Vispero Training Podcast

In this episode of Vispero Training, Liz and Rachel go beyond the basics of working with PDF documents using JAWS.

Learn practical techniques for navigating and understanding PDFs, including complex tables, graphics, tagged and untagged documents, reading order, PDF forms, digital signatures, and PDFs opened in your web browser.

In this episode, you'll learn how to:

• Navigate graphics and identify when a PDF includes useful alternative text • Work with complex tables using JAWS table commands and Table Layer • Use Page Explorer to understand complex PDF content and reading order • Choose between OCR, Picture Smart AI, and Page Explorer when working with PDFs • Understand the difference between tagged and untagged PDFs • Improve your reading experience when a PDF has an incorrect reading order • Jump directly to a specific page in Adobe Acrobat Reader • Navigate and complete PDF forms • Check form fields and tab order using JAWS • Create a digital ID and sign a PDF document • Adjust Chrome's PDF settings when opening PDFs from your computer or the web

Whether you regularly work with PDFs for school, work, or everyday tasks, this episode provides practical techniques to help you navigate documents more effectively and get the information you need with JAWS.

In this episode, we revisit four powerful JAWS features that can make everyday computer tasks more efficient and accessible: Skim Reading, Speech and Sound Schemes, Dictionary Manager, and Text Analyzer.

Whether you're a longtime JAWS user looking for a refresher or discovering these tools for the first time, you'll learn how these often-overlooked features can help you navigate documents, customize how JAWS presents information, catch formatting and spacing issues, and tailor speech and pronunciation to your needs.

The episode also explores practical questions from JAWS users, including working with these features in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, Google Docs, and web applications, as well as tips for managing settings and preserving customizations.

Discover how these classic JAWS tools can help you work more efficiently, troubleshoot common document issues, and get even more out of your screen reader.

Discover practical ways to make AI more useful, accessible, and productive in your everyday workflow. In this session, we explore the fundamentals of working with AI, including how to write more effective prompts, use AI with JAWS and other screen readers, and incorporate tools like ChatGPT into common tasks.

We also discuss working with documents, AI accessibility features, privacy and confidentiality considerations, and resources for continuing to build your AI skills. Whether you're just getting started with AI or looking for ways to improve your existing workflow, this session offers practical tips and techniques to help you get more from these increasingly powerful tools.

Long Word documents don't have to be overwhelming. In this episode of the Vispero Training Podcast, we share six practical techniques for navigating, editing, and managing complex documents more efficiently with JAWS. Whether you're working with lengthy reports, research papers, collaborative documents, or forms, these tips will help you spend less time searching and more time getting work done.

You'll learn how to take advantage of features like bookmarks, comments, document structure, Skim Reading, formatting navigation, and other built-in JAWS tools to quickly locate the information you need and move through documents with confidence. We also answer audience questions about working with PDFs, protected templates, OneDrive, tracked changes, bookmarks, and document accessibility, while demonstrating real-world workflows you can apply immediately.

Whether you're a student, professional, or everyday JAWS user, this session is packed with time-saving strategies to make working with complex documents faster, easier, and more productive.

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming an essential tool for work, school, and everyday life—but getting great results starts with knowing how to ask the right questions. In this episode of the Vispero Training Podcast, we explore the art of prompting and share practical strategies for writing clear, effective prompts that help AI tools produce more accurate, useful, and consistent responses.

Along the way, we discuss choosing the right AI tool for different tasks, troubleshooting common issues, and improving accessibility when working with screen readers. We also answer audience questions about using ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini with JAWS, working with transcripts and captions during webinars, and techniques for getting better results from AI-powered workflows.

Whether you're brand new to AI or looking to sharpen your prompting skills, this episode is packed with practical tips to help you work more efficiently and confidently with today's AI tools.

In this episode of the Vispero Training Podcast, hosts Liz and Rachel share ten essential tips for working more efficiently in Microsoft PowerPoint with JAWS. They demonstrate how to quickly locate and open presentations, navigate slides and content placeholders, move between different areas of the PowerPoint interface, and use keyboard shortcuts to streamline common tasks.

The discussion also covers editing slide content, working with images and alt text, understanding PowerPoint's layout structure, and using tools like the Accessibility Checker to help create more inclusive presentations. Whether you're reviewing an existing deck or building one from scratch, these practical techniques can help you navigate and manage PowerPoint with greater confidence and productivity using JAWS.

For additional resources and future training opportunities, be sure to visit the Freedom Scientific webinars archive.

Rachel and Liz demonstrate how built-in AI features in JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion, including Picture Smart AI, Vispero Companion, Page Explorer, and AI Labeler, can help users better understand, navigate, and interact with inaccessible or complex digital content. Through real-world examples such as online calendars, Google Docs, email images, and grocery shopping websites, they show how these tools can simplify everyday tasks and improve productivity.

In this episode, Liz and Rachel explore six powerful JAWS features designed to help users navigate complex web pages, PDFs, forms, and documents more efficiently. They demonstrate how tools like Picture Smart AI, AI Labeler, Table Layer navigation, and Page Explorer can simplify cluttered or inaccessible content by providing image descriptions, labeling unlabeled controls, restructuring difficult tables, and summarizing web pages with AI assistance. The discussion also covers practical workflows for extracting accessible data from PDFs and web tables, navigating complicated forms, and using conversational AI prompts inside JAWS to better understand digital environments. Whether you're working with inaccessible documents, dense web pages, or complicated forms, this session highlights how modern AI-powered accessibility tools can dramatically improve productivity and navigation.

In this episode, Liz and Rachel share six practical tips for managing the New Outlook Calendar with JAWS, focusing on efficient navigation, scheduling, and collaboration. They begin by explaining how the new Outlook differs from the classic version, highlighting its web-based structure and how that impacts keyboard navigation and screen reader behavior.

Listeners will learn how to handle meeting requests, including how to open invites, RSVP using the updated interface, and access additional options like proposing new times or replying to organizers. The episode also covers core calendar navigation using JAWS, including how to move between sections, select dates, and orient yourself within the interface using tools like F6 and Tab.

The hosts walk through creating and scheduling meetings, demonstrating both a simplified scheduling method and the more advanced scheduler for detailed availability management. They also explain how to cancel or forward meetings, add locations or Teams links, and customize event details.

Additional tips include switching between calendar views (day, work week, week, and month), using search to quickly locate events, and sharing your calendar with specific permissions. The episode wraps with insights on key settings—like keyboard shortcut configurations and accessibility options—to optimize the experience when using JAWS with the new Outlook.

This episode walks through how to effectively use Track Changes and Comments in Microsoft Word with JAWS, making document collaboration more accessible and manageable. Liz and Rachel break down how Track Changes works, including how to turn it on, interpret edits like insertions and deletions, and switch between different viewing modes such as Original, No Markup, Simple Markup, and All Markup.

They also share practical strategies for navigating revisions more efficiently using JAWS-specific keyboard commands, including how to review edits individually, filter changes by reviewer, and use the revisions pane for a clearer overview. The discussion covers how to accept or reject changes, lock tracking to prevent further edits, and customize what types of changes are displayed.

In the second half, the focus shifts to modern comments in Word. Rachel explains how comments have evolved, including features like drafting before posting, @mentions, threaded replies, and improved navigation. You'll learn multiple ways to move through comments, create new ones, and manage existing threads by editing, resolving, or deleting them.

Whether you're collaborating on documents for school or work, this episode provides actionable tips and keyboard shortcuts to streamline your workflow and confidently review documents using JAWS.