Screen Reader Ropes Course

Ropes Course Objectives

The goal of the ropes course is to give you guided screen reader practice navigating this simple web page with your screen reader of choice. We anticipate that the course will get its most use from people who are beginners with screen readers, and that by tackling the following tasks a number of times, you will achieve a level of proficiency and comfort at screen reader use, even if you don't achieve mastery here. Still, it should increase your skills to go through these various tasks forward, backward, with and without the help text, and even potentially with your screen turned off.

If this is your first time here, you may want to avail yourself of the Course Setup section that offers a crash course, cheat sheet, and tips. If you're an old pro at your screen reader, feel free to jump right to the tasks.

Course Setup

For beginners of the course, we recommend activating the Instructions in Tasks at first, and then the Crash Course. Save the Cheat Sheet for subsequent practice, as it covers much of the screen and can be disorienting. On the other hand, having some or all of the screen covered can be helpful to get a better sense of the experience of a screen reader, so it's not a bad idea to activate the Cheat Sheet for further practice.

VoiceOver Hints

Display VoiceOver Instructions in Tasks.
Display VoiceOver with QuickNav enabled Instructions in Tasks.
Display VoiceOver Crash Course.
Pin VoiceOver Cheat Sheet.
Pin VoiceOver with QuickNav Cheat Sheet.

NVDA Hints

Display NVDA Instructions in Tasks.
Display NVDA Crash Course.
Pin NVDA Cheat Sheet.

Narrator Hints

Display Narrator Instructions in Tasks.
Display Narrator Crash Course.
Pin Narrator Cheat Sheet.

JAWS Hints

Display JAWS Instructions in Tasks.
Display JAWS Crash Course.
Pin JAWS Cheat Sheet.

VoiceOver for iOS Hints

Display VoiceOver for iOS Instructions in Tasks.
Display VoiceOver for iOS Crash Course.
Pin VoiceOver for iOS Cheat Sheet.

Talkback for Android Hints

Display TalkBack for Android Instructions in Tasks.
Display TalkBack for Android Crash Course.
Pin TalkBack for Android Cheat Sheet.
Reset Hints and Guides

The tasks

1. Turn on your screen reader and check this box (stopwatch will automatically start, but no pressure!).
   To start VoiceOver, go to System Preferences > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Enable VoiceOver. You can also type Command + F5, or if your Mac has a touch bar, Command + triple click the Power button to the right of the touch bar. Once it starts, toggle QuickNav on by pressing the right and left arrow keys simultaneously. You'll need to get into the webpage by using the right arrow several times until it says, Web Content. You can press the right and the down arrow keys simultaneously to get into the web content and start arrowing around, or use the single key of the element you'd like to jump to, like h, k, or c. If you type c repeatedly until you get back to this checkbox, you can then press up and down simultaneously to check it.

   To start VoiceOver, go to System Preferences > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Enable VoiceOver. You can also type Command + F5, or if your Mac has a touch bar, Command + triple click the Power button to the right of the touch bar. Once it starts, you'll need to get into the webpage by typing VO + right arrow several times until it says, Web Content. Type VO + U to open the Rotor, Right arrow to change element type to Headings, Down arrow bunch to The Tasks H3 and Enter to jump to it. VO + Right arrow to get to this control/checkbox and then the Space to check it.

   To start NVDA after downloading and installing it at the NVAccess site, launch the program by clicking on it in the Windows start menu, then activate it on this webpage by clicking Control + Alt + N. Once it starts, use F to move into this next form field checkbox, and then the Enter or Space to check the box.

   Turn Narrator on by pressing the Windows logo key + Ctrl + Enter simultaneously. Once it starts, use the down arrow key to get to the checkbox and then the Space key to check the box.

   To start JAWS, Click the Start menu in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. Click “All Programs.” Click “Accessible Technology.” Click “JAWS.” You can also activate it on this webpage by clicking Control + Option + J. Once it starts, use the down arrow key to get to the checkbox and then the Space to check the box.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, enable quick launch by going to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Accessibility Shortcut, and checking VoiceOver in its settings. Then you'll be able to launch VoiceOver by triple clicking the home button or the side button. Swipe towards the right a number of times until you get to the check box associated with this task and double tap to select it.

   In TalkBack for Android, press and hold both the up and down volume buttons for three seconds. Navigate to this task by swiping to the right a number of times until you get to the check box associated with this task and double tap to select it.
2. Adjust the reading speed of your screen reader.
   In VoiceOver with QuickNav enabled, you first have to disable it by pressing the left and right arrow keys simultaneously. Next, hold the VO key (Control + Option) + Command + Shift + left or right arrow several times until you find Rate. Keep holding the VO key + Command + Shift and press the up or down arrow repeatedly until you find the right rate for you.

   In VoiceOver, hold the VO key (Control + Option) + Command + Shift + left or right arrow several times until you find Rate. Keep holding the VO key + Command + Shift and press the up or down arrow repeatedly until you find the right rate for you.

   In NVDA, hold NVDA (usually insert or caps lock) + Control + up or down arrow to adjust the rate. Hold NVDA + Control + right or left arrow to choose other settings you can adjust.

   In Narrator, type insert + + to increase the speed or insert + - to decrease the speed.

   In JAWS, hold Ctrl + Alt + Windows + PageUp or PageDown to adjust the rate.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, Go to iOS Settings, Accessibility, VoiceOver. Use the slider for Speaking Rate to adjust the speed.

   In TalkBack for Android, swipe up-then-down in one motion repeatedly to select the option you want, in this case, “Speech rate”. Swipe up repeatedly to increase the reading speed, and down repeatedly to decrease it.
3. Make the screen blank and then reveal it again.
   In VoiceOver, type VO + fn + Shift + _. Type that again to turn the screen back on. Alternately, you can enable trackpad commander by typing VO and spinning two fingers in a clockwise mostion on the trackpad, and then triple-tapping the trackpad with three fingers to turn it off or on. Disable the trackpad commander by typing VO and spinning two fingers in a counter-clockwise direction.

   In NVDA, type NVDA + N to open the menu. From the menu, Down Arrow to get to Preferences and Right arrow to get into it, and Enter on Settings. Down arrow until you get to Vision, then Tab to get into those settings, and Down arrow until you get to Make screen black. Press space to to enable the screen curtain and space again to disable.

   In Narrator, there is no way to do this. To simulate blindness, you'll have to close your eyes and only open them again when you've decided to end your simulation.

   In JAWS, type insert + space, then afterward press F11. Turn the screen back on again with the same sequence of keystrokes.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, triple-tap the screen with three fingers. Triple-tap with three fingers again to turn it back on.

   In TalkBack for Android, swipe up-then-right (or tap with three fingers) to open the Talkback settings menu. Swipe right repeatedly until you’ve selected “Hide Screen.” Double tap to activate it. Swipe right to go through the warning and then double tap again on “okay”. Follow the same steps again to turn the screen back on.
4. Set a hotspot (VoiceOver) or a PlaceMarker (JAWS or NVDA) in this list to return here quickly after each task to go to the next.
   To set a hotspot in VoiceOver, hold VO (CONTROL + OPTION) + SHIFT + the number you'd like the hot spot to be. To return to a hot spot, hold VO and press that number. To pull up a list of hot spots, hold VO + shift + x.

   To use a PlaceMarker in NVDA, you first need to install the PlaceMarker addon which you can get by typing NVDA + N and from the Tools menu, going to the Add on store... Go to the Available add ons tab, and search for Place markers. Install it, and restart NVDA to activate it. After activating it, set a PlaceMarker by CTRL + SHIFT + NVDA + Y. Navigate back to it by shift + NVDA + Y if it's the only bookmark you've set on this page, or by alt + NVDA + k to get a list of all PlaceMarkers for this page.

   In Narrator, there is no way to do this. Just plan on jumping back to the Tasks heading level three and travel down the list until you get to the next unchecked item.

   To set a PlaceMarker in JAWS, press CTRL + SHIFT + K and save it. Then to jump back here, press CTRL + SHIFT + K, then SPACE, then ENTER.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, unfortunately, there is no way to create a hotspot. You’ll have to jump back to the tasks Ordered List by activating the rotor by rotating two fingers on the screen until you reach the List option and flicking up until you’re back here. Alternatively, you can set the Rotor to Form Controls and flick up until you're back here.

   In TalkBack for Android, there is no way to perform this action. The easiest way to get back here is to navigate by heading (swipe up-then-down repeatedly until you’re on the Headings option, then swipe up repeatedly until you get to the The tasks Heading level 3. Swipe up-then-down repeatedly until you get to Controls, then swipe down until you get to the task you were last on. In fact, it might be quicker to just navigate up by Controls repeatedly until you get to the task you were on.
5. Jump to the Main landmark.
   In VoiceOver with QuickNav activated, press the up and right arrows simultaneously to change what kind of element you're navigating by. Press this combination (or up and left to go back through the list) repeatedly until you've selected "Landmarks". Use the up arrow to go to the Main landmark.

   In VoiceOver, type VO + u to open the Rotor. If you're not in the landmarks menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to select the Main landmark and Enter to go to it. Alternatively, you could open the Rotor and get to the Landmarks menu, hit Escape to get back into the page, then activate the QuickNav by pressing right and left simultaneously. With QuickNav on you can traverse whichever Rotor menu was activated with the up and down arrows. Thus, pressing the up arrow will take you to the Main landmark.

   In NVDA, go to a landmark by typing D, but in this case you'll need to type Shift + D to take you to the previous landmark, since the Main starts before where you are in the page.

   In Narrator, type D to go to the next landmark, or Shift + D to go to the previous one. In this case, since you're already inside the Main element, you'll type Shift + D.

   In JAWS, type Q to go to the main landmark.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, Activate the Rotor by rotating two fingers on the screen until you reach the Landmarks option and select it by lifting your two fingers up. Flick down a few times until you get to the Main landmark.

   In TalkBack for Android, to do this you must first enable Landmarks in the Reading Order menu. To do this, open Android Settings > Accessibility > Talkback > TalkBack settings > Customize menus > Customize reading controls. Select Landmarks. Now you should be able to find Landmarks at the end of your Reading controls list by swiping up-then-down a number of times, or down-then-up. With Landmarks selected, swipe up to go to the landmark you're already in, the Main. Talkback will not announce Main, but will say, "Using Samsung text-to-speech engine", or something similar. Swipe right to begin moving through it.
6. Jump to the Footer (hint: this may be referred to as "contentinformation" in screen reader parlance).
   In VoiceOver with QuickNav enabled, press the up and right arrow keys simultaneously to verify you're in the Landmarks option. If you're not in the landmarks menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to move through the landmarks until you get to the one called "contentinformation". Move around it by pressing the right or left arrow key.

   In VoiceOver, type VO + u to open the rotor. If you're not in the landmarks menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to move through the landmarks until you get to the one called "contentinformation". Go to it by pressing Enter. If you'd already selected Landmarks in the rotor (as you'd have done in the last task), you don't have to open the rotor again and can instead turn QuickNav on by pressing the left and right arrow keys simultaneously. Then you can press down to go to the next landmark.

   In NVDA, navigate by landmark by typing D to get to the next landmark, in this case the footer, or "contentinfo".

   In Narrator, type D several times until you get to the footer landmark.

   In JAWS, type R several times until you get to the footer.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, activate the Rotor by rotating two fingers on the screen until you reach the Landmarks option and select it by lifting your two fingers up. Flick down a number of times until you get to the Footer landmark.

   In TalkBack for Android, if you've enabled Landmarks per the previous task, swipe down to move to the next landmark, in this case the footer.
7. Jump to the Nav.
   In VoiceOver with QuickNav on, press the up and right arrow keys simultaneously to verify you're in the Landmarks option. Use the up arrow key to move through the landmarks until you get to the one called "banner". Pressing down one time should take you into the navigation contained inside, the "top menu navigation".

   In VoiceOver, type VO + u to open the rotor. If you're not in the landmarks menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to move through the landmarks until you get to the one called "top menu navigation". Go to it by pressing Enter. If you've already got Landmarks selected in the rotor, and have enabled QuickNav by pressing the right and left keys simultaneously, you can get to the Nav by pressing up a couple times until you get past the Main and into the Nav.

   In NVDA, navigate by landmark by typing shift + D a couple times until you get to the main navigation.

   In Narrator, type shift + D several times until you get up to the main nav.

   In JAWS, type shift + R a couple times until you get to the main navigation.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, select the Landmarks option from the rotor. Flick up a couple of times until you get to the Navigation landmark.

   In TalkBack for Android, if you've enable the Landmarks reading control, select it and then swipe up a number of times until you get to Top Menu, Navigation.
8. Go to the h2 about the Screen Reader Comparison, then jump to the next h2.
   In VoiceOver with QuickNav on, type number 1 through 6 to jump to the next corresponding heading of that level, or shift + 1 through 6 to work through the previous ones. You can also press H or Shift + H to work through all the headings. or you could press the up and right or up and left arrows simultaneously to find the Headings option, and then work through them with the up and down arrow keys. In this case, the easiest way to get to the indicated h2 would be to type 2 repeatedly until you get to it, and then 2 one more time.

   In VoiceOver, type VO + u to open the rotor. If you're not in the headings menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to move through the headings until you get to the one you want. Go to it by pressing Enter. Jump to the next heading by using the down arrow key if you have Quick Nav enabled (enable by pressing the right and left arrow keys simultaneously), or if not enabled, type VO + command + 2 to jump to the next heading of level 2 and VO + shift + command + 2 if you wanted to jump to the previous. If you do have QuickNav enabled, you can also jump around the headings of level 2 by simply typing 2.

   In NVDA, type 2 several times until you get to the heading level 2 you want. Type it once more to go to the next heading level 2.

   In Narrator, type 2 several times until you find the heading level 2 you want. Type it once more to go to the next heading level 2.

   In JAWS, type 2 several times until you get to the heading level 2 you want. Type it once more to go to the next heading level 2.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, select the Headings option from the rotor. Flick down a number of times until you get to the h2 on Screen Reader Comparison. Select Same Item from the rotor and Flick down to get to the next h2.

   In TalkBack for Android, swipe up-then-down repeatedly until you get to Headings, then swipe down repeatedly until you get to the heading 2 about Screen Reader Comparison, then down again until you get to the next heading 2.
9. Go to the h3 about NVDA, then jump to the previous h3.
   In VoiceOver with QuickNav on, type number 3 repeatedly until you get to the indicated h3. Type shift + 3 to go to the previous.

   In VoiceOver, type VO + u to open the rotor. If you're not in the headings menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to move through the headings until you get to the heading level 3 about "NVDA". Go to it by pressing Enter. Once on it, if you have QuickNav enabled by pressing the right and left arrow keys simultaneously, use the keyboard up arrow several times until you get to the previous heading of level 3. Alternately you could press VO + command + 3 to jump through the h3s on the page and then VO + command + shift + 3 to jump backwards through the list. If you have QuickNav enabled (by pressing the left and right arrow key simultaneously), you can jump around headings of level 3 by simply typing 3.

   In NVDA, type 3 several times until you get to the heading level 3 about "NVDA". Type shift + 3 to get to the previous heading level 3.

   In Narrator, type 3 repeatedly until you get to the heading level 3 you want. Type shift + 3 to get to the previous heading level 3.

   In JAWS, type 3 repeatedly until you get to the heading level 3 you want. Type shift + 3 to get to the previous heading level 3.

   In VoiceOver for iOS, Select the Headers option from the rotor. Flick down a number of times until you get to the h3 on NVDA, then select Same Item from the rotor and flick up once.

   In TalkBack for Android, swipe up-then-down repeatedly until you get to Headings, then swipe down repeatedly until you get to the heading level 3 about NVDA. Swipe up several times until you get to the previous heading level 3.
10. Find the link to learn how to get started with JAWS, then jump to next link.
    In VoiceOver with QuickNav on, you can jump to links in order by typing simply L, or backwards with Shift + L. You could also switch your element type to Links by repeatedly pressing up and right or up and left simultaneously and then using the up or down arrow keys to to through the links.

    In VoiceOver, open the rotor. If you're not in the links menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to move through the links until you get to the link you're looking for. Go to it by pressing Enter. Once on it, if you have QuickNav enabled, use the keyboard down arrow to go to the next link. Alternatively to using the rotor, you could type VO + command + L to jump through available links, and VO + command + shift + L to jump backwards through them. As another option, if you have QuickNav enabled, you can jump to headings in order by typing simply H, or to specific heading levels by typing the number keys 1 through 6, corresponding to which heading you want to go to.

    In NVDA, press k repeatedly until you get to the link you're looking for. Press k again to go to the next link.

    In Narrator, type K several times until you get to the link you want, and then one more time to go to the next.

    In JAWS, type insert + F7 to get a list of links in the page. Use the up and down arrow to move through it, and enter to jump to the one you want. type insert + F7 again and find the link before this one to jump to.

    In VoiceOver for iOS, Select Links from the Rotor. Flick down a number of times until you find the Get Started with JAWS link, and then once more to go to the next link.

    In TalkBack for Android, swipe up-then-down repeatedly until you get to Links, then swipe down repeatedly until you get to the link called, “Getting Started with JAWS”.
11. Navigate the table and find the estimated users of NVDA in the United States. NOTE: to practice navigating the table in its two-dimensional form, you'll need to make sure your browser is wide enough. At tablet width and below the table condenses into a single column.
    In VoiceOver with QuickNav enabled, press T repeatedly to move through the available tables, or Shift + T to move backwards through them. Either way, once in the table, disable QuickNav and then press VO and use the keyboard up, down, left and right arrows to find the information you're looking for. If you want, you can lock VO on by pressing VO + ;. Only the new heading (whether row or column) is announced with the cell content as you move into a new column or row. If you forget the heading for the row or column you're in, have it announced to you again by moving perpendicular to your last move, and then back.

    In VoiceOver, open the rotor. If you're not in the tables menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to move through the tables until you get to the one you want. Go to it by pressing Enter. Alternatively to using the Rotor, you could also jump through the available tables in the page by pressing VO + command + T. Either way, once in the table, use VO + the keyboard up, down, left and right arrows to find the information you're looking for. If you've enabled QuickNav, you can jump from table to table by typing T, but once in the table you'll need to disable QuickNav by pressing left and right simultaneously. Only the new heading (whether row or column) is announced with the cell content as you move into a new column or row. If you forget the heading for the row or column you're in, have it announced to you again by moving perpendicular to your last move, and then back.

    In NVDA, navigate to the Table by typing t repeatedly until you get to the table you're looking for. Once in the table, type Ctrl + Alt + the keyboard up, down, left and right arrows to find the information you're looking for. Only the new heading is announced with the cell content as you move into a new row or column. If you forget the heading for the row or column you're in, have it announced to you again by moving perpendicular to your last move, and then back.

    In Narrator, type T to jump to the table, and then type Control + Alt + the keyboard up, down, left and right arrows to find the information you're looking for. Only the new heading is announced with the cell content as you move into a new row or column. If you forget the heading for the row or column you're in, have it announced to you again by moving perpendicular to your last move, and then back.

    In JAWS, navigate to the Table by typing t repeatedly until you get to the table you're looking for. Once in the table, type Ctrl + Alt + the keyboard up, down, left and right arrows to find the information you're looking for. Only the new heading is announced with the cell content as you move into a new row or column. If you forget the heading for the row or column you're in, have it announced to you again by moving perpendicular to your last move, and then back.

    In VoiceOver for iOS, select the Tables option from the rotor, then flick down to go to the table. Swipe right to get into the table. Once in it, swipe left or right to move right or left in the table row. To go to the next or previous row, select Rows from the Rotor and flick down or up.

    In TalkBack for Android, navigate to the table by going to the Screen Reader Comparison heading 2, then move forward into the table and from cell to cell by swiping right.
12. Find an image with the alt of "The word Evaluation arranged in a circle with another word, 'Evaluation' overlaid on it", and then jump to the previous graphic.
    In VoiceOver with QuickNav on, type G (for graphic) repeatedly until you find the right image. Images inside of links will require you to move past the image before jumping to the next. Do this by pressing the right arrow key and then you can use G again.Move backward through the images by typing Shift + G.

    In VoiceOver, type vo + command + g (for graphic) repeatedly until you find the right image. Move backward through the images by typing vo + command + shift + g. Alternatively, with QuickNav enabled (by pressing both right and left arrow keys simultaneously), you can press simply G with no modifiers.

    In NVDA, go through the Graphics by typing g repeatedly until you find the right image. Move backward through the images by typing shift + g.

    In Narrator there’s really no way to do this except by having it read you the whole page and listening for “image” with the alternative text after that.

    In JAWS, go through the Graphics by typing g repeatedly until you find the right image. Move backward through the images by typing shift + g.

    In VoiceOver for iOS, select the Images option from the rotor and flick right several times until you hear the indicated alt text. Flick left to jump to the previous image.

    In TalkBack for Android, there is no systematic way to perform this task, but this image is in the "Why you should test your site with a screen reader" section, so first jump to that section, then swipe right through its content until you get to the image. In this case, you can navigate by Heading to the heading 2 "Why you should test your site with a screen reader", and move forward by swiping right a couple times to the image.
13. Go to first list and find the third item, then jump to the next list and find the second item.
    In VoiceOver with QuickNav enabled, type x repeatedly until you get to the right list. Use the right and left arrow keys to move forward and backwards in the list. Type x to go to the next list.

    In VoiceOver, type VO + command + x repeatedly until you get to the right list. Use the right and left arrow keys to move forward and backwards in the list. Type VO + command + x to go to the next list.

    In NVDA, navigate by List by typing l repeatedly until you get to the right list. Once to the list, type i and shift + i to go forward and backward through the items.

    In Narrator, type L to go to the next list. Type I three times to go to the third item. Type L two more times to go to the third list, and I twice to get to the second item.

    In JAWS, navigate by List by typing l repeatedly until you get to the right list. Once to the list, type i and shift + i to go forward and backward through the items.

    In VoiceOver for iOS, select the Lists option from the rotor, and flick down once to get to the first list. Flick right three times to listen to the third item in the list, then flick down to jump to the next list and right twice to get to the second item.

    In TalkBack for Android, there is no systematic way to perform this task, so in this case you can find the first list under the heading three of "Top three reasons to use VoiceOver." When you get to the list, it’ll say, “one of three” when you land on the first item. Swipe right two times to land on the third item. The second list is under the heading three of "Top three reasons to use NVDA".
14. Search webpage for "mid-nineties", and find out what happened then.
    In VoiceOver, type vo + f to search the page for text. Hit enter to activate. Type vo + g to find the first instance. Type vo + p to read the paragraph containing your search term. To find the next instance on the page, type VO + G.

    In NVDA, type nvda + control + f to Find a word or phrase.

    In Narrator, type Insert + Control + F to open the find dialogue. Enter your search term and then type Insert + F3 to move through your results.

    In JAWS, type control + f to Find a word or phrase.

    In VoiceOver for iOS, there is no way to perform this action.

    In TalkBack for Android, open the search feature by swiping up and right to open the TalkBack menu. Swipe to the right repeatedly until you get to the Find in page option. Double tap to activate. Swipe through the keyboard to find each letter and pull your finger up to type the letter you’re on.
15. Jump to the form at the end of the page and submit it with any comments or questions. We'd love to hear your experience, and if this helped you become more proficient in using a screen reader.
    In VoiceOver with QuickNav enabled, type F for text Field. Once on the field, press the up and down arrows simultaneously to activate the element. Toggle QuickNav off by pressing the right and left arrows simultaneously. With QuickNav off you can type as usual. Use tab to advance to the next field, and then Enter on the submit button.

    In VoiceOver, open the rotor. If you're not in the forms menu right away, use the right or left arrow until you are. Use the down arrow to move through the forms. Go to it by pressing Enter. Once in it, use the Tab key to advance to the subsequent fields. Use the Enter key on the submit button to submit the form. If you'd rather not use the Rotor, you can also type VO + command + J a couple times to take you to the exit form element.

    In NVDA, navigate to the Form by typing F a couple times to navigate to the exit form. After filling it out, type Tab to advance to the next field. Use the Enter key to submit the form.

    Type F a couple times to jump to the form at the bottom of the page. Use Tab to move through it, or Shift + Tab to move backwards. Once you tab into a field you should be able to type as usual. Tab to the submit button and use the Enter key to submit the form.

    In JAWS, navigate to the Form by typing F + f to navigate to the next form field. After filling it out, type Tab to advance to the next field. Use the Enter key to submit ithe form.

    In VoiceOver for iOS, select the Forms option from the rotor and swipe down a couple times to go to the exit form. Once in an input field, use your device’s voice typing capabilities to fill the field in. Swipe right to get to the next field. Double-tab when you get to the submit button.

    In TalkBack for Android, navigate by Controls (swipe up-then-down several times until you get to Controls, then down a couple times until you get to the exit form, "comments or questions about the ropes course").

Reset Checkboxes for another attempt

---

Practice web page

Despite the tasks up above, the best way to start feeling comfortable with your screen reader might be to simply arrow through this page, listening to all the elements in order to familiarize yourself with what a screen reader sounds like.

---

The major screen readers

There are dozens of different screen readers that each work in a slightly different manner, but there are basically three dominant screen readers.

Screen Reader Comparison

Why you should test your site with a screen reader

Many aspects of your site can be tested without a screen reader. There are lots of visual aspects of your site that can present problems to users with colorblindness or contrast sensitivity problems, as well as parts of it that can present cognitive challenges to users with ADHD or other cognitive disabilities. But the single largest group of internet users from the disabled community likely to visit your site are the blind.

While you can theoretically code things in such a way as it should be correctly read by all screen readers, the sad fact of the matter is that screen readers often interpret code slightly differently from what you'd expect. Because of this, you should really test your site on a screen reader, and ideally on several different ones. Just like you check your site out to make sure it works well at a variety of different screen sizes, you should really make sure that it works for screen readers as well.

Acknowledgements: This ropes course was designed and implemented by Deneb Pulsipher, Captain Accessible here at SeaMonster Studios, with the help and guidance of Kosi Asabere, accessibility UX specialist.