Monitor Cells - JAWS V15 - MS Excel

Using Monitor Cells to Read Data in Excel

From a speech point of view MS Excel has always had something of an unforgiving reputation. While other applications like MS Word and Outlook allow you to achieve a great deal without having an extensive set of JAWS keystrokes in your armoury, Excel is one of those applications that gives you back what you put in. There's just no fluffing around with it, the bottom line is that for a good Excel experience you need to have a good knowledge of the JAWS keystrokes.

In this post I am going to talk about one of those often overlooked JAWS and Excel features, it's called monitor cells. This particular feature has actually been part of the JAWS and Excel make-up for a long time but, from my own experiences, is not an option that is widely used.

So, how do these monitor cells work and what are they good for? Before I answer those questions, let's get an example data region to work with and give us a bit more context:

Fruit	Bought	Sold
Apples	250	250
Lemons	200	150
Pears	225	200
Bananas	300	275
Limes	150	125
TOTALS	1125	1000

In the simple table above you have one column containing the row headings, one column containing quantities bought and another containing quantities sold. In my actual Excel version, the Total cells each contain a simple SUM statement, for example: =SUM(B2:B6).

What is a Monitor cell?

In the above data region let's assume that some of that raw data I have in the Sales column is incorrect or needs updating. Clearly, if I change any of that data the formula cells containing the Totals are going to contain new values. The problem with that when I am using speech output is that I need to manually move to that formula cell to be able to read it. This is a PITA - it creates a tension where, to check up on the changes as I work, I have to continually refocus with the PC Cursor to understand the impact of what I am doing across my worksheet. Enter the humble monitor cell, by creating one of these I can read the cell content directly whenever I want while I continue to work elsewhere in the worksheet - no refocusing required!

Let's run through how to set them and read them:

Setting and Reading Monitor Cells in JAWS V15

1. Open an existing Excel worksheet or create a new one - perhaps based around the Fruit Sales table I presented earlier.
2. Move to the specific cell you need to monitor - generally, this is a cell that contains a formula but can be any cell you require.
3. Use the keystroke of INSERT SHIFT 0-9 (for example: INSERT SHIFT 0) to set a monitor cell. Note you can have a total of ten individual monitor cells set at any time.
4. Now that you have the monitor cell marked, move the cursor to a different cell in the worksheet and use ALT SHIFT with the corresponding keystroke 0-9 to read the cell content. For example, if you used INSERT SHIFT 0, use ALT SHIFT 0. If you set a monitor cell with INSERT SHIFT 5, then read it with ALT SHIFT 5.
5. Now that your monitor cell is set you can also launch a JAWS listbox to show all of the monitor cells in the current worksheet. Activate this using CONTROL SHIFT M, navigate the list with your UP and DOWN ARROW and use the ENTER key to move the cursor to that specific cell.

And that's it - pretty neat I hope you'll agree. What's more, all the monitor cell information is stored individually and will be permanent even when you switch off your PC. Bear in mind though, if the worksheet changes its name in the future you'll probably have to reapply the monitor cell settings to create the link again.

In our above Fruit Sales data region setting and reading JAWS monitor cells might seem a bit overkill and you're probably right. But... imagine that instead of five rows of data you actually had five thousand? Imagine that instead of two simple SUM based statements there were many, many more formulae dotted around the worksheet? When you're working on that scale, JAWS monitor cells really do start to shine.

Have fun!

Looking for more information on the JAWS screenreader? Then please visit:

www.freedomscientific.com

Unlocking with Handwriting Mode - VoiceOver - iOS V8.1 - iPad

Unlocking the iPad with Handwriting Mode

A question I am asked frequently by new iPad users is how to unlock the tablet without the whole world hearing your passcode. After all, you won't necessarily have a set of headphones with you all the time and, even if you do, it may not be convenient to wear them (or find them even, which is normally the problem I have!)

What may surprise you is that there is actually a fairly straightforward way around this issue. This is how you do it:

Unlocking your iPad Using Handwriting Mode

1. From a locked iPad screen, press the Home button then SWIPE LEFT several times until you have focus on the unlock button.
2. DOUBLE TAP to activate the unlock button and focus will move to the passcode entry screen.
3. Launch the rotor control by putting your middle finger (or index finger) on the screen then, using your ring finger (or middle finger) trace a clockwise or anti-clockwise circle 180 degrees. If you have done this correctly, as you trace the circle you will hear VoiceOver announce various options. (Note: the rotor gesture can be tricky to master but keep practising and you'll soon get the hang of it.
4. As you move the rotor "dial" round, listen out for the Handwriting option, which will be set by default to "Numbers". When you hear this, remove your fingers from the screen.
5. Now that the Handwriting Mode is active, trace the first digit of your passcode on the tablet screen. For example, if the first digit of your passcode is number 6 then physically trace that number on the iPad screen. When you finish tracing your first digit, the iPad will automatically recognise it and input the number in your passcode area.
6. Continue doing this until you have all your numbers input and you have correctly logged in.

Pretty neat isn't it? Now you don't need to hunt down a set of ear phones every time you want to log in with a degree of privacy!

Looking for more information about VoiceOver on the Apple platform? Then please visit:

www.applevis.com

The official Apple support pages can be found here on Apple UK:

www.apple.com/uk/support

Typing Methods - iOS V8.1 - VoiceOver

Standard, Touch and Direct Touch Typing Input Methods

I've only recently upgraded my iPad to iOS V8.1 so it's still too early for me to give the OS upgrade a thumbs up, thumbs down or a thumbs somewhere in between. However, what I've played around with so far feels generally useful, although my perception is that in day to day usage VoiceOver feels a bit more laggy at times than it did previously. I guess I'll find out if my perception there is accurate or just simply part of my ongoing psychology brought about by me being such a reluctant follower of upgrade culture! Anyway, there's a whole bunch of new things to explore in iOS V8.1 but today I want to talk about Typing Modes.

Traditionally, inputting characters when using VoiceOver has been achieved using one of two distinct approaches, these are:

1. Standard Typing:

   This method of typing into an edit space is the basic default mode and is probably the simplest to get used to. Inputting text in this mode allows you to take an approach that is very similar to basic navigation gestures. For example, with the keyboard on screen, I can swipe left and right to sequentially move through each QWERTY character. Then, when I have focus on the correct letter, I can double tap to activate.

   The much more common route with standard mode is what I call "finger sliding", this is when you keep your main pointer finger on the screen all the time and then use an adjacent finger to do the tapping. I use my middle finger as my pointer finger and then use either my index or ring finger to do the activating.

2. Touch Typing:

   This mode is pretty much a variation on the finger slide technique, the difference being that the second finger is not really required - you activate or confirm the letter by lifting your finger. For example, slide your finger over the on-screen keyboard and then, when you hear the character you require, you simply lift your finger off and the letter is input into the edit area.

   The touch typing mode is widely used by many of the VoiceOver users I know as, once you get a feel for the general layout it can be pretty swift in use.

Before I talk about the new third mode then, it might be worth recapping how we get to these modes and change them. All the magic happens via a control Apple call the rotor. It is called the rotor because, when you activate it with the appropriate gesture, a dial appears on screen and each "spoke" of the dial points to a different setting that you may want to change. With this in mind, let's run through the following steps:

Changing the Typing Mode

1. Open the Notes application for example and compose a new note. Check that your keyboard is on-screen.
2. Touch the screen with the point of your index (or middle) finger and keep it there as you use your middle (or ring) finger to sweep round in a circular clockwise (or anti-clockwise) manner. If you have the gesture right, you will hear some options as you move in degrees round the circle. The rotor gesture can be tricky and it might take several attempts until you can make out anything meaningful.
3. With the rotor active, keep going until you hear the Typing Method option. When you do, take your fingers off the screen.
4. Now use a one finger swipe up gesture to move to the first setting for Typing method.
5. Continue swiping until you hear the right setting. Note that in iOS V8.1 you will have three options to choose from while in earlier versions you only have the choice between standard typing and touch typing.

As I mentioned earlier the rotor can be a serious PITA but it is really worth persevering with and, once you get the hang of it, it's fairly intuitive to use. It's also configurable - but that's a story for another blog post!

Okay, let's wrap this up by talking about the new iOS V8.1 setting called: direct touch typing. This is arguably the trickiest of the bunch to use in my opinion as there are no guides or restrictions applied to the typing process. When you activate this mode you need to trust your instincts because you are typing as you would on a normal keyboard. Each character you press in the on-screen keyboard is input directly - no lifting or tapping a finger to confirm (as in the other modes) is required here. VoiceOver is very hands off in this mode, letting you get on with the business of inputting via the on-screen keyboard area.

So, if you are really confident on the general layout and spacing of the on-screen keyboard, enough so that you operate almost on instinct, then you may find this is the swiftest mode of them all. For the rest of us - and I include myself here - I see it as a learning experience...

And on that note - have fun!

Looking for more information about VoiceOver on the Apple platform? Then please visit:

www.applevis.com

The official Apple support pages can be found here on Apple UK:

www.apple.com/uk/support

Quick Guide - Posting a Message in Facebook - NVDA and Firefox

Posting a Message on Facebook

Here are some quick steps with NVDA, demonstrating how to post straightforward text updates in Facebook, both to your own Timeline and the Timeline for any Groups that you may have joined. I have also popped a few steps on how to quickly access and read the posts as well - I hope they help!

As with any screenreader steps, there are always other ways of approaching the same tasks, the following is my own approach and not necessarily the best way for you. But my intention is to try and give you an idea of how light, quick and direct the steps to posting messages in Facebook can be when using NVDA.

By the way, I'm using NVDA V2014.3 and Firefox V33 and, in case you are wondering, I have the default eSpeak English voice running without any of the regional variations. I have a real soft-spot for the Scottish variation but that's a story for another day... Okay, let's get to it:

Post a Message on Your Facebook Timeline:

1. After logging in, press ALT SHIFT 2 to activate the link to your own Timeline. Alternatively, press CONTROL HOME and DOWN ARROW a handful of times to the timeline link in your name.
2. With your own page downloaded, press the NVDA web quick key of E to move your focus to the "What's On Your Mind?" edit field.
3. Now press the ENTER key to leave the virtual cursor reading mode (when you do this you will hear a sound effect) and proceed to type in your message. Check for any errors when you're done.
4. Press TAB to move out of the edit field and continue to press TAB until you have focus on a collapsed menu button. This control will either be labelled Your Friends or Public - with the specific label demonstrating who is permitted to read the post you have just written. Therefore, if the label is already set as your require it you can safely press TAB to move on.
5. If you do need to change the level of permission, press ALT DOWN ARROW then SPACEBAR. A small dynamic menu will open, allowing you to press the DOWN ARROW and select the appropriate option. For example, if your setting was "Public" you arrow down until you hear "Your Friends" and press ENTER to confirm. Focus returns to the main button and you can ensure that it has been set properly using INSERT UP ARROW as normal. After that, TAB to the next control.
6. With focus on the Post button, press SPACEBAR to activate it - your message is now posted to your timeline.

Skip Through and Read Your Timeline Messages:

1. Ensure that you are on your timeline page and press the number 2 key on the main keyboard to move to the Newsfeed level 2 heading.
2. With Newsfeed in focus, press the number 5 key to begin moving through the Level 5 headings - these are the headings for each of your posts, arranged in chronological order.
3. Use your standard reading keystrokes such as INSERT DOWN ARROW and INSERT UP ARROW, together with basic navigation keys such as UP and DOWN ARROW to read your posts as appropriate.

Read the Home Page Timeline:

1. Use ALT SHIFT 1 to move focus to the Home page.
2. Call up your Element List with INSERT F7. Press ALT H to switch to the Headings view.
3. TAB into the list of headings and navigate down the list to Newsfeed. Press the ENTER key to activate.
4. From the Newsfeed heading, press the quick key of 5 to move through the level five headings at the top of each post. Use the standard reading keystrokes as necessary.

Post a Message in a Group Page:

1. Use ALT SHIFT 1 to move focus to the Home page.
2. Call up your Element List with INSERT F7. Press ALT H to switch to the Headings view.
3. TAB into the list of headings and navigate down the list to Groups Press the ENTER key to activate and move there.
4. Now DOWN ARROW to move the virtual cursor to the appropriate Group entry in the list. Press ENTER to confirm, causing focus to move to that Group page.
5. Check the page is correct with INSERT T - NVDA should read out the name of the Group.
6. Now tap the quick key of E a couple of times to move focus to the edit field labelled "Write Something".
7. Complete your message and check the details.
8. Use the TAB key to move through the other options and focus on the Post button. Press the SPACEBAR to post the message.

JAWS Voice Profiles

Creating a New Voice Profile with JAWS

For a long time, altering voice settings in JAWS such as language, rate and character was achieved by going into different configuration screens and making the necessary changes on a global or per application basis. These days, while many other settings in JAWS still operate in this way, settings for controlling the voice now all reside in one place under the Voice Profile banner.

So what exactly is a voice profile? Well, this neat feature lets you change between already configured voice settings on the fly. For example, you can save some custom voice settings for those times when you want to read something comfortably with a nice voice. Alternatively, you might want to have specific voice settings set up for when you are in a particular program, perhaps using more or less punctuation announcements. A voice profile then is a saved batch of voice settings, giving you the option of loading them in on an ad-hoc basis.

All the action happens in the Voice Adjustment dialog box so if you have never explored this before then I suggest you do now:

Navigate to the Voice Profile dialog box

1. With JAWS running, press ALT TAB to move to the main JAWS program window. Alternatively, if you are running JAWS from the System tray, use INSERT J to open the main JAWS menu.
2. In the JAWS window, press ALT to move to the Menu Bar and open the Options menu.
3. In the Options menu, choose Voices
4. In the Voices submenu, press ENTER to open Voice Adjustment...
5. Focus now moves into the Voice Adjustment dialog box, use the TAB key to move around and listen to the relevant options there. Remember to use INSERT F1 for a bit of additional information on the features if you don't understand something.

Now that you have had a browse around the voice adjustment dialog, you'll have a pretty good idea of the aspects of voice behaviour that you might want to adjust. Some of the more popular tweaks are:

• Language: Use this control to change the language (if your speech engine supports multiple languages of course!)
• Punctuation: Here you can change the amount of punctuation announced and there are four settings - All, Most, Some, None.
• Speech rate: Use this slider control to change the speed of the speech. Move the slider left for a slower pace and right to make it faster.
• Context: Use this control if you want to change the voice for when the JAWS cursor is running, or for the tutor messages only and so on. The default setting here is all contexts, as you generally want your voice changes to apply across the board.

All of the above and more can be configured then saved as a custom Voice Profile. For example, you could save one configuration with all the settings for when you want to switch to a fast reading configuration (high speech rate, no punctuation etc) or a configuration for more quality reading (more natural sounding synthesizer and rate of speech). In fact, this latter scenario sounds like a good idea so I'm going to use that as my aim for the walkthrough.

Create a Voice Profile

In this example I am going to create a custom voice profile based around the Microsoft Anna SAPI 5 speech engine that is part of my Windows installation (by the way, SAPI stands for Speech Application Programming Interface). I actually have a bit of a soft spot for this engine and it's one I have always liked the sound of - although feel free to choose a different synthesizer depending on what you have installed already. Remember too that if you don't have any other synthesizers installed you can create some new profiles using the tried and trusted default Eloquence synth. Anyway, whatever you choose, the basic approach to create a new Voice Profile is this:

1. Move focus to the JAWS program window and open the Options menu. Choose Voices.
2. In the submenu, choose Voice Adjustment...
3. Focus will move to the Name Profile combo box in the Voice Adjustment... dialog box. Change the current profile setting from "Eloquence" to another existing profile (what you choose depends on the synthesizer you want to use, so some trial and error may be required. For example, my Microsoft Anna synth is SAPI 5.)
4. Depending on what you have chosen, the new profile loads in and the voice may change. This now becomes the base profile that can be used to create some custom settings. Press TAB to move on.
5. Move to the Language combo box and change this if necessary. (Remember that the overall choice is determined by how many languages your chosen synthesizer supports.) With this set, press TAB to move on.
6. Configure the Adjust setting as appropriate, for a blanket change make sure it is set to "All Contexts." However if you only want to alter the voice for certain aspects of the JAWS echo, such as changing the voice for tutor messages only, then set this control accordingly. When you're done, TAB on.
7. The Rate slider control will eventually come into focus, use the following keys to fine tune your preferred settings:
• HOME: Moves the slider bar to 0%. (extremely slow)
• END: Moves the slider bar to 100%. (extremely fast)
• PAGE UP: Moves the slider forwards in increments of 10%. (speed up)
• PAGE DOWN: Moves the slider backwards in increments of 10%. (slow down)
• UP ARROW / RIGHT ARROW: Moves the slider forwards in increments of 1%.
• DOWN ARROW / LEFT ARROW: Moves the slider backwards in increments of 1%
8. Next up is Punctuation and this control gives you four basic categories to choose from:
   • All: All punctuation is spoken.
   • None: No punctuation is spoken.
   • Some: By default, punctuation such as brackets and quotation marks are not spoken.
   • Most: By default, punctuation such as colons, quotation marks and brackets are spoken, apostrophes and commas (for example) are not.
   In this example, I don't really want a lot of punctuation being announced as it disturbs the flow of the text, so I have changed the setting of "Most" to "Some." Of course, if you are creating a profile for specific programs, then you may want all punctuation set.
9. The Person combo box is up next. In this example, I have a choice of several distinct SAPI 5 engines and I can choose the one that feels most appropriate. Again, some trial and error is required here.
10. Towards the end of this dialog box, you will encounter two edit fields labelled "Spell Rate Change Percent" and "Upper Case Pitch Change Percent". The former determines the speed of speech when a word is sounded out (when you use INSERT NUMBERPAD 5 pressed twice) while the second field determines the pitch raise that JAWS uses to indicate capitalisation. Change these if you want to experiment, otherwise leave the defaults in place and move on with TAB.
11. Eventually, focus will move to a "Save As..." button. However, before you press SPACEBAR to activate it you may wish to TAB around the dialog box once again to check your settings. Having done that, activate "Save As".
12. The "Save Voice Profile" dialog box only contains one text field. Type in the name for your Voice Profile and press ENTER to save it.
13. That's it done - your new Voice Profile should now appear in the drop down list associated with the Name Profile combo box, the first control you have focus on in the main Voice Adjustment... dialog box.

Okay, so now that you have a custom profile in place - it's time to test it out!

1. Open a file in MS Word, or type a few lines of text in a new Word document, and read them as normal.
2. Move back to the top of the document with CONTROL HOME then press the keystroke of INSERT CONTROL S. The "Choose a Voice Profile" dialog box will open.
3. The first combo box is labelled "Default" while the second will be labelled with your current application. So, if you were in MS Word then the label will be "For Word", if you were in MS Excel the label will be "For Excel" and so on.
4. TAB between each combo in the dialog box and set them accordingly. If you want to simply change the voice overall and work using that different configuration then choose your custom Voice Profile in the Default combo box. To then change back to your normal profile, you will have to come back here and choose it again.
5. If you want to use your new profile but apply it only to the current application, then select your Voice Profile in the second combo box. Doing so means that your new Voice Profile will run but only in that specific application, when you ALT TAB away you'll be back to the selected Default profile.
6. Set the options as necessary and confirm with the OK button. Note that the changes you make here will be saved in your JAWS settings - in other words, the changes are permanent until you change them over again.

Phew. Now that you understand the basics of creating custom Voice Profiles, try and spend some time to think about how this functionality might benefit you. We've touched on a few example scenarios in this article but there's a load of other combinations that might be useful. So, have a bash and experiment!

(And don't worry about creating too many profiles either because you can use the Delete button in the Voice Adjustment dialog box to get rid of the ones you don't want any more.)

Have fun!

Looking for more information on the JAWS screenreader? Then please visit:

www.freedomscientific.com

Basics of VoiceOver Gesture Control iOS V7.1

New to VoiceOver?: Learn the Basic Gestures

The built-in screenreading layer for the iOS platform is called VoiceOver (VO) and over several versions it has grown into an extremely capable assistive technology, singlehandedly opening up the word of Apple apps to blind and visually impaired users across the world.

However, with that power and flexibility comes complexity and that's why it's important to have a firm grasp of the basics of the gestural language you can use to control the built-in screenreader. With that in mind, let's refresh the basics - the more gestures you get to know and understand instinctively, the more positive your experience of iOS and the many VO-friendly apps that are available. To follow then is a list of my own favourite VO gestures, not an exhaustive list, but most of the goodies are in here.

First... The On and Off of VoiceOver

Of course, VoiceOver is running already isn't it? But what you may not be aware of is that iOS has an "accessibility shortcut" that you can set, that way you can press the Home button three times quickly to start and stop the software. You can set this as follows:

1. Open the Settings page.
2. Select the General option, located on the left-hand side of the screen.
3. On the right hand side of the screen, activate the Accessibility option.
4. In the Accessibility page, navigate to and activate the Accessibility Shortcut option - in iOS V7.1.2 this is the last option in the page.
5. In the Accessibility Shortcut page, choose the VoiceOver option. Note that you can also choose a different solution, such as "Zoom" the built-in magnification software.
6. When you have set the VoiceOver option, return to your Home menu and test out the shortcut. Press the Home button three times, rapidly yet firmly, to load and unload VoiceOver.

Sample One Finger VoiceOver Gestures

The easiest and most common gestures when VoiceOver is running use only the one finger. Let's explore them:

• Scan/Touch: Reads the current area or item under your finger - this is the main gesture for moving around the system.
• Double tap: When you have an item in focus, such as an application, you can use the double tap gesture to launch it. Note that you do not have to double tap on top of the item that is selected - you can double tap anywhere on the screen. (This is because VoiceOver is focused on the last item it has announced. For example, if the last thing VoiceOver said was "Safari" then a double tap anywhere on the screen will launch the Safari web browser.)
• Swipe right: A swipe is a "flick" with your finger across the screen. Note that you do not need to be overly concerned with the length of the swipe, but the movement must be fluid and swift. A swipe to the right moves the VoiceOver focus to the next item or area of focus. Swiping right is the gesture used to move quickly to the next item or object, test it out on the Home page. Notice how a swipe right moves the focus quickly through the items.
• Swipe left: As with "swipe right", this gesture is the same except that it moves the VoiceOver focus backwards.
• Swipe Up and Down: This gesture is used to set options for whatever area you have selected via the rotor configuration control. The rotor is one of the main areas you can work with to adjust the behaviour of VoiceOver and, as a result of this, "swipe up" is a gesture you probably won't need to use a huge amount.

Sample Two Finger VoiceOver Gestures

• One finger scan, one finger tap: Using a double-tap to activate is all very well but a quicker method is to scan with one finger and use another finger to perform a "tap to activate". For example, if I have a finger on the icon for "Safari" then I can tap on the screen with another finger to activate it.
• Swipe Up: VoiceOver begins reading the current area, from the first object down.
• Swipe Down: VoiceOver starts reading from the current item down.
• Tap: Pauses and restarts VoiceOver speech.
• Tap twice: If you are playing music, this gesture stops and starts the currently playing song.
• Tap twice and hold fingers on screen: You should hear three beeps which indicates the custom label mode is active. Focus will move to a small dialog box, giving you the opportunity to insert a meaningful text label for the current item which VoiceOver will echo. A very useful option this, giving you the option of improving the overall accessibility of an object.
• Tap three times: This launches the "Item Chooser", allowing you to move through a straight top to bottom list of all items in the current page.
• Rotation: This sometimes tricky gesture opens the rotor configuration tool, giving you the option of changing different VoiceOver settings such as "words", "speech rate" and "headings". To activate the rotor, put two fingers on the screen then pivot one finger around the other one as if you were tracing a circle, you will hear VoiceOver reading out the options you can change. For example, if I wanted to alter the speech rate, I can turn the rotor until I hear VoiceOver indicate "speech rate". Having selected this, I then use the aforementioned "swipe Up" or a "swipe down" to adjust the individual rate to the desired level.
• Scrub or "Z": If you quickly drag your two fingers across the screen (imagine that you are "scrubbing" something out) you will return to a previous page, such as in Safari the web browser.

Sample Three Finger VoiceOver Gestures

• Triple tap: The three finger triple tap turns the screen curtain on and off.
• Double tap: The three finger double tap turns VoiceOver speech on and off.
• Swipe left: Flicking to the left with three fingers moves to the next screen, such as when moving from the Home screen.
• Swipe right: Flicking to the right moves to the previous screen.
• Swipe up: Flicking up scrolls down a page.
• Swipe down: Flicking down scrolls up a page.

And that's it! Keep practising the gestures and before long they will become instinctive. We'll be picking up some of the features discussed here in a future post too. Have fun!

Looking for more information for VoiceOver on the Apple platform? Then please visit:

www.applevis.com

The official Apple support pages can be found here on Apple UK:

www.apple.com/uk/support