What's New in JAWS 2021 Screen Reading Software

 

JAWS 2021 Features
Picture Smart Improvements

 

Introduced in JAWS and Fusion 2019, Picture Smart allows you to choose a photo and submit it to be analyzed. A description of the image is then displayed
in the Results Viewer. To use Picture Smart, press INSERT+SPACEBAR, followed by P to activate the Picture Smart layer. You can then press A to describe
a photo acquired from the PEARL camera or a flatbed scanner, F to describe a selected image file in Windows Explorer, C to describe the current control,
or B to describe an image on the Windows Clipboard.

 

JAWS and Fusion 2021 continues to expand this feature by offering several improvements including:

 

list of 3 items
• Describing images on web pages: If focused on an image that is part of a web page, such as a photo on Facebook, pressing INSERT+SPACEBAR, P followed
by C now describes the photo.
• Submitting images to multiple services to help improve accuracy: By default, images are submitted to Microsoft for analyzing. However, the Results Viewer
now contains a More Results link which submits the image again to additional services for analyzing and displays an updated description. You can also add
SHIFT to a Picture Smart command to use multiple services. For example, INSERT+SPACEBAR, P followed by SHIFT+F, SHIFT+C, or SHIFT+B.
• Using Picture Smart in multiple languages: If you are using JAWS or Fusion in a language other than English and you attempt to use Picture Smart, JAWS
and Fusion will use machine translation to display descriptions in the particular language. You can also manually choose from 38 languages for displaying
results, configurable using the new Picture Smart Language option in Settings Center.
list end

 

Please note that these changes, especially the machine translation for other languages, is still experimental, so things may not always work as expected.
Results will improve as we continue refining this functionality.

 

For more information on Picture Smart, press INSERT+SPACEBAR, P followed by QUESTION MARK or refer to the Picture Smart topic in the JAWS help.

 

OCR Text Directly into a Word Document

 

The Convenient OCR (Optical Character Recognition) feature has been enhanced to support sending recognized text directly to Word. Convenient OCR enables
you to access images containing text that is part of the image and displays this information in the Results Viewer. This includes onscreen images such
as the graphical setup screen for an application, an inaccessible PDF opened in Adobe Reader, a currently selected image file in Windows Explorer, or a
document acquired by the PEARL camera or a flatbed scanner.

 

If Microsoft Office is installed on your system, you can now:

 

list of 2 items
• Use the new command INSERT+SPACEBAR, O followed by R to perform OCR on a selected image file in File Explorer or the Desktop and place the recognized
text directly into a Word document. You can also press the APPLICATIONS key and choose Convenient OCR to Word with JAWS or Fusion from the context menu.
• Use the new Open in Word link that appears at the bottom of the Results Viewer once the OCR process is complete.
list end

 

For more information about using Convenient OCR, press INSERT+SPACEBAR, O followed by QUESTION MARK or refer to the Convenient OCR topic in the JAWS help.

 

New Voice Assistant to Help with Various JAWS Commands and Features

 

The new Voice Assistant provides a way to interact with JAWS in Windows 10 using speech input. Supported languages include English, Dutch, German, Spanish,
and French. Ask it to help you out with various JAWS features using natural speech. This means that the same action can be performed by more than one similar
phrase instead of a single predefined voice command. For instance, to launch JAWS Settings Center, you could say "Settings Center" or "change settings."
Unlike keyboard shortcuts, which can be hard to remember, natural voice commands are an easier way to interact with the JAWS software. Using voice input
to control JAWS can also benefit users with certain conditions which prevent them from using a keyboard effectively.

 

The JAWS Voice Assistant uses your computer's internal microphone or you can talk to it using an external microphone or headset. To tell the Voice Assistant
to begin listening for a specific command, there are three options:

 

list of 2 items
• Press the key combination, INSERT+ALT+SPACEBAR.
• Speak a specific wake word which alerts the software to begin listening for a voice command, similar to using an Alexa or Google Home device. The wake
word is "Sharky." Speak this word followed by a specific JAWS command, such as, "Sharky, list links."
list end

 

Note: The wake word is not available if you are using a Bluetooth microphone. In this case, you must use the keystroke before speaking the voice command.

 

list of 1 items
• From the JAWS main window, press ALT+U to open the Utilities menu, expand the Voice Assistant submenu, and then select Talk to JAWS.
list end

 

When the Voice Assistant starts listening for a voice command, a short audio indicator plays, and a visual indicator is displayed. After hearing a voice
command, a different audio indicator plays until the command is processed. After processing, the visual indicator is removed, a different, short, audio
indicator plays, and the desired JAWS action is performed.

 

If the Voice Assistant does not hear anything, the message, "Sorry, I didn’t hear anything" is spoken. If the Voice Assistant does not understand or if
the voice command is not supported, the message, "Sorry, I didn’t catch that" is spoken.

 

Note: Since all voice recognition processing is performed over the Internet using Microsoft Services in the cloud, there will be a slight delay depending
on your connection. Be patient and experiment with different commands. This is a new technology being added to our software products and will continue
to change and evolve over time. We welcome your suggestions and feedback.

 

To turn off the Voice Assistant or change other options, such as whether or not JAWS listens for the wake word or to turn off the sounds, open the JAWS
Utilities menu, expand the Voice Assistant submenu, and then select Settings.

 

You can also press INSERT+ALT+SPACEBAR twice quickly to immediately toggle the wake word on or off. When the wake word is off, you must always press INSERT+ALT+SPACEBAR
first to tell JAWS to begin listening for a command.

 

To learn more and to view a full list of voice commands for specific actions, say "Sharky, help." You can also select Getting Started from the Voice Assistant
menu.

 

Here are a few commands you can try to help you get started. Remember to say "Sharky" or press INSERT+ALT+SPACEBAR before speaking each command.

 

list of 10 items
• Help
• Talk faster
• Talk slower
• Change settings
• Command search
• What time is it
• List links
• List headings
• List spelling errors
• Tell me a joke
list end

 

Improved Microsoft Teams Support
list of 6 items
• If you press ENTER on a document in the Files list which opens the inaccessible document viewer, you can now press ESC to return to the files list. You
are also prompted to use the SHIFT+F10 context menu and open the document in the desktop application, which is the suggested method.
• You can now press ALT+1 through 5 to go directly to the first five tab pages.
• Pressing ALT+LEFT ARROW now automatically activates the back button from anywhere in Teams.
• You can now press ALT+H to hang up a call in progress.
• You can now press ALT+T to set focus to the Teams tree view, if visible. Note that it is usually only visible if CTRL+3 has been pressed to show the
teams and channels list. The screen should also be maximized to ensure this control is visible.
• Pressing ALT+R now raises or lowers your hand in a meeting.
list end

 

Teams also allows you to show meetings and calls in separate windows with fewer controls. To do this, press CTRL+COMMA to open Preferences and select the
check box labeled: "Turn on new meeting experience (New meetings and calls will open in separate windows. Requires restarting Teams.)" While JAWS specific
keystrokes for meetings and calls will not work in this split mode, Microsoft has their own set of keystrokes you can review by pressing CTRL+PERIOD.

 

New Keystroke for Setting Punctuation Level

 

You can now press INSERT+SHIFT+2 on the number row (CAPS LOCK+SHIFT+2 in the Laptop keyboard layout) to cycle through the four punctuation levels which
controls how much punctuation JAWS and Fusion speak while reading. The available levels are None, Some, Most, and All. Similar to toggling Screen Echo
(INSERT+S) or Typing Echo (INSERT+2), the punctuation level will revert back to the previous setting when JAWS or Fusion is restarted. To permanently set
a punctuation level, use the JAWS Startup Wizard or Settings Center.

 

Note: Due to issues with some Dell keyboards when using the Laptop layout, you may need to use the RIGHT SHIFT key to perform this keystroke.

 

Announce Most Recent Windows Notification

 

You can now perform the new layered command INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by N to have JAWS repeat the last notification that was spoken. Notifications include
an incoming Teams or Skype call, a recent Zoom message, a new email in Outlook, and more. If you use a Focus braille display, you can also press RIGHT
SHIFT+N (DOTS 1-3-4-5). To view and manage all your Windows notifications, use the Microsoft keystroke WINDOWS Key+A.

 

FS Support Tool for Gathering System Information

 

The FS Support Tool is a new utility that collects information about your computer and sends a report to our Technical Support and Software Development
teams to help us troubleshoot any issues you may be experiencing while running JAWS, ZoomText, or Fusion. You will typically be asked to run this utility
during a technical support session if it is determined that additional details about your system are needed. Some information that is collected includes:

 

list of 9 items
• System information such as processor, RAM, operating system, architecture, and more
• Event logs
• Version of Adobe Reader (if installed)
• Versions of all installed web browsers
• Information on installed Microsoft Office applications
• Crash dumps
• Installation logs
• Currently running system processes
• User settings
list end

 

The FS Support Tool can be started from the Help menu in JAWS, or the Support menu in ZoomText or Fusion and guides you through collecting and submitting
a report.

 

Announce Accessible Notification Events

 

By default, JAWS now automatically announces Windows generated accessible event notifications in both speech and braille. These types of notifications
are found in a variety of places including business bars in Microsoft Office. If you do not want to hear these announcements, open Settings Center and
clear the Enable Accessible Notification Events check box.

 

Automatic Message Reading in Outlook 365

 

When you open a message from the Inbox in Outlook 365, JAWS and Fusion will now immediately begin reading the message contents without reading the title
or header information. Currently, messages are not automatically read if you ALT+TAB to an open message, or you press ENTER on a message in the Inbox that
is already open.

 

To further customize how messages are read, open Quick Settings (INSERT+V) while in Outlook, search for "message," and configure any of the resulting options.
A few items you might want to change include:

 

list of 3 items
• Message Header Field with Message Announcement: Turn this option on if you want JAWS and Fusion to announce the sender's email address and the subject
of the message when a message opens or gains focus.
• Messages Automatically Read: Turn this option off if you do not want JAWS and Fusion to automatically read messages when they are opened.
• Speak Window Titles For Read-only Messages Automatically: Turn this option on if you want JAWS and Fusion to announce the title of the message window
when a message opens or gains focus.
list end