JAWS Training Introduction

Welcome to the JAWS for Windows Training Page

This is the place to learn how to use your Windows device with the JAWS screen reader.

Materials Needed:

A laptop or desktop running JAWS in either 40 minute mode or in its full capacity.

Prerequisite Skills

Familiarity and basic knowledge of the QWERTY keyboard layout

Starting JAWS

To turn on JAWS you can perform the following actions: Press the Windows key, located 2 keys to the Left of the Spacebar. Start typing jaws into the search bar. Press enter. JAWS will either turn on in full capacity, assuming it has already been installed, or it will start in 40 minute mode until a valid license has been provided.

Caution: Once JAWS is on, refrain from using the mouse for navigation. Manipulation of the mouse will impact JAWS focus, and can impact the experience of the JAWS user.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for people with visual impairments, teachers of the visually impaired or other vision professionals, or parents or friends of people with visual impairments.

Course Objectives:

• Objective 1: Understand the purpose of a screen reader.
• Objective 2: Learn to use keyboard navigation to read text on the screen.
• Objective 3: Learn to interact with, group, and search for various web elements including headings and links.
• Objective 4: Learn to use keyboard navigation to create and edit text.
• Objective 5: Learn how screen readers interact with images.
• Objective 6: Learn to navigate tables.
• Objective 7: Learn the difference between the JAWS cursor, virtual cursor, and scan cursor and case uses for each.

One Last Thing

Every time you navigate to a new page, if you move your arrow down once or twice, you will here JAWS say "skip to main content." Press enter, and you will bypass all the menu gobbledygook and the JAWS focus will be placed in the meat of our lesson content. HAVE FUN!

OKAY! LET'S GO!!! :)

Available Lessons

• JAWS Lesson 1: Intro to JAWS
• JAWS Lesson 2: Headings
• JAWS Lesson 3: Links
• JAWS Lesson 4: Buttons
• JAWS Lesson 5: Checkboxes and Radio Buttons
• JAWS Lesson 6: Combo Boxes and List Boxes
• JAWS Lesson 7: Proofreading and Editing Text
  • JAWS Lesson 7.1
  • JAWS Lesson 7.2
  • JAWS Lesson 7.3
  • JAWS Lesson 7.4
  • JAWS Lesson 7.5
  • JAWS Lesson 7.6
  • JAWS Lesson 7.7
• JAWS Lesson 8: Tables
• JAWS Lesson 9: Images
• JAWS Lesson 10: The Virtual Cursor
• JAWS Lesson 11: Exploration

The best place to start, is at the beginning. Click the link to start Lesson 1.