Techstravaganza

JAWS Basics, Thursday, Feb 12, 2026

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Discussed topics
JAWS Basics Introduction

Siena introduced JAWS (Job Access with Speech), a screen reader developed by Freedom Scientific (now Vespero).

  • Details
    • Siena: Shared the history of JAWS, mentioning it was originally developed in the late 80s/early 90s by Hunter Joyce
    • Siena: Recalled her personal experience using JAWS 3.7 on Windows 98 during her school years
    • Ali: Mentioned his first computer experience was with Windows XP in 2005
    • Jackie: Shared that her first Windows experience was with Windows 95, then she skipped to Windows Millennium
    • Conclusion
      • JAWS has evolved significantly since its early versions
      • Participants shared nostalgic memories of early Windows and screen reader experiences
        • Desktop Navigation with JAWS

        Siena demonstrated various methods to navigate the desktop using JAWS.

        • Details
          • Siena: Showed how to access the desktop using Windows+M or Windows+D
          • Siena: Demonstrated arrow key navigation through desktop icons
          • Siena: Explained first-letter navigation (pressing a letter to jump to icons starting with that letter)
          • Siena: Showed how to type multiple letters quickly to navigate to specific applications
          • Conclusion
            • Three main methods for desktop navigation were presented:
              1. Arrow keys to move between icons
              2. First letter navigation to jump to applications starting with that letter
              3. Typing multiple letters quickly to navigate to specific applications
                4. Virtual PC Cursor and JAWS Cursor

                Siena explained the different cursor modes in JAWS and their functions.

                • Details
                  • Siena: Demonstrated the Virtual PC cursor for web navigation
                  • Siena: Explained that Insert+Z toggles the Virtual PC cursor on/off
                  • Siena: Showed how the JAWS cursor allows reading letter by letter in areas where normal navigation isn’t possible
                  • Siena: Demonstrated using NumPad minus to route JAWS to PC and NumPad plus to return to Virtual PC cursor
                  • Conclusion
                    • Virtual PC cursor is essential for web browsing and document navigation
                    • Toggling between cursor modes is necessary for different tasks
                    • The JAWS cursor provides additional reading capabilities in specific contexts
                      • Web Browsing with JAWS

                      Siena demonstrated web navigation techniques using JAWS on various websites.

                      • Details
                        • Siena: Showed how to navigate by headings using H and Shift+H
                        • Siena: Demonstrated using Insert+F7 to bring up a list of links
                        • Siena: Explained that Alt+M moves to a link without activating it
                        • Siena: Showed how to navigate through links using arrow keys
                        • Siena: Demonstrated turning Virtual PC cursor off to use website-specific keyboard shortcuts
                        • Conclusion
                          • Headings are important landmarks for efficient web navigation
                          • JAWS provides multiple methods to navigate links and web content
                          • Virtual PC cursor must be turned off to use website-specific keyboard shortcuts without conflicts
                            • DocuScan Plus Overview

                            Siena briefly demonstrated DocuScan Plus, a document scanning and reading application.

                            • Details
                              • Siena: Showed DocuScan Plus in both self-voicing mode and with JAWS
                              • Jackie: Asked what DocuScan Plus is used for and if it requires a scanner
                              • Ali: Expressed interest in the program for future use
                              • Siena: Explained it’s a lower-cost alternative to Kurzweil for OCR (optical character recognition)
                              • Siena: Clarified that it works without a scanner and can be used on both PC and Mac
                              • Conclusion
                                • DocuScan Plus is useful for making inaccessible documents (like PDFs) accessible
                                • It can be used with or without a physical scanner
                                • The group agreed to schedule a dedicated tutorial on DocuScan Plus
                                  • Check out the Agenda for the Next Couple Techstravaganza 2.0 Sessions at the Following Link

                                  What’s Coming Up on Techstravaganza 2.0

                                  Find the Schedule for the Regular Weekly Techstravaganza Workshops at the Following Link

                                  (altered), Updated as of Feb 2, 2026, What’s Coming Up on Techstravaganza

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                                  TechstravaganzaBy Ali Moosa, Macara Slobodian, and Siena Trigiani