Here at Freedom Scientific, we have renamed the month of November Sharkvember, a month-long celebration of accessibility, creativity, and community. Visit the Sharkvember page for a list of events that will take place during this month.
As part of Sharkvember, we are providing daily JAWS and ZoomText keyboard command tips, which we are calling “Sharkvember Shortcuts.” Visit the Sharkvember Shortcuts page each day for a new tip.
Each Friday, we will provide a roundup of shortcuts for the week right here on the blog. Here are the Sharkvember Shortcuts for this week.
Sharkvember Keyboard Command of the Day
Nov 13: JAWS Command
Open Message Center
Desktop keystroke
Laptop keystroke
Description
INSERT+SPACE, then SHIFT+M
CAPS LOCK+SPACE, then SHIFT+M
Opens Message Center and displays a list of messages. The Message Center is a hub for announcements, tips, and information about updates. It helps maximize your experience with our software by always providing the most recent details. Message topics include power tips, new podcast episodes, and information about new features and updates.
Nov 14: ZoomText Command
Color Enhancements On and Off
Keystroke
Description
CAPS LOCK+C
Activates or deactivates color enhancements, which improve the clarity of text and graphics, provide easier viewing, and reduce eyestrain. The color enhancement options consist of a variety of filter effects that adjust color, contrast, and brightness. You can choose from preset color schemes or create your own custom color settings.
Nov 15: JAWS Command
Access Speech History
Desktop keystroke
Laptop keystroke
Description
INSERT+SPACE, then H
CAPS LOCK+SPACE, then H
Accesses Speech History, which enables you to review previous announcements spoken by JAWS. This command opens a Results Viewer window containing up to the last 500 announcements spoken by the synthesizer. When the Speech History window opens, you are placed on the line containing the most recent announcement. To copy the entire Speech History to the Windows Clipboard for pasting into another application such as a Word document or email message, press INSERT+SPACE, followed by CTRL+H in desktop keyboard layout, or CAPS LOCK+SPACE, followed by CTRL+H in laptop keyboard layout. To clear the history, in desktop keyboard layout, press INSERT+SPACE, followed by SHIFT+H. In laptop keyboard layout, press CAPS LOCK+SPACE, followed by SHIFT+H. Press ESC to close the Speech History Results Viewer window.
Nov 16: ZoomText Command
Activate Smoothing Mode
Keystroke
Description
CAPS LOCK+X
Smoothing preferences control how ZoomText smooths and sharpens text and graphics (including photographs) in the magnified view. ZoomText provides two types of smoothing, xFont® and Geometric Smoothing, which can be enabled individually or together. Use this command to cycle through the different smoothing options and find one that best suits your vision needs.
Nov 17: JAWS Command
Adjust System or JAWS Volume
Desktop keystroke
Laptop keystroke
Description
INSERT+SPACE, V, then S for system or J for JAWS
CAPS LOCK+ SPACE, V, then S for system or J for JAWS
This command enables you to quickly adjust the system or JAWS volume. This is handy when you are in a virtual meeting or listening to a YouTube video. Press INSERT+SPACE in desktop layout or CAPS LOCK+SPACE in laptop layout to enter the command layer. Press V for volume, then S for system or J for JAWS. Press the UP ARROW key to increase the volume, and the DOWN ARROW key to decrease it. To adjust in larger increments, press the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys. Press ESC to exit the Volume layer.
Nov 18: ZoomText Command
Toggle Pointer Enhancements On and Off
Keystroke
Description
CAPS LOCK+P
Pointer enhancements make it easy to locate and follow the mouse pointer. You can adjust the size and color of the pointer and activate a locator that emphasizes the pointer’s position on the screen. You can choose from preset pointer schemes or create your own custom pointer settings.
Nov 19: JAWS Command
Access Notification History
Desktop keystroke
Laptop keystroke
Description
INSERT+SPACE, N
CAPS LOCK+ SPACE, N
Displays a list of recent Windows or application-specific notifications. Recent means either the last 500 notifications or notifications sent within the last 24 hours. From that dialog, you can create rules to govern how JAWS announces notifications, either in speech or braille.