Re: length of jaws training

I won't. I taught out here for 30 years, and always told my kids, if you ask, 
you won't know, so I am practicing what I preached for so long. Thanks sir, 
good post.
Jim
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Francis Daniels 
  To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 8:55 AM
  Subject: Re: length of jaws training


  Hi Jim,

  What is that saying? "There are no dumb questions, only the ones you never 
ask."  Something like that.

  JAWS uses the num pad as a vital way for people to get information about what 
is happening on the screen, what they just typed, to make sure they did it 
correctly.  Yes, you could drop some commands from the num pad, but it would 
cost you in extra keystrokes or forgetting what the prompt was.

  I said before that you cannot teach JAWS in a vacuum.  It has to be taught 
within a context so that the commands make sense.  In the same way, it would be 
really hard to use Windows, or Windows programs, and not use the JAWS-specific 
keystrokes.  For example, you are typing some text for a cool short story you 
are writing.  You want to listen to each word on a line, to make sure you got 
it correct.  You could press Control right arrow to move through the words, 
using both hands to do this. You could also press Insert right arrow to do the 
same thing, using just your right hand.  Both do the same thing.  Which would 
make it easier?

  By the way, in the JAWS help, they list control right arrow as the way to 
move from word to word in Microsoft Word.  They've dropped the Insert right 
arrow function from the help description, even though the command works and is 
more efficient.  Go figure.

  Almost all the keystrokes for reading text and screen elements are in the num 
pad.  Other listers will certainly add to this, but each application carries 
with it particulars for how JAWS reads stuff to you.  But they all have the num 
pad in common, to make it easier for you to figure out what is going on and to 
get going again.

  I don't know about Kurzweil, as I don't use it.  Maybe someone else can 
handle that.

  Don't stop asking, Jim.  

  Francis

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