the first command before pressing the next key.

Tab moves forward through controls; Shift+Tab moves backward. Enter activates a focused link or button; Space commonly operates buttons and checkboxes. Arrow keys move within menus and lists. Pause after each step to check where focus went. For screen-reader reading and interaction modes, see the Screen Readers manual. Phone gestures are covered in the iPhone and iPad VoiceOver and Android TalkBack manuals.

Understand what is being enlarged or spoken

Magnification level

The enlargement factor. At higher levels, less of the desktop fits in the visible area. A larger number is useful only if you can still track your task.

Pointer, cursor, and focus

The pointer follows the mouse. The text cursor marks where typing will appear. Keyboard focus identifies the control receiving a key. They can be in three different places.

Tracking

The enlarged view follows a changing location, such as typing or keyboard focus. If the display moves unexpectedly, first identify what received focus.

Speech and screen reading

Speech reads information aloud. A full screen reader also provides navigation and information about controls. ZoomText Magnifier alone does not provide the reader features of Magnifier/Reader. Fusion combines magnification with JAWS screen reading.

Keyboard layout

The configured command layout, such as JAWS Desktop or Laptop. It is not necessarily determined by the physical shape of the keyboard.

Documentation: ZoomText product differences and Fusion product differences.

1. Identify your product and layout

What you will learn: Choose the instructions that match the installed software.

Exactly how to do it

1. Find the installed product name and version in its Help or About information. Record whether it is ZoomText Magnifier, ZoomText Magnifier/Reader, or Fusion.
2. For Fusion, confirm whether JAWS is configured for Desktop or Laptop keyboard layout. Keyboard shape alone does not identify the configured layout.
3. Use the matching command column below. Ask your instructor to check the layout if you are unsure.

What should happen: You know which magnification and speech instructions apply.

If that does not happen: Do not assume a missing reading feature is a fault: ZoomText editions differ, and Fusion uses JAWS for screen reading.

Practice: Explain your product name and which tool supplies speech.

Source: ZoomText editions.

Source: Fusion layout and speech differences.

Prepare a usable setup before changing preferences

Start here: Windows with the licensed product installed. Keep your existing access method available while checking a new setup.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Identify the installed application by its name in Windows Start: ZoomText or Fusion. If neither is installed, use the official ZoomText downloads or your organization’s approved Fusion installer. Installation and activation may need an administrator.
2. Launch only the intended product for this exercise. In its interface, open Help or About using the keyboard-accessible menu and record the name and version. Record whether you have magnification only, Magnifier/Reader, or Fusion.
3. For Fusion, identify the configured JAWS keyboard layout before using the two-column command table below. If you do not know it, use the labeled toolbar controls while you check the installed help or ask the person who configured the device.
4. Open a short, non-sensitive text document with a heading and two paragraphs. Put these instructions in a separate window so you can switch back using Alt+Tab.
5. Write down the current magnification level and speech setting before making changes. Change one setting, inspect the result, and restore it if it makes the exercise harder.

Check your result

You have a known product, a practice document, and a recorded baseline to return to.

If something goes wrong

If two programs speak simultaneously, identify which products are running before closing either one. Do not shut down the only tool providing access to the screen. Ask for setup help if the product or layout remains unclear.

Try it yourself

State your product, its speech capability, and the starting magnification level before continuing.

Documentation: ZoomText getting started · Fusion getting started.

2. Start Fusion and locate its controls

What you will learn: Reach the application without relying on a tiny mouse target.

Exactly how to do it

1. With Fusion installed, locate its desktop shortcut using the keyboard and press Enter.
2. Inspect the Fusion interface: Magnifier, Reader, and Tools tabs provide its controls.
3. On the Reader tab, locate Voice and Rate. Adjust one setting, then return to your practice document.

What should happen: Magnification and speech are available together.

If that does not happen: If Fusion does not start, report the exact launch or licensing message; do not repeatedly start additional copies.

Practice: Locate the magnification and speech controls separately. Change only one and describe the effect.

Source: Getting started with Fusion.

3. Choose useful magnification

What you will learn: Balance readable text with enough surrounding context.

Exactly how to do it

1. In ZoomText or Fusion Desktop layout, use Caps Lock+Up to increase zoom and Caps Lock+Down to decrease it. Fusion Laptop layout adds Alt to these combinations.
2. Use the matching 1x toggle in the table below to compare the enlarged view with the whole screen.
3. Return to your preferred size and read a short paragraph.

What should happen: You can locate both the text and the surrounding controls.

If that does not happen: If a command reads text instead, stop and check the Fusion keyboard layout. Do not keep repeating it.

Practice: Find a heading, move to a paragraph, then find a nearby button. Note which zoom level made all three easiest.

Source: ZoomText magnification.

Source: Fusion magnification layouts.

4. Improve pointer, cursor, and focus visibility

What you will learn: Understand three different visual targets.

Exactly how to do it

1. In ZoomText, use Caps Lock+P to toggle pointer enhancement, Caps Lock+R for the text cursor, and Caps Lock+F for focus enhancement.
2. Test the pointer by moving the mouse, the text cursor by editing practice text, and focus by tabbing among buttons.
3. Toggle each feature again to compare before deciding what helps.

What should happen: You can distinguish the mouse pointer, editing position, and selected control.

If that does not happen: A text-cursor enhancement cannot locate a mouse pointer. First identify which target you are trying to follow.

Practice: Type “My next appointment is Friday.” Find the editing position, then Tab to a control and identify the focus marker.

Source: ZoomText enhancement commands.

5. Set a comfortable listening pace

What you will learn: Use the correct speech controls for your product.

Exactly how to do it

1. In ZoomText Magnifier/Reader, Caps Lock+Alt+Up or Down changes voice rate. Control briefly quiets speech.
2. In Fusion, use the Reader tab’s Voice and Rate controls. JAWS supplies speech; ZoomText reading hotkeys are not interchangeable with Fusion speech commands.
3. Listen to one short passage, adjust one step, and compare comprehension.

What should happen: You can understand the spoken material without repeatedly losing your place.

If that does not happen: Check the product edition, audio output, and voice setting before increasing volume. If another screen reader is also speaking, identify it before changing anything.

Practice: Summarize a short paragraph at two rates. Keep the rate at which you understand and navigate comfortably.

Source: ZoomText speech settings.

Source: Fusion Reader controls.

Source: Fusion speech source.

6. Practice a complete work task

What you will learn: Move between overview, detail, and speech deliberately.

Exactly how to do it

1. Open a familiar practice document. Choose a readable magnification level.
2. Locate its heading, read a paragraph, and find one named word.
3. Move to another application and back. Identify the current control before typing.
4. Record the product, keyboard layout, zoom level, and speech preference that worked.

What should happen: Your setup supports a complete task, not only a larger picture.

If that does not happen: When a change makes the task harder, reverse that one change. Avoid changing color, zoom, and voice together because you will not know which helped.

Practice: Repeat with a webpage. Compare whether the same setup works equally well in both applications.

This is an original practice routine; use the official command references below for your installed version.

Operate the ZoomText toolbar with the keyboard

Start here: The ZoomText toolbar is the active window. These toolbar directions are for ZoomText; use Fusion’s own controls when running Fusion.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Identify the toolbar tab or control that has focus. Use the arrow keys to move among toolbar items. Listen to the control name before activating it.
2. At a split button, distinguish its two actions: Enter operates its main function, while Down opens its associated choices. Read the choices before selecting one.
3. At the Zoom Level control, use Up or Down to change the level. Use Left or Right to leave that control for adjacent toolbar items.
4. Switch to the practice document with Alt+Tab and inspect one heading and one line of text. Return to the toolbar to make another small adjustment only if needed.
5. When a settings menu opens unexpectedly, use Escape to close that menu and identify the focused toolbar item again.

Check your result

You can use controls by their labels and roles instead of searching for a small visual target.

If something goes wrong

If arrow keys change the level instead of moving to another item, you may be inside the Zoom Level control. Use Left or Right to leave it. If the document scrolls instead, the document has focus rather than the toolbar.

Try it yourself

Reach Zoom Level, change it one step, and return it to the value you recorded.

Documentation: Freedom Scientific ZoomText toolbar navigation.

Follow text while reading and editing

Start here: Your practice document at a comfortable enlargement. The document’s edit area has focus.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Read the heading, then move to the first paragraph using your usual text-navigation method. Pause when the enlarged view moves and identify which line is now visible.
2. Type a short sentence at a known insertion point. Watch or listen for where each word appears. If you cannot locate it, stop typing and identify the cursor before adding more text.
3. Compare pointer enhancement by moving the mouse, cursor enhancement by moving within the text, and focus enhancement by using Tab in a dialog. These are separate tests, not interchangeable effects.
4. If a line is too wide to follow comfortably, reduce magnification one step or adjust the document’s layout. Compare comprehension and effort before increasing it again.
5. Use your product/layout’s 1x comparison command from the reference table to orient to the full screen, then return to your working view. Do not change the operating system’s display resolution as a substitute for this exercise.

Check your result

You know whether you are following the mouse, text cursor, or keyboard focus, and can regain context after the enlarged view moves.

If something goes wrong

If typing appears in the wrong application, use Alt+Tab and confirm the document title. If the text is correct but difficult to see, adjust the appropriate visual setting rather than repeatedly retyping it.

Try it yourself

Add and correct one sentence, then locate the document’s Save control without losing your place.

Documentation: ZoomText enhancement controls · Fusion layout-specific controls.

Read with Fusion: separate JAWS speech from magnification

Start here: Fusion is running, its JAWS keyboard layout is known, and a short document is active.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Use the command table below to choose the correct Desktop or Laptop command. Do not borrow a ZoomText reader command just because its name sounds similar: Fusion uses JAWS speech.
2. For continuous reading in Desktop layout, use Insert+Down Arrow. In Laptop layout, use Caps Lock+Down Arrow. Hold the modifier while pressing the arrow; release both after the command.
3. Press Control to interrupt speech. Check where the reading or editing position is before moving to another passage.
4. For the current line, Desktop layout uses Insert+Up Arrow; Laptop layout uses Caps Lock+I. Read the line once, then move deliberately to the next passage using the document’s navigation.
5. To adjust speed without guessing another product’s shortcut, return to Fusion’s Reader controls and locate Rate. Change it a small amount, return to the same paragraph, and compare.
6. When reading is done, leave speech at a useful setting. Stopping the current utterance is different from disabling ongoing speech feedback.

Check your result

You can start reading, stop it, and hear the current line using commands appropriate to your configured Fusion layout.

If something goes wrong

If a command magnifies instead of speaking, recheck the configured layout. Caps Lock combinations have different meanings in these products and layouts. If there is no speech, inspect the Reader voice control and Windows audio output before reinstalling anything.

Try it yourself

Read a paragraph, interrupt halfway, then request the current line. Describe where you are before resuming.

Documentation: Fusion keyboard layouts and speech commands.

Manage speech while switching between applications

Start here: Your practice document and a browser are open. Use the product-specific speech section above to set a comfortable rate.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Read one paragraph, then stop the current speech before switching windows. This lets you hear the next window’s title instead of overlapping explanations.
2. Use Alt+Tab to switch. Identify the destination application, active document or page, and focused control before using a command.
3. If a web page or audiobook also plays audio, pause that media player through its own labeled control. Keep the access tool you need to navigate available.
4. Return to the document and locate your last passage using a heading, distinctive phrase, or your recorded place. Read a short portion to confirm context.
5. For ZoomText Magnifier/Reader, inspect its Reader settings if character or mouse announcements are distracting. Change one echo setting and test typing or pointer movement separately. For Fusion, use the corresponding JAWS controls rather than assuming those ZoomText speech settings apply.

Check your result

You can tell which source is speaking and switch tasks without losing your place.

If something goes wrong

If everything is silent, check volume, output device, and the product’s voice setting separately. Plugging in headphones can change the output device. A moving highlight alone does not prove that audio is reaching your speakers.

Try it yourself

Switch between a document and the Manuals page twice, identify each destination, and return to the same paragraph.

Documentation: ZoomText speech and echo controls · Fusion Reader controls.

Recover by identifying the symptom

I cannot see the whole window.

Compare the full-screen view using the matching 1x toggle, then return to a lower working magnification if needed. Find the window and focused control before changing more settings.

A highlight follows the wrong thing.

Check whether it is the pointer, text cursor, or keyboard focus. Test only the corresponding enhancement. A mouse highlight will not tell you where typed text goes.

The same key behaves differently on another computer.

Compare the product, version, and configured keyboard layout. Copying someone else’s command list without matching these details can produce another action.

A document image has no readable text.

A scanned page may need text recognition, often called OCR. Fusion can support recognition workflows, including supported scanned-PDF workflows. Follow the recognition prompt or installed help; recognition output must be checked for errors, especially numbers and names.

The program does not start after Windows sign-in.

Open it through Start first. Then review its startup preference with the person managing the computer. Do not enable multiple overlapping access tools automatically without checking the resulting startup experience.

When requesting help, provide the product/version, keyboard layout, application, exact command, expected result, and actual result. Do not include private document text.

Documentation: Fusion recognition and product guidance.

Keyboard and control reference

Source: ZoomText hotkeys.

Source: Fusion hotkeys.

For ZoomText toolbar controls, arrow keys navigate. On a split button, Enter toggles the feature and Down opens its settings. In Zoom Level, Up and Down adjust the value.

Source: ZoomText toolbar navigation.

Independent practice

Choose any activity; there is no required order or passing score.

1. Identify your installed product and configured keyboard layout.
2. Find a button at your preferred zoom, then compare the whole-screen view.
3. Explain pointer versus text cursor versus keyboard focus.
4. Read and summarize a paragraph with a comfortable speech rate.
5. Troubleshoot an unexpected command by checking product and layout before changing preferences.

After each task, record whether you completed it independently, needed a prompt, or want another attempt. Repeat the difficult step instead of restarting everything.

Related learning

See Windows accessibility for built-in alternatives and Screen Readers for JAWS reading practice.

This manual now has ten dedicated lessons, a final quiz, and a printable course-completion certificate. Lesson completion is self-reported.

Practice this topic in Mission Control

Choose Command Practice or choose Topic Missions, then select ZoomText and Fusion. These are simulated exercises; they do not operate the actual app or account.

Topic Missions presents a troubleshooting problem. Command Practice explains and checks one keyboard action at a time. Use Settings to choose speech and sound feedback. Escape returns to the topic list during a session.

When a simulator prompt says protected practice, release the modifier before the final key as instructed. In the real application, use the held keyboard combination in this manual. Completing a simulation does not confirm that the real application received or performed a command.