50+ Reasons to Use VoiceOver
If you’re blind or have low vision, you can still enjoy the simplicity, security, and reliability of the Mac using VoiceOver. Built into Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, VoiceOver comes on every Mac and offers you a wide range of features. Here are more than 50 reasons to consider switching to VoiceOver.
Full Featured
A full-featured screen access technology, VoiceOver supports Braille displays and a wide variety of software. That includes email, web browsing, word processing, Internet messaging, music, and many other Mac OS X applications.
Plug-and-Play Support for Refreshable Braille Displays
As soon as you connect most popular refreshable Braille displays to your Mac, VoiceOver not only detects them but automatically configures them, letting you use them immediately — without installing any additional software.
Nothing to Install
VoicOver comes installed on every Mac. In fact, it’s built into Mac OS X, ready to use the very first time you start up a new Mac. To date, Apple has shipped VoiceOver on more than 15 million Mac computers around the world.
Very Affordable
You can purchase an entire Mac computer — which includes VoiceOver and other accessible applications at no extra charge — for less than the retail price of the most popular screen reader software for Windows.
No Additional Cost
With VoiceOver built into Mac OS X, you pay no additional costs and have nothing else to buy. Your Mac provides everything you need to get started right away.
No Registration Keys
With VoiceOver, you don’t have license or registration keys to enter, manage, or lose. You can get started immediately, and you don’t have to worry about getting locked out of your screen reader software.
Immediate Access to the Latest Operating System
Thanks to Software Update, you have immediate access to new versions of Mac OS X Leopard as Apple releases them. Since VoiceOver is built into Mac OS X, that means you don’t have to wait for updates to VoiceOver. They’re delivered along with Leopard updates, and you can begin using them immediately after installation.
The Extraordinary Alex Voice
A new English male voice, Alex uses advanced, patented Apple technologies to deliver natural intonation even at fast speaking rates. Alex even breathes.
Designed for Collaboration
Unlike most screen readers, which provide access for only blind users, VoiceOver allows the sighted and nonsighted to work together. It has unique visual elements and indicators — like the caption panel, braille panel, and VoiceOver cursor — to help sighted and low-vision users more easily follow and interact with a blind user when they're using the computer together.
Caption Panel
You can see what VoiceOver is saying in the caption panel. Resizable, high-contrast white-on-black captions appear in a floating window that make it easy for blind, sighted, and partially sighted users to work together on the same computer at the same time.
The Braille Panel
By displaying the braille panel, those who don't use braille can collaborate with those who do. An onscreen Braille display, the braille panel provides a visual representation of VoiceOver braille output, complete with an English text translation.
Extraordinary Reliability
Part of Mac OS X and built and tested along with new versions of Mac OS X Leopard, VoiceOver offers the same extraordinary reliability for which Mac OS X is celebrated. To offer an added measure of safety and dependability, Mac OS X monitors VoiceOver to make sure it's running. If VoiceOver unexpectedly stops for any reason, Mac OS X instantly restarts it, so you can continue using the computer.
Get Started Quickly
If you're new to the Mac and VoiceOver, it's easy to get started. The first time you turn on a new Mac, a voice introduces you to VoiceOver and the built-in VoiceOver Quick Start tutorial. This interactive tutorial teaches you the basics of VoiceOver, so you can get started quickly. You can also download the complete “VoiceOver Getting Started” manual.
Universal On/Off Shortcut Key
No matter which Mac or keyboard you use, you can access VoiceOver with the same keyboard shortcut: Command-F5.
Set Up Your Mac Unassisted
You can begin using VoiceOver even before you set up your Mac. The first time you turn on a new Mac, a voice introduces you to VoiceOver, asking if you’d like to use it to complete setup unassisted. With VoiceOver, you can set the date and time, create a new user account and password, even configure your Mac to access the Internet using a wired or wireless network.
Set up, Install, and Upgrade Mac OS X Using Braille
Because Apple builds support for refreshable Braille displays into Mac OS X, you can use a Braille display even when setting up, installing, or upgrading the operating system.
Easy to Learn
Most screen readers require you to learn hundreds of unique keystrokes that change with every application. In contrast, VoiceOver uses only a small set of commands. What’s more, those commands work the same way in every accessible application.
Contextual VoiceOver Menu
When you need it, VoiceOver displays a contextual menu listing all currently available commands. You can use the menu to access help, activate the Quick Start tutorial, choose a command when you can't remember the keystroke, or review VoiceOver sound effects and their meanings.
Learn the Mac Keyboard Layout and VoiceOver Commands Safely
Using Keyboard Help, you can press any key to hear its name or type keyboard shortcuts to hear the VoiceOver command they represent. Its perfectly safe to press the keys: it won't affect the document you're working on or any applications you’re using.
Use the Same Keystrokes on a Notebook and Desktop Computer
Because they’re based on the "home keys," VoiceOver commands work the same regardless of the Mac (desktop or notebook) you’re using. As a result, you only have to learn them once.
Leverage Your Knowledge of the Mac
Apple specifically designed VoiceOver key commands to work with the Mac keyboard shortcuts you already know and not to conflict with them. As a result, you can take full advantage of the many common Mac keyboard shortcuts, including Command-C (Copy), Command-X (Cut), and Command-V (Paste). And you’ll find that application-specific shortcuts also work with VoiceOver.
Type-to-Select Menu Navigation
While most Mac menu items have keyboard shortcuts, you can also quickly navigate menus and choose menu items simply by typing a few letters. For example, in the Edit menu, you can type U to select Undo, CU to select Cut, and CO to select Copy.
Great applications
Mac OS X comes with a variety of applications that work with VoiceOver, including word processing, email, web browsing, calendaring, Internet messaging software, and iTunes software. VoiceOver works with Preview, which lets you read PDFs; QuickTime, which plays movies and other media; Terminal, a UNIX command-line application; various utilities; and System Preferences. You can also use VoiceOver with third-party applications, such as World Book Encyclopedia, Skype, VueScan (OCR), MacJournal, Nisus Writer, and Sound Studio.
Enjoy New Applications without Upgrading VoiceOver
As third parties deliver new accessible applications or update existing ones, you can begin using them with Mac OS X and VoiceOver as soon as you install them. You don’t need to wait for a new version of VoiceOver or Mac OS X to come out.
Learn Braille Input Keys Simply by Pressing Them
When you connect a Braille reader to your Mac, Mac OS X automatically configures its input keys. Simply press them to learn how they function.
Support for Braille Router, Pan, and Input Keys
You can use either a traditional keyboard or the input keys on a Braille display to control VoiceOver. Using the controls on your braille displays, you can pan left to right to read an entire line of braille, regardless of the number of cells provided by your display. You can also use router keys to move the cursor to a particular item, even interacting with that item using only your braille display.
Contracted and Non-Contracted Braille
VoiceOver lets you output American English Braille in standard contracted format or non-contracted “computer braille.” When it’s under the cursor, VoiceOver automatically converts contracted braille, making it easier to edit; then contracts it again when you move the cursor.
Assign Up to Three Braille Status Cells
If your favorite Braille display lacks built-in status cells, VoiceOver lets you assign up to three status cells to help keep you informed. Assign them to the left or right side of your display.
Braille Announcement History
You don’t have to worry about missing an important announcement. VoiceOver maintains a Braille announcement history, so you can go back in time to read what you missed.
Customizable Braille Display Input Keys
It’s easier than ever to customize a Braille display. Just choose a VoiceOver command from a list, then press and hold the Braille display input key to which you want it assigned and wait to hear your Mac sound a tone.
Over 20 English Voices
Mac OS X includes more than 20 additional English male, female, and novelty voices, including Alex, the newest and most human-sounding voice ever released. Mac OS X voices employ both concatenative (based on human recordings) and synthesizer (completely created by the computer) technologies.
Foreign Language Ready
VoiceOver is localized in eight languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, and Chinese.
Assignable Voices
You can assign any of the installed voices to speak only a particular type of information, such as content, status, element type, attributes, or the VoiceOver menu.
Adjustable Verbosity
You can change the way VoiceOver speaks punctuation and repeated punctuation, identifies changes in text attributes and capital letters, announces links and spelling mistakes, or informs you when you delete text. VoiceOver can announce each character as it's typed, or you can have it wait and pronounce only completed words.
Introducing Rotor Controls
Using the arrow keys, VoiceOver lets you easily adjust the rate, pitch, volume, and intonation of the speaking voice. You can even change these characteristics on the fly as VoiceOver speaks the selected content.
Pronunciation Dictionary
Use the VoiceOver pronunciation dictionary to replace words, change the way VoiceOver pronounces words, and manage abbreviations and special characters, such as smileys :-) and other emoticons. VoiceOver saves these changes along with other preferences, so you can share them with others.
Automatically Speaks Text in Dialogs
When dialogs appears onscreen, VoiceOver automatically speaks them, informing you of their content.
Magnify Contents of the VoiceOver Cursor
In Mac OS X, you can “zoom” the entire screen up to 40x magnification. VoiceOver, meanwhile, allows you to independently magnify the element or contents in its cursor, making it easier for sighted and partially sighted users to see the text as you move the VoiceOver cursor.
Tiling Visuals
Use Tiling Visuals to remove onscreen clutter and other visual distractions. Tiling Visuals dim everything onscreen except the item or element in the VoiceOver cursor, centers that element (making it easy to find), and presents it at full brightness. You also have the option of scaling it up, so it’s even easier to see.
Stereo Sound Effects with Positional Cues
In addition to the standard Mac audio effects, VoiceOver includes more than 30 unique stereo sound effects. Providing useful information as you work, the sound effects let you know when you reach the end of a menu or list, when a web page finishes loading, and when you come to a link on a website. Positional cues, meanwhile, provide an enhanced sense of location.
Customize Keystrokes with NumPad Commander
If you have a keyboard with a numeric keypad, you can use the NumPad Commander to provide quick access to your favorite commands by programming each key to perform a VoiceOver function. You can also use it to convert multikey commands into single-key commands, making them simpler to use. By default the NumPad Commander lets you move the VoiceOver cursor with single (rather than multiple) keystrokes.
Cursor Wrapping
Normally, when you reach the last item in a list or element on a page, VoiceOver stops and plays a sound. If, however, you turn on Cursor Wrapping, VoiceOver loops the cursor back to the beginning. This offers a faster way to return to the top of a list or first element on the page.
Fast Web and Page Navigation
With VoiceOver, you can quickly navigate long documents and web pages by jumping to text phrases, key elements (such as headers, tables, and links) or text attributes (such as underline, bold, italics, and text color).
DOM and Group Web Page Navigation
VoiceOver offers two ways to navigate a web page. Using the Document Object Model, or DOM order, you can read web pages from beginning to end. Or you can have VoiceOver group common elements together. This option allows you to reduce the number of items on a web page and quickly scan the page’s content, stopping to read only what interests you.
Hot Spots
VoiceOver lets you create up to ten onscreen “hot spots.” VoiceOver then monitors your Hot Spots, alerts you when changes occur in them, and takes you directly to the hot spot, so you can investigate or take action.
Misspelled-Word Detection
If, while it’s reading text, VoiceOver encounters a misspelled word, you can have it notify you with a tone or a spoken description.
Highlight by Word or Sentence
Set VoiceOver to highlight individual words or complete sentences as they’re spoken.
Cursor Tracking
Save keystrokes by enabling “cursor tracking.” Cursor tracking lets you combine the VoiceOver cursor with the cursor controlled by keyboard (Tab key or arrow keys) and mouse actions. If you disable cursor tracking, the VoiceOver cursor works independent of the keyboard and mouse.
Link Chooser
Press a key to instantly hear a list of all the hyperlinks on a page. You can then navigate through the list to select one, or you can type a few letters and have VoiceOver filter the list to include only items that match.
Item Chooser
Using the Item Chooser menu, you can navigate to every item in an application window. To navigate more quickly, type a few letters to filter the list. Then press Return to move the VoiceOver cursor to the selected item.
Personalize Your Settings
A new VoiceOver Utility layout includes many new options and preferences for customizing VoiceOver. It also provides additional key shortcuts for faster navigation.
Create Multiple Preferences
Once you have VoiceOver set up the way you like, you can export your preferences as a file. By importing the file into another Mac, you can set up that Mac with the identical VoiceOver preferences. You can even share your preferences with other VoiceOver users.
VoiceOver Portable Preferences
VoiceOver lets you create a Portable Preferences file on a flash drive and take it with you. When you connect the flash drive to another Mac running Mac OS X Leopard, VoiceOver instantly recognizes the preferences file on the flash drive. Using the file, VoiceOver reconfigures the Mac you’re using to perform exactly like your own Mac. When you shut down, it restores the Mac to its previous condition.
Restore Mac OS X Unassisted
Every Mac comes with Mac OS X and VoiceOver installed on its hard drive, but you can also install Mac OS X from scratch, unassisted, using VoiceOver. Since the Restore disc includes VoiceOver, you can start up your Mac with the Restore disc and use VoiceOver to run the Mac OS X installer, erase the hard drive, and reinstall Mac OS X yourself.
Repair Mac OS X Unassisted
Though it occurs rarely, you may need to perform troubleshooting by starting up your Mac using the Restore disc. If this ever happens to you, you can start your Mac from the Restore disc and use VoiceOver unassisted to perform a variety of operations. That includes reformatting and partitioning the hard drive, using Disk First Aid, and running a number of other utilities.
