JAWS Screen Reader Tutorial
Plus Tips for Accessibility & Math

Written by Jennifer Marsala. Last updated August 29, 2024.

Description

JAWS screen reader software , created by Freedom Scientific, is a type of assistive technology that allows visually impaired individuals to read content on their Windows-based computer via speech or Braille output.

This tutorial provides JAWS training for sighted teachers of visually impaired students so that they can improve the accessibility of their course materials with the JAWS screen reader. This guide can also be used by people with visual impairments who already have some experience in navigating their computer with JAWS (navigating between programs, navigating menu bars and dialog boxes, etc.). Visually impaired users may also want to refer to Freedom Scientific's resources on Getting Started with JAWS.

Accessibility tips are interspersed throughout this tutorial so that as you learn to navigate documents with JAWS that include accessible elements such as headings, hyperlinks, and alternative text — you will learn to create accessible documents with those features as well.

Accessibility with mathematics and JAWS is a specialized topic which is discussed in this guide and addressed more fully in a separate tutorial on Typing Math in Microsoft Word.

Although JAWS works alongside many Windows programs, this tutorial focuses on JAWS use with Microsoft Word and in webpages (HTML). Detailed accessibility tips are given for use with Microsoft Word, and brief HTML tips are given for those who understand HTML coding.

Table of Contents

Select any link below to navigate to that section of the JAWS tutorial.

Reading with JAWS and Writing for Accessibility

Read the instructions below to get started with JAWS and, in the process, to learn some tips for writing accessible content. The instructions are numbered for reference but (apart from obtaining and launching JAWS) do not need to be worked through sequentially.

1. Obtaining JAWS Software

Visit the JAWS website to find out more about obtaining JAWS software. If you are a college student or faculty member, check the JAWS sponsored license page to find out if you are eligible for a free home annual license. You may alternatively be eligible for the JAWS Student Annual License; according to Freedom Scientific, “JAWS Student is intended for anyone working in an Educational setting on school equipment or at home on a student's personal computer.”

2. Launching JAWS

Open JAWS by using the desktop icon or through the Start Menu. A number of JAWS commands are listed throughout this tutorial, and they all require that JAWS be launched first.

If you would like to create a custom shortcut to open JAWS, you can set one up as follows:

1)  Navigate to the JAWS icon on your desktop.

2)  Right click on the icon and choose Properties, or press ALT + ENTER to open the Properties dialog box.

3)  Press TAB until you reach the “Shortcut key” field.

4)  Press the keystrokes that you desire to use as a shortcut. (I like to use CTRL + ALT + J.) Make sure that your choice of keystrokes cannot be found on the list of JAWS hotkeys, which are used to perform other actions.

5)  Press TAB to navigate to the OK button and then press ENTER to save the changes.

3. Choice of web browsers with JAWS

Freedom Scientific has a tutorial on Surfing the Internet with JAWS where they recommend using Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox.

In accessibility work that I and my colleagues have done at the University of Houston, we have found that mathematical content as well as other content reads reliably with JAWS in Google Chrome. Both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are based on the Chromium browser, but I have not tested Microsoft Edge extensively enough to offer a detailed comparison. I do not recommend using Firefox at this time, because if alternative text is not added by the content creator to an image, a JAWS user will miss being alerted that the image is even there. (This issue is discussed later in this document in the section on reading alternative text for images.)

4. Desktop vs. laptop keyboard commands

Due to differences between desktop and laptop keyboards, there is a subset of JAWS keyboard commands that are different for desktop and laptop computers. Depending on a laptop's configuration and keyboard size, some laptops work with desktop commands, or work with desktop commands when connected to an external keyboard. This document is written primarily with desktop commands but mentions some laptop commands as well. If any commands are not working for you, refer to Freedom Scientific's list of JAWS hotkeys and navigate to the “Desktop and Laptop Keystrokes” section of that webpage to find alternative keystrokes that work with your configuration. The commands for a desktop/full keyboard are more intuitive than the commands designed for a laptop. If you have a laptop which is only working with the laptop commands, you may want to attach an external keyboard and try out the desktop commands.

5. Silencing JAWS

To make JAWS stop talking, press and release INSERT + SPACEBAR (you hear a click), followed by the letter S. (If this does not work, try the following laptop command: press and release CAPS LOCK + SPACEBAR, followed by the letter S.) JAWS then says, “Speech on Demand.” JAWS runs in the background and may make some noises like a buzzer sound if you misspell a word, but otherwise stays silent. To return to full speech mode, press and release INSERT + SPACEBAR, followed by S again; JAWS then says, “Full Speech.”

You can alternatively silence JAWS by pressing the CTRL key, but this only allows for a very temporary pause. If you start another task on your computer, JAWS will start speaking again.

Note: The mute button turns off the speaker volume for your computer but does not turn JAWS off. JAWS will continue in the background without you hearing it and may slow down other computer processes as well.

6. Continuous reading with JAWS

To make JAWS read continuously, use the “Say All” command, as described below.

•    Press INSERT + ↓ (the down arrow). Freedom Scientific lists this as a desktop command, but it works for some laptops as well. If you need to read from the top of the page, you can press CTRL + HOME (or sighted users of JAWS can navigate to the top of the page as they usually would) and then press INSERT + ↓.

•    If the above command does not work for continuous reading, try the laptop command CAPS LOCK + A.

•    To rewind during a “Say All,” press the left arrow. To fast forward during a “Say All,” press the right arrow.

Note: When a Microsoft Word document contains mathematics, JAWS occasionally skips over some of the math content when reading content continuously in “Say All” mode; the reading of math content is more reliable in Word when you navigate line-by-line, as described in the next section.

7. Line-by-line reading with JAWS

Press the down arrow for JAWS to read the next line of content (or a part of a line in some cases, as JAWS may stop reading when it encounters elements like hyperlinks or mathematics). Press the down arrow whenever JAWS is done speaking, and JAWS continues to read content in the order that it appears. Repeat this process until you are done reading the document. Press the up arrow if you want JAWS to go back and read the previous line. Some laptops have smaller keyboards that do not have up/down arrow keys. If the up/down arrows do not work with JAWS or do not exist on your laptop, try CAPS LOCK + O to read the next line and CAPS LOCK + U to read the prior line (or use an external keyboard or keypad and try the up/down arrow keys).

8. Resolving reading issues with JAWS

Sometimes JAWS gets stuck. It may say “blank, blank” or the volume may drop unexpectedly. At other times, such as after refreshing a webpage, JAWS might not read updated content correctly. When any of these issues occur, try one or more of the following:

•    Press INSERT + ESC. This command refreshes JAWS' connection with the sound card, which can fix audio issues. INSERT + ESC also refreshes JAWS' internal view of what is on the screen, so that JAWS may be able to read an updated webpage without needing to clear the browser history or the cache.

•    Select the program icon in the taskbar for whatever program you are working with (e.g., the icon for Google Chrome or Word) and then click on the document that you are working on (e.g., the Google Chrome webpage or the actual Word document). This often makes JAWS “wake up” and start reading.

•    If reading a webpage, try refreshing the webpage. (The shortcut to refresh the page is CTRL + F5.) Then press INSERT + ESC to refresh JAWS' internal view of the page as well.

•    If the above tips do not work, select the JAWS icon from the taskbar (or press INSERT + J) and then click on your webpage or document again.

•    If all else fails, close and restart JAWS, and/or close and reopen the webpage or document you are working on (such as Microsoft Word) and go through the above steps again as needed.

9. Changing the voice rate

To change the voice rate, select the JAWS icon from your taskbar (or press INSERT + J) and the JAWS application window will appear on your screen as shown below. Select the Help menu.

Then select Startup Wizard from the resulting puldown menu, as shown below.

You may be presented with a screen about Improving Freedom Scientific Products (not shown). If so, decide how you want to answer and press the Next button.

JAWS will then display a screen that contains options for Speech Settings as shown below. You can change the voice rate, i.e., the speed at which JAWS speaks, using the slider in the Rate settings. To hear JAWS speak some more, so that you can decide on an acceptable voice rate, you can navigate to the Typing Echo section and cycle through the radio buttons for the sole purpose of listening to JAWS as it announces your selections. (Don't worry if you change the Typing Echo selection; we will discuss Typing Echo options later in this document.)

Before selecting the Next button, follow the directions to change punctuation and typing echo, as shown in the next two sections.

Note: You may later decide that you need to increase or decrease the voice rate, either permanently or just temporarily for a given task. To adjust the speech rate permanently, press ALT + CTRL + WINDOWS + PAGE UP/DOWN. To adjust the speech rate temporarily, press ALT + CTRL + PAGE UP/DOWN.

10. Changing the punctuation setting

The JAWS punctuation settings are found in the Speech Settings pane of the Startup Wizard. (If that pane is not already open: select the JAWS icon from the taskbar or press INSERT + J, select Help, and then select Startup Wizard.) The Punctuation settings determine how much punctuation will be spoken by JAWS.

The punctuation setting choices are None, Some, Most, and All. I recommend that you choose “Most”, or that you alternatively choose “All” if you want every punctuation mark to be spoken. Note that in all four punctuation settings, JAWS produces an audible pause when it reaches a comma, semicolon, colon, or end-of-sentence punctuation (just as we would in normal conversation), even if the chosen setting does not allow for the punctuation mark itself to be spoken.

I evaluated the JAWS punctuation settings in Microsoft Word and in Google Chrome for the purpose of writing this tutorial, and the results of that testing are shown below along with the reasons for my recommendation to choose “Most” or “All”. (If you notice any changes in the punctuation setting performance, please visit the Contact/Feedback section to let me know.)

Punctuation Level: None

I do NOT recommend the “None” punctuation setting because it can cause you to miss essential information.

In this setting, JAWS does not read any punctuation, and it leaves out some other types of (non-punctuation) symbols as well. JAWS does not read the @ (at) symbol which is used in email addresses and social media, or the “dot” (period) in email addresses and web addresses, or the slashes or colon in web addresses such as https://uh.edu. JAWS also does not read symbols such as the pound/hashtag symbol (#), dollar sign (\$), percent sign (%), ampersand (&), or asterisk (*) unless one of those symbols is contained on a line by itself or you are reading content one character at a time. If reading any mathematics, the “None” punctuation setting often makes the content meaningless; the equation $2\left( x+3 \right)=12$, for example, is read by JAWS as “two x three twelve.”

Punctuation Level: Some

I do NOT recommend the “Some” punctuation setting because symbols that are critical for mathematical content are not read.

JAWS reads: the @ (at) symbol and the dot (period) in email addresses such as jmarsala@central.uh.edu, and the slashes and dot (period) in web addresses such as https://uh.edu. JAWS also reads typographical symbols such as the pound/hashtag symbol (#), dollar sign (\$), percent sign (%), ampersand (&), and asterisk (*).

JAWS does not read: quotation marks, colons*, semicolons, parentheses**, hyphens (like in the word one-half), periods/question marks/exclamation marks at the end of sentences, apostrophes (like in the word can't) — or em dashes like the one just listed.

*Since JAWS does not read colons when the “Some” punctuation setting is chosen, the colon is not read in web addresses such as https://uh.edu.

**The “Some” punctuation setting causes significant issues with mathematical content since JAWS does not read the parentheses. The equation $2\left( 3 \right)+4=10$ is read by JAWS as “two three plus four equals ten” causing the user to miss the fact that the 2 and 3 should be multiplied. An expression such as $5{{\left( x+y \right)}^{2}}$ is read by JAWS as “five x plus y squared” which a user would likely misinterpret as $5x+{{y}^{2}}$.

Punctuation Level: Most

JAWS reads: the same punctuation that is read when the level is set to “Some" (described above) AND also reads quotation marks, parentheses, semicolons, colons, and hyphens (like in the word one-half).

JAWS does not read: periods/question marks/exclamation marks at the end of sentences, apostrophes (like in the word can't) — or dashes like the one just listed.

Punctuation Level: All

JAWS reads ALL punctuation, including commas as well as periods/question marks/exclamation marks at the end of sentences.

11. Changing the Typing Echo setting

The JAWS Typing Echo settings are found in the Speech Settings pane described in the previous section. (If that pane is not already open: select the JAWS icon from the taskbar or press INSERT + J, select Help, and then select Startup Wizard.)

The Typing Echo settings determine whether JAWS will read words/characters as you type them.

In the Typing Echo section, decide if you want to choose Off (no typing echo), Characters (JAWS reads each character as you type), Words (JAWS reads each word as you type), or Characters and Words (JAWS reads both characters and words as you type). Most sighted users of JAWS will likely want the Typing Echo feature off, since they can see what they are typing and don't need JAWS to announce it.

After making a Typing Echo choice, select the Next button. Continue to select the Next button until you reach the final screen of the Startup Wizard, and then select Finish.

This document does not describe the other options in the Startup Wizard. (Sighted users likely don't need to make any additional adjustments.)

12. Changing the JAWS voice

You can change the JAWS voice that you are hearing, which is like listening to a different person speak. Select the JAWS icon from your taskbar (or press INSERT + J) and the JAWS application window will appear on your screen like the one below. Select the Options menu.

Select Voices, and then “Voice Adjustment” from the resulting pulldown menu.

Next, select the “Profile Name” pulldown. You will be presented with a number of voice profile options. Select each voice profile to hear how it sounds and choose the voice profile that you like best. (If you cannot hear any of the voices, make sure that the volume on your computer is turned up.) After choosing a Profile Name, navigate to the Person setting in the Voice section of the panel and try out additional voice options for your chosen voice profile, if available.

Once you are satisfied with your choices, select the OK button at the bottom of the Voice Adjustment panel.

13. Navigating with headings

Before we learn to navigate headings with JAWS, let us take some time to discuss them. Headings are a critical element of accessible documents. Suppose that a textbook is organized as follows:

•    Heading level 1 — chapter titles

•    Heading Level 2 — section titles

•    Heading Level 3 — subsection titles, etc.

A JAWS user can then pull up a list of headings, which is much like a table of contents, and navigate easily to any part of the document. There are additional shortcuts to quickly jump from one heading to another, or to jump between headings of the same level.

There are three methods of navigating headings, which work in webpages as well as in Microsoft Word. Try these heading navigation methods out on this webpage as you read through this section.

Heading navigation option 1: Using the JAWS heading list

To show the complete list of headings with JAWS, press INSERT + F6; a popup should appear with the title “Heading List.” Navigate to the top of the heading list.

Choose a heading in the list and select the button “Move to Heading” (or alternatively press ENTER) to navigate to that portion of the document.

Open the heading list again by pressing INSERT + F6. Select the various radio buttons to discover how JAWS can sort the headings, and how the headings can be displayed by heading level.

Heading navigation option 2: Using the H key

If navigating within a webpage: Press the H key to navigate from one heading to the next. Press SHIFT + H to move to the previous heading.

If using Microsoft Word: Press INSERT + Z to turn on Quick Keys navigation. JAWS should then say, “Quick Keys on.” Then press the H key to navigate from one heading to the next. Press SHIFT + H to move to the previous heading. Press INSERT + Z when you want to turn Quick Keys off in Microsoft Word. (Be careful when using Quick Keys; if you think that Quick Keys are on but they are actually off, you can end up typing the letter “h” or other characters in your document unintentionally.)

Heading navigation option 3: Using the number keys

If navigating within a webpage: You can navigate to Level 1 headings by pressing the number 1, navigate to Level 2 headings by pressing the number 2, etc. You can use SHIFT + 1 to navigate backwards through Level 1 headings, SHIFT + 2 to navigate backwards through Level 2 headings, etc. (This tutorial only has one Level 1 heading, the title, which you can access by pressing the number 1. This webpage contains four levels of headings, so you can experiment with pressing 2, 3, or 4 repeatedly to cycle through the headings at those levels.)

If using Microsoft Word: Press INSERT + Z to turn on Quick Keys navigation. JAWS should then say, “Quick Keys on.” You can then navigate to Level 1 headings by pressing the number 1, navigate to Level 2 headings by pressing the number 2, etc. You can use SHIFT + 1 to navigate backwards through Level 1 headings, SHIFT + 2 to navigate backwards through Level 2 headings, etc. Press INSERT + Z when you want to turn Quick Keys off in Microsoft Word. (Be careful when using Quick Keys; if you think that Quick Keys are on but they are actually off, you can end up typing numbers or other characters in your document unintentionally.)

14. Heading accessibility tips: Creating accessible headings

Headings cannot simply be created by making text stand out with enlarged boldface font or different colors; a heading needs to be classified as a heading to be properly accessible with JAWS.

Creating headings in Microsoft Word

The heading styles can be found in the Styles pane of the Home tab in Microsoft Word.

Type the following text to practice creating headings:

This line will be Heading 1.

This line will be Heading 2.

This line will be Heading 3.

Then put the cursor anywhere on the line that says, “This line will be Heading 1” and select the Heading 1 style from the Styles pane. Place the cursor anywhere on the line that says, “This line will be Heading 2” and select the Heading 2 style from the Styles pane. After you use the Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles, the Heading 3 style will typically show up in the Styles pane. If this does not occur, select the arrow in the lower right corner of the Styles pane of the Home tab, then select Options, and then select the checkbox that says, “Show next heading level when previous level is used.”

Once the Heading 3 option is available in the Styles pane, place the cursor anywhere on the line that says, “This line will be Heading 3” and select the Heading 3 style from the Styles pane.

A screenshot of the resulting output is shown below.

Changing the appearance of headings in Microsoft Word

The above headings were formatted with Microsoft Word's default heading styles. Suppose that you want to change the appearance of Heading 2. Navigate to the line where you typed “This line will be heading 2” and adjust the font, color, and style as desired. Then navigate to the Styles pane, right click on Heading 2, and choose “Update Heading 2 to Match Selection.”

This will change all instances of Heading 2 material which you have already typed (in this case, probably just once), and your new formatting will be applied to all future instances of Heading 2 in the same document.

Creating headings in HTML

If you are inserting headings into HTML code for a webpage, you can surround your heading 1 content with the <h1> and </h1> tags, surround your heading 2 content with the <h2> and </h2> tags, etc. Feel free to look at the source code for this webpage to examine the headings in this tutorial. (To view the source code, right click on the webpage and choose “View page source.”)

Additional heading creation tips

If you are including definitions/rules/theorems throughout your text:
Consider using a heading style for this group so that the definitions/rules/theorems can be easily found and navigated with a screen reader. Suppose, for example, that you are already using heading levels 1 through 4 in your document. You could use the Heading 5 style for the names of all the definitions/rules/theorems (as long as you would not otherwise be using heading level 5).

If you are including examples throughout your text (Example 1, Example 2, etc.):
Consider using a heading style so that the examples can be easily found and navigated with a screen reader. If you are already using Headings 1 through 5, you could use the Heading 6 style for all the examples.

Check the heading list
When you are done creating a document with headings, pull up the JAWS heading list by pressing INSERT + F6. Make sure that all headings appear as intended. If not, go back and adjust your headings.

15. Viewing the list of hyperlinks

To view the complete list of hyperlinks within Microsoft Word or on a webpage, press INSERT + F7; a popup should appear with the title “Links List” as shown below. Try it out with JAWS on this webpage and scroll to the top of the links list.

Practice navigating hyperlinks using the Links List, choosing the “Move to Link” and “Activate Link” buttons. Also select the radio buttons to understand the display and sorting options for the links.

16. Hyperlink accessibility tips: Creating meaningful hyperlink text

Now that you know how to access the list of hyperlinks, let's discuss a common hyperlink accessibility issue.

Many people write hyperlinks like the ones shown below.

Suppose that the five hyperlinks from the above screenshot are scattered throughout a long document, and a visually impaired user remembers that they want to revisit a specific hyperlink, but they don't remember where it occurred. If they pull up the Links List by pressing INSERT + F7 as described in the previous section, they will be presented with the following:

The above Links List is not at all helpful in pointing the user to any specific content; a JAWS user may need to navigate to every hyperlink in a web page before they can find the one that they are searching for. Compare the ambiguous list of links with our earlier descriptive list of links, both of which are shown below.

When you are creating a document, check the list of hyperlinks (INSERT + F7) to make sure that your links appear as intended and that the wording for each link is descriptive and clear. If not, go back to the document and adjust the hyperlinks to make them more accessible.

17. Reading alternative text for images

When you are reading a document with JAWS and you encounter an image, JAWS reads a description of the image if the author has provided one. This description is known as alternative text, or “alt text.” We will discuss how to read alternative text with JAWS in this section and discuss how to create alternative text in the next section.

Alternative text is typically not shown on the screen unless the image is not displaying properly — so sighted users don't even notice it — but the alt text is read by screen readers so that the content can be clearly understood even if it cannot be seen.

Below are three scenarios.

Scenario 1: An image with alt text

I created the following image of a triangle, and I added the alternative text, “Triangle ABC with right angle B.” In Microsoft Word, JAWS should say “Triangle ABC with right angle B, image” and in HTML, JAWS should say, “Triangle ABC with right angle B, graphic.” Try it out with JAWS on this webpage.

The above image is accessible with JAWS.

Scenario 2: An image that has been marked as decorative.

Suppose that I insert the same image of a right triangle, shown again below, but this time it is for decorative purposes only. I can mark the image as decorative. In Microsoft Word, JAWS says “decorative image” when encountering this image. In Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, JAWS simply skips it altogether. Try it out with JAWS on this webpage.

If you did not hear JAWS announce the image in any way, JAWS worked as expected. It is fine that nothing was spoken because the image was only decorative.

Scenario 3: An image that is missing alt text.

Suppose that I insert the same image of a right triangle, but I forget to add alternative text. Try out the following image with JAWS on this webpage and notice the output.

In Firefox, JAWS skips over the image altogether (which is not good — because the student won't even know that they missed anything important). In Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, JAWS announces, “To get missing image descriptions, open the context menu. Unlabeled graphic.” In Microsoft Word, JAWS announces something to the effect of “Picture 1 image.”

The triangle in Scenario 3 is NOT accessible with JAWS; alternative text needs to be added to the image.

Further exploration: “To get missing image descriptions, open the context menu.”

Let's explore the JAWS message from Scenario 3 which occurred in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge when alternative text was missing:

“To get missing image descriptions, open the context menu. Unlabeled graphic.”

Since the image is not labeled with alternative text, you can change the settings in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge to generate an image description when one is missing. Follow these steps if you want to try it:

1)  Navigate to the context menu at the upper right of the screen in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

2)  Select Settings.

3)  Select Accessibility.

4)  In Google Chrome, toggle the option “Get image descriptions from Google” to the on position. In Microsoft Edge, toggle the option, “Get image descriptions from Microsoft for screen readers” to the on position.

When I followed the above steps in Google Chrome and revisited the triangle image from Scenario 3: An image that is missing alt text,

JAWS said, “Appears to say A, graphic.”
I pressed the down arrow again and JAWS said, “B, graphic.”
I pressed the down arrow again and JAWS said, “C, graphic.”

Putting the three phrases together, Google's image description for the triangle simply said “Appears to say A, B, C.” Google recognized the letters, but mentioned nothing about a triangle.

When I followed the above steps in Microsoft Edge and revisited the triangle image from Scenario 3: An image that is missing alt text,

JAWS said: “Appears to be icon graphic.”

The image description results from both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are quite lacking. Although they may yield satisfactory results for some images, you cannot count on this feature to produce meaningful alternative text. You will learn to create your own alternative text in the next section.

Note: If you want to toggle off the ability for Chrome or Edge to generate image descriptions, go through the steps above (context menu → Settings → Accessibility) and toggle off the option to get image descriptions from Google and/or Microsoft.

18. Alternative text accessibility tips: Creating alt text for images

Creating alternative text in Microsoft Word

Every image in a document should have alternative text added to describe the image or should be marked as decorative (if it serves only as a decoration).

To insert alternative text for an image in Microsoft Word, right click the image and select “View Alt Text.”

An Alt Text pane appears on the right side of the screen. Notice that Microsoft automatically suggests the alternative text, “A graph of a function.” This alt text is not very descriptive at all.

The auto-generated text is NOT automatically inserted into the document. If the alternative text is sufficient, select the box underneath the suggested alt text that says, “Approve alt text.”

If the image is purely decorative, check the small box near the bottom of the Alt Text pane that says, “Mark as decorative.”

If the auto-generated alt text is not sufficient and the image is not decorative, you should type your own alternative text in the box.

After typing in your alt text, listen to it with JAWS to make sure that it is well understood; this is particularly important with mathematical notation. Notice that the expression $4-{{x}^{2}}$ is written as “4 minus x squared” in the above Alt Text box so that it will be read correctly by the screen reader. If $4-{{x}^{2}}$ had instead been written as “4 - x^2” within the Alt Text box, the JAWS screen reader would read it as “4 x caret 2” or “4 dash caret 2” depending on the user's punctuation settings in JAWS.

Creating alternative text in HTML

Alternative text can be created in HTML with the alt attribute, using code such as alt=“Insert alternative text here” within the appropriate image tag. You can look at the source code for this webpage to examine how alternative text is added to images. (To view the source code, right click on the webpage and choose “View page source.”)

19. Table navigation

JAWS table navigation instructions are given below for HTML documents as well as for Microsoft Word. A sample table is provided for you to try out the instructions with JAWS on this webpage. After you learn to navigate the table, we will discuss the way in which JAWS reads the table elements to help you keep track of your place in the table.

Sample Table

Table navigation in HTML documents

To navigate to the next table in a webpage, press the letter T. To navigate to the previous table, press SHIFT + T. (Note: This webpage only contains one table.)

To navigate within a table, first make sure that your cursor is within the table. Then press and release INSERT + SPACEBAR, followed by the letter T to activate the JAWS table layer. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate from one cell to another. When you are done exploring the table, press ESC to exit the table layer. Then click outside the table or press the down arrow repeatedly (which moves the cursor rightward from cell to cell and then into the next row) until you navigate out of the table.

Return to the sample table to practice table navigation using the steps above.

For additional table navigation tips and examples, check out Freedom Scientific's webpage on HTML Tables with JAWS.

Table navigation in Microsoft Word

To navigate to the next table in a Microsoft Word document, press INSERT + Z to activate Quick Keys, then press the letter T. To navigate to the previous table, press SHIFT + T. To turn Quick Keys off, press INSERT + Z again.

To navigate within a table, do one of the following while your cursor is contained in the table:

•    Press CTRL + ALT + the arrow keys to navigate between cells of a table, OR

•    Press and release INSERT + SPACEBAR, followed by the letter T to activate the JAWS table layer. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate from one cell to another. When you are done exploring the table, press ESC to exit the table layer. Then click outside the table or press the down arrow repeatedly (which moves the cursor rightward from cell to cell and then into the next row) until you navigate out of the table.

Understanding what JAWS is reading: Table header elements

Notice that the first row in the sample table contains the labels Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Each of those three cells is called a column header, and that first row is called a header row (because it is a row filled with column headers). Similarly, the first column contains the words Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Each of those three cells is known as a row header, and that first column is known as a header column (because it is a column filled with row headers).

Navigate around the sample table again with JAWS and pay attention to how the column headers (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) and row headers (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) are announced. Since this HTML table has been coded with headers, JAWS announces a row header or a column header along with the current cell content when you enter a new row or column, as well as the number of the new row or column. If you are in the cell for Monday's breakfast, pancakes, and you navigate to the right (entering a new column), JAWS announces the new column's label along with the current cell content (as well as the column number) by saying, “Lunch, hamburgers, column 3” while you mentally keep track of the fact that you are already in the Monday row. If you then navigate downward (entering a new row), JAWS announces the new row's label along with the current cell content (as well as the row number) by saying, “Tuesday, soup and salad, row 3” while you mentally keep track of the fact that you are still in the lunch column. If you then navigate to the right (entering a new column), JAWS announces the new column's label along with the current cell content (as well as the column number) by saying, “Dinner, chicken, column 4” while you mentally keep track of the fact that you are still in the Tuesday row, etc.

In Microsoft Word, JAWS' default settings are to read the first row as a header row and the first column as a header column. This can be problematic when only the rows or columns have headers (but not both) or when the table was created with no headers at all.

In HTML, JAWS' default settings are to only read entries as headers if they were coded that way by the author.

Changing the JAWS table reading settings in a web browser (not necessary for sighted users)

You can change the JAWS table reading settings in a web browser as follows:

While in your desired web browser, press INSERT + V to activate the JAWS Quick Setting dialog for that browser. Use the search bar to search for Table Titles. Select Table Titles and then choose one of the following four options:

•    Off (Choose this setting if you do not want JAWS to read any cells as headers; JAWS will simply read the content in each cell).

•    Only Marked Headers (This is the default setting. Choose this setting if you only want JAWS to read cells as headers if they are coded/marked that way in the HTML code.)

•    Row, Column, or Both Row and Column (JAWS reads marked headers if they exist. If there are no marked headers, JAWS reads its best guess for row headers if you choose Row, column headers if you choose Column, and both if you choose Both Row and Column.)

Changing the JAWS table reading settings in Microsoft Word (not necessary for sighted users)

You can change the JAWS table reading settings in Microsoft Word as follows:

While in a Word document, press INSERT + V to activate the JAWS Quick Setting dialog for Word. Choose the Tables option by pressing the down arrow, or search for Tables in the search bar and then navigate to Tables. After Tables is selected, navigate to the “Automatic Table Titles” pulldown and change your preference as needed.

Then choose one of the following four options:

•    Both Row and Column (Choose this setting if you want JAWS to read the first cell in each row along with the current cell content when you navigate to a new row, and to read the first cell in each column along with the current cell content when you navigate to a new column).

•    Off (Choose this setting if you do not want JAWS to read any cells as headers; JAWS will simply read the content in each cell).

•    Column (if you want JAWS to announce the first element in each column along with the current cell content whenever you navigate to a new column)

•    Row (if you want JAWS to announce the first element in each row along with the current cell content whenever you navigate to a new row).

20. Table accessibility tips

Consider lists instead of tables

Tables can be an efficient means of organizing data but can be tedious to navigate with a screen reader. When presenting data within a document, consider whether it makes sense to present that information as a list instead of a table.

If you decide that a table is necessary rather than a list, there are some steps that you should take to make sure your table is accessible.

Include header rows and/or header columns in tables whenever possible.

In Microsoft Word:
By default, JAWS reads the table as if the first row is a header row and the first column is a header column — so craft the content accordingly if possible. (There are times when this does not make sense with the data; the person reading your document can also change the JAWS table reading settings in Microsoft Word if needed.)

In HTML:
You control which table cells are read as header entries by using the table header tag, <th>. If a cell represents a header element, use <th> and </th> tags around that element rather than <td> and </td> tags. Feel free to look at the source code for this webpage to determine how the table headers are coded. (To view the source code, right click on the webpage and choose “View page source.”)

Table captions

Notice that the sample table in this document has a caption (a title) associated with it. For accessibility purposes, it is ideal for every table to have a caption.

In Microsoft Word:
To create a table caption in Microsoft Word, select the table, then right click and select “Insert Caption.”

The following dialog box will appear.

Add your table caption, adding a colon and/or space after the table number as needed. Microsoft Word automatically numbers the tables. (If you do not like the auto-numbering, you can change the text of the caption after inserting it into the document.) Adjust other options as desired and then select the OK button. After pressing OK, you can adjust the text and formatting of the caption within the Word document (size, font, alignment, etc.) as you would any other content.

In HTML:
To create a caption In HTML, insert a <caption> tag immediately after the <table> tag along with the desired caption text, followed by the ending </caption> tag. In HTML, you can also provide a summary attribute within the <table> tag, such as: summary=“Insert summary for the table.” If you are viewing this tutorial on a webpage, feel free to look at the source code for the sample table in this document. (To view the source code, right click on this webpage and choose “View page source.”)

21. Additional keyboard commands

To discover additional keyboard commands, explore Freedom Scientific's list of JAWS hotkeys or refer to the “Keyboard Commands” section of the JAWS Help menu (press INSERT + J, then Help, then “Keyboard Commands.”)

Don't be overwhelmed by the list of commands. Some of the most common keyboard commands have already been described in this document, and you can look up other commands if you need them. For sighted users of JAWS, realize that many of the commands are not needed when you are able to see the computer screen.

22. Exploring other JAWS settings

There are many other settings in JAWS. If you want to explore them, open JAWS, select the Utilities tab, and then select “Settings Center” from the pulldown menu.

23. Additional tutorials on navigating the internet

For a wealth of information about online browsing with JAWS, check out Freedom Scientific's help pages on Surfing the Internet with JAWS! (This information is particularly valuable for JAWS users who are visually impaired.)

24. Reading math content with JAWS

Reading math content in webpages

JAWS reads math content in webpages if the content is created with MathML. When JAWS encounters math content within a webpage, it announces the word “math content” immediately after reading the expression. Try it out below.

$y=2x+3$

$f\left( x \right)=3{{x}^{2}}+5x+1$

$\displaystyle\frac{3}{5}+\displaystyle\frac{1}{4}=\displaystyle\frac{17}{20}$

$m=\displaystyle\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}$

$x=\displaystyle\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$

$\displaystyle\int_2^5(x^3+7x)dx$

$\displaystyle\sum_{n=1}^4(5n^2+1)$

Visit Freedom Scientific's MathML page and MathML examples page to find out more about reading mathematics with JAWS.

Reading math content in Microsoft Word

JAWS reads math content in Microsoft Word when the content is created with Word's native equation tool; see the next section for more details. In Microsoft Word, JAWS announces the word “math content” just prior to reading each math expression.

25. Math accessibility tips: Creating accessible math content

Creating accessible math content in Microsoft Word

Visit the University of Houston's detailed tutorial on Typing Math in Microsoft Word to learn how to create math content with Microsoft Word's equation tool. The output from Word's equation tool is accessible with JAWS, so teachers can use the equation tool to create accessible mathematical documents — and students with visual impairments can use the equation tool to create mathematical output for their coursework. A significant portion of the Typing Math in Microsoft Word tutorial is devoted to keystroke commands, which help all users to type mathematics quickly but are particularly useful for people who are visually impaired because Word's equation toolbar is difficult to navigate with a screen reader.

Creating accessible math content in webpages

The process of creating math content in webpages is complicated and will not be discussed in this tutorial.

26. Using the Math Viewer

JAWS has a feature called the Math Viewer which allows JAWS users to investigate math content in greater detail. To activate the Math Viewer:

•    In a web browser, press ENTER or SPACEBAR when focused on that math content.

•    Within Microsoft Word, press and release INSERT + SPACEBAR followed by EQUALS when focused on that math content.

The math content appears in a separate popup window, and you can navigate through it using the arrow keys. The Math Viewer can be useful when an equation is complicated, or in instances where a JAWS user is trying to differentiate two math expressions that read the same way, like $\sqrt{x+1}$ (where the x+1 is completely under the square root) or $\sqrt{x}+1$ (where only the x is inside the square root, but the +1 is outside the square root). Consider adding parentheses when creating content that could be ambiguous; the expression $\sqrt{\left( x+1 \right)}$, for example, would be clear to the user without the need to use the Math Viewer.

To learn more about using the Math Viewer, visit Freedom Scientific's webpage on Accessing Math Content with JAWS and Fusion, and navigate to the section entitled “Studying Equations in the Math Viewer.”

Note: If you get a script error while trying to use the Math Viewer, visit Freedom Scientific's technical bulletin to fix script errors in the Math Viewer.

27. Color choices and accessibility

Color choices matter when you are designing a document for accessibility. The colors of the text, background, images, and other features of a document must have sufficient contrast so that people with color blindness or low vision can distinguish differences in color. Visit WebAIM''s Contrast and Color Accessibility page to learn more about contrast ratio requirements as well as online tools to help you choose accessible color combinations.

28. Microsoft Office accessibility checker

Many Microsoft Office applications have a built-in accessibility checker. For more information about this tool, visit Microsoft's accessibility checker support page.

29. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Visit the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) website to learn about current web accessibility standards and to find resources to help people meet those standards.

30. Evaluating web accessibility

Many tools are available to check the accessibility of webpages and online content. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative has published a list of over 100 web accessibility evaluation tools (some of which are free) that can be used with a variety of document types and operating systems. If you are a teacher who uses a learning management system (LMS) to deliver content to your students, that LMS may have an accessibility checker built-in to assist you in making documents accessible.

Realize that automated accessibility checkers have limitations, different checkers may yield different results, and their assessments and recommendations are not always correct. After completing this JAWS tutorial, hopefully you are more skilled and confident in using JAWS and better equipped to improve the accessibility of your documents!

Contact / Feedback

If you have any questions or feedback about this JAWS tutorial or about creating accessible content, contact:

Jennifer Marsala, Instructional Designer
University of Houston Department of Mathematics
Email: jmarsala@central.uh.edu.