Modifier Keys
Key Name
Keystroke
Function Keys (F1 through F12)
For more information, see the Function
Keys description.
DOT 1
INSERT
DOT 2
CTRL
DOT 3
WINDOWS Key
DOT 4
JAWS Key
DOT 5
ALT
DOT 6
SHIFT
DOT 7
Function Keys
To simulate the function keys (F1 through F12), press DOTS 1-8 CHORD followed by A
through L (which correspond to 1 through 12). For example, to simulate the F6 key, press DOTS
1-8 CHORD, then F (DOTS 1-2-4). If the function key is part of a key combination, add the
appropriate modifiers while holding down DOTS 1-8 CHORD. For example, to simulate the
keystroke INSERT+F2, press DOTS 1-2-8 CHORD, then B (DOTS 1-2).
Special Keys
Use these keystrokes to simulate certain keys that are not available on the Focus braille
keyboard. These keys can be combined with the modifier keys described previously. For your
convenience, both keystrokes and braille dot patterns are provided. If no dot pattern equivalent is
available, a dash appears in the table cell.
Key Name
Special Keys
Keystroke
DOTS Pattern
ESC
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 1 or RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 1 or
Z CHORD
DOTS 1-3-5-6 CHORD
ALT
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 2
-
APPLICATION Key
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 2
CHORD
-
NUM PAD ASTERISK
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 3
-
WINDOWS Key
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 4
-
NUM PAD SLASH
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 7
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 7
CAPS LOCK
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 7
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 7
CHORD or RIGHT
SHIFT+K
CHORD or RIGHT
SHIFT+DOTS 1-3
NUM PAD PLUS
RIGHT SHIFT+DOT 8
-
BACKSPACE
DOT 7
-
ENTER
DOT 8
-
CTRL+BACKSPACE
DOTS 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
CHORD
-
TAB
DOTS 4-5 CHORD
-
SHIFT+TAB
B CHORD
DOTS 1-2 CHORD
HOME
K CHORD
DOTS 1-3 CHORD
END
DOTS 4-6 CHORD
-
PAGE UP
LEFT SHIFT+ROCKER BAR UP or RIGHT
SHIFT+ROCKER BAR
UP or DOTS 2-3-7
CHORD
PAGE DOWN
LEFT SHIFT+ROCKER BAR DOWN or RIGHT
SHIFT+ROCKER BAR
DOWN or DOTS 5-6-7
CHORD
DELETE
FOR CHORD
DOTS 1-2-3-4-5-6 CHORD
EQUALS
DOTS 1-2-3-4-5-6
-
RIGHT BRACKET
DOTS 1-2-4-5-6-7
-
LEFT BRACKET
DOTS 2-4-6-7
-
BACKSLASH
DOTS 1-2-5-6-7
-
SLASH
DOTS 3-4
-
RIGHT PARENTHESIS
DOTS 2-3-4-5-6
-
APOSTROPHE
DOT 3
-
DASH
DOTS 3-6
-
GRÀVE
DOT 4
-
PERIOD
DOTS 4-6
-
SEMICOLON
DOTS 5-6
-
COMMA
DOT 6
-
Navigation Commands
Use these keystrokes to perform various JAWS navigation commands. Both keystrokes and
braille dot patterns are provided in the table. If no dot pattern equivalent is available, a dash
appears in the table cell.
Description
Navigation Commands
Keystroke
DOTS Pattern
Say Prior Character
DOT 3 CHORD
-
Say Next Character
DOT 6 CHORD
-
Say Character
DOTS 3-6 CHORD
-
Say Prior Word
DOT 2 CHORD
-
Say Next Word
DOT 5 CHORD
-
Say Word
DOTS 2-5 CHORD
DOT 1 CHORD or LEFT ROCKER BAR UP
Say Prior Line
Say Next Line
DOT 4 CHORD or LEFT ROCKER BAR DOWN
Say Line
C CHORD
DOTS 1-4 CHORD
Say Prior Sentence
LEFT SHIFT+RIGHT
ROCKER BAR UP
-
Say Next Sentence
LEFT SHIFT+RIGHT
ROCKER BAR DOWN
-
Say Sentence
LEFT SHIFT+RIGHT
SHIFT+C
LEFT SHIFT+RIGHT
SHIFT+DOTS 1-4
Say Prior Paragraph
RIGHT SHIFT+LEFT
ROCKER BAR UP
-
Say Next Paragraph
RIGHT SHIFT+LEFT
ROCKER BAR DOWN
-
Say Paragraph
LEFT SHIFT+RIGHT
SHIFT+DOTS 2-3-5-6-7-8
Move to Top of File
L CHORD
DOTS 1-2-3 CHORD
Move to Bottom of File
DOTS 4-5-6 CHORD
-
Say to Cursor
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 3- 7
Say from Cursor
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 6- 8
Say All
DOTS 1-2-4-5-6 CHORD -
Say Top of Line of Active
Window
LEFT ROCKER BAR
UP+RIGHT ROCKER
BAR UP
-
Say Bottom of Line of
Active Window
LEFT ROCKER BAR
DOWN+RIGHT
ROCKER BAR DOWN
-
Previous Document
Window
DOTS 2-3 CHORD
-
Next Document Window
DOTS 5-6 CHORD
-
Open List Box
LEFT SHIFT+RIGHT
ROCKER BAR DOWN
-
Close List Box
LEFT SHIFT+RIGHT
ROCKER BAR UP
-
Exit Forms Mode
X CHORD
DOTS 1-3-4-6 CHORD
Say Window Prompt and
Text
G CHORD
DOTS 1-2-4-5 CHORD
Microsoft Word Navigation Quick Keys
Use these keystrokes to navigate Microsoft Word documents. Navigation Quick Keys must be
enabled in order for these commands to function (DOT 8 CHORD, DOT 2 followed by DOTS
1-3-5-6). Note that you can add DOT 7 to most of the keystrokes in the table below to move to
the previous element of that type in the document. Both keystrokes and braille dot patterns are
provided in the table. If no dot pattern equivalent is available, a dash appears in the table cell.
Microsoft Word Navigation Quick Keys
Description
Keystroke
DOTS Pattern
Next Bookmark
B
DOTS 1-2
Next Comment
C
DOTS 1-4
Next Endnote
E
DOTS 1-5
Next Form Field
F
DOTS 1-2-4
Next Graphic
G
DOTS 1-2-4-5
Next Heading
H
DOTS 1-2-5
Next Footnote
O
DOTS 1-3-5
Next Paragraph
P+DOT 8
DOTS 1-2-3-4-8
Previous Paragraph
P+DOT 7
DOTS 1-2-3-4-7
Next Section
S
DOTS 2-3-4
Next Table
T
DOTS 2-3-4-5
Next Page
SPACEBAR
-
Previous Page
BACKSPACE
DOT 7
Text Selection Commands
Use these keystrokes to perform various text selection commands. Both keystrokes and braille
dot patterns are provided in the table. If no dot pattern equivalent is available, a dash appears in
the table cell.
Text Selection Commands
Keystroke
Description
Select Prior Character
DOTS Pattern
DOTS 3-7 CHORD
-
Select Next Character
DOTS 6-7 CHORD
-
Select Prior Word
DOTS 2-7 CHORD
-
Select Next Word
DOTS 5-7 CHORD
-
Select Prior Line
DOTS 1-7 CHORD
-
Select Next Line
DOTS 4-7 CHORD
-
Select Prior Screen
LEFT SHIFT+K
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-3
Select Next Screen
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 4-6 -
Select from Start of Line
K+DOT 7 CHORD
DOTS 1-3-7 CHORD
Select to End of Line
DOTS 4-6-7 CHORD
--
Select from Top
L+DOTS 7 CHORD
DOTS 1-2-3-7 CHORD
Select to Bottom
DOTS 4-5-6-7 CHORD
-
Move To Beginning Of
Line
ROCKER BAR
UP+PANNING BUTTON
Move To End Of Line
ROCKER BAR
DOWN+PANNING
BUTTON
-
Braille Commands
Use these keystrokes to configure various braille functions. Both keystrokes and braille dot
patterns are provided in the table.
Braille Commands
Keystroke
Description
DOTS Pattern
Top of Document
L CHORD
DOTS 1-2-3 CHORD
Bottom of Document
DOTS 4-5-6 CHORD
DOTS 4-5-6 CHORD
Adjust Braille Verbosity
DOTS 2-3-8 CHORD
followed by DOTS 1-2
DOTS 2-3-8 CHORD
followed by DOTS 1-2
Grade 2 Expand Current
Word
T CHORD
DOTS 2-3-4-5 CHORD
Grade 2 Translation
G CHORD
DOTS 1-2-4-5 CHORD
Toggle Characters and
Attributes
CH Sign CHORD
DOTS 1-6 CHORD
Toggle Marking
M CHORD
DOTS 1-3-4 CHORD
Toggle 8 Pixels per Space
P CHORD
DOTS 1-2-3-4 CHORD
Toggle 8/6 DOTS Braille
8 CHORD
DOTS 2-3-6 CHORD
Color Marking Assign
C CHORD
DOTS 1-4 CHORD
Change Cursor Shape
SH Sign CHORD
DOTS 1-4-6 CHORD
Restrict Braille Cursor
R CHORD
DOTS 1-2-3-5 CHORD
Windows Commands
Use these keystrokes for basic editing functions in Windows.
Windows Commands
Braille Sign
Description
ALT+TAB
DOTS Pattern
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 4-5 LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 4-5
Paste from Clipboard
LEFT SHIFT+V
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-23-6
Copy to Clipboard
LEFT SHIFT+C
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-4
Cut to Clipboard
LEFT SHIFT+X
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-34-6
Undo
LEFT SHIFT+Z
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-35-6
Delete
LEFT SHIFT+D
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-4-5
Selection Commands
Use these keystrokes to select characters, lines, and other page elements.
Description
Selection Commands
Braille Sign
DOTS Pattern
Select Next Character
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 6
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 6
Select Prior Character
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 3
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 3
Select Next Line
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 4
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 4
Select Prior Line
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 1
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 1
Select to End of Line
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 5
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 5
Select from Start of Line
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 2
LEFT SHIFT+DOT 2
Select from Top
LEFT SHIFT+L
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-2-3
Select to Bottom
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 4-5- LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 4-5-6
6
Select Next Screen
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 4-6 LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 4-6
Select Prior Screen
LEFT SHIFT+K
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-3
Select All
LEFT SHIFT+FOR Sign
LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-23-4-5-6
Select a Frame
RIGHT SHIFT+9
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 3-5
Select a Heading
RIGHT SHIFT+6
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 23-5
Select a Link
RIGHT SHIFT+7
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 23-5-6
JAWS Commands
Use these keystrokes to perform some of the more common JAWS functions.
Description
JAWS Commands
Braille Sign
DOTS Pattern
JAWS Window
RIGHT SHIFT+J
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 24-5
Adjust JAWS Verbosity
RIGHT SHIFT+V
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 12-3-6
Open Task List
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 3- RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 35-6
5-6
List System Tray Icons
RIGHT SHIFT+K
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 1-3
Say System Time
RIGHT SHIFT DOTS 12-3
RIGHT SHIFT DOTS 1-23
Drag and Drop
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 3- 7 CHORD
Refresh Screen
RIGHT SHIFT+Z
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 13-5-6
Say Font
RIGHT SHIFT+F
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 12-4
Windows Keys Help
RIGHT SHIFT+W
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 24-5-6
Read Current Window
RIGHT SHIFT+B
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 1-2
Default Button in Dialog
RIGHT SHIFT+E
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 1-5
Shut DOWN JAWS
RIGHT SHIFT+4
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 25-6
Select a Synthesizer
RIGHT SHIFT+S
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 23-4
Cursor Functions
Use these keystrokes to select a cursor for navigating JAWS.
Description
Cursor Functions
Braille Sign
DOTS Pattern
Route JAWS to PC
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 3- RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 3-6
6 (MINUS Sign)
Route PC to JAWS
RIGHT SHIFT+ING Sign RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 3(PLUS Sign)
4-6
Utility Functions
Use these keystrokes for general utility functions.
Description
Run JAWS Manager
Utility Functions
Braille Sign
RIGHT SHIFT+2
DOTS Pattern
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 2-3
Set Frame Top LEFT
RIGHT SHIFT+OW Sign RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 24-6
Set Frame Bottom RIGHT
RIGHT SHIFT+ER Sign
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 12-4-5-6
Graphics Labeler
RIGHT SHIFT+G
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 12-4-5
JAWS Find
RIGHT SHIFT+F
CHORD
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 12-4 CHORD
JAWS Find Next
RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 2- RIGHT SHIFT+DOTS 2-5
5
Braille Study Mode
Braille Study Mode is a training tool for teaching and learning braille. It works exclusively with
Freedom Scientific PAC Mate 20- and 40-cell Portable Braille Displays and Focus 40- and 80cell braille displays. When Braille Study Mode is on, JAWS will announce the current braille
character in a display cell when you press the Cursor Routing button immediately above that cell.
When you press the Navrow button (located behind the Cursor Routing button), JAWS will
announce and spell the braille word.
Turning On Braille Study Mode
Braille Study Mode is off by default. To start it, do the following:
1. Make sure that a PAC Mate Portable Braille Display, or Focus braille display is attached
to your computer.
2. Do one of the following:
o Press CTRL+INSERT+B to open the Adjust Braille Options dialog box, or
o Press INSERT+V to open the Adjust JAWS Options dialog box.
3. Press S until Study Mode appears, and then press SPACEBAR to toggle Study Mode on.
Braille Study Mode remains on until toggled off or until JAWS is restarted.
On-the-Fly Access using WhizWheels
When Braille Study Mode is disabled, you can always press the braille display's left or right
WhizWheel together with either a Cursor Routing or Navrow button to briefly use Braille Study
Mode functionality. This is useful when you need a quick reminder, but you do not want to go
through the process of turning on Braille Study Mode as previously described.
To use Braille Study Mode on the fly, do one of the following:


Press WHIZWHEEL+CURSOR ROUTING to make JAWS announce the braille
character in the display cell, or
Press WHIZWHEEL+NAVROW to make JAWS announce and spell the braille word.
Note: JAWS returns to normal operation after announcing the braille character or word.
Structured Mode
Structured Mode gives you descriptive information about the current dialog and/or control. If
there is no special descriptive information, such as in a text document, the braille display
behaves as if it were in Line Mode. By default, JAWS is configured to use Structured Mode.
Structured Mode is designed to provide one or two lines of descriptive information about menu
dialogs and their controls. The additional information offered in Structured Mode is particularly
helpful because it lets you navigate the dialog and its controls faster. When specific dialog and/or
control type information is in focus, JAWS uses braille and specific braille abbreviations to
compose a "structured line" that describes the screen information on your braille display. If
Braille Follows Active is selected, JAWS switches to Line Mode when the Braille cursor moves
away from the control that is in focus. This gives you an exact representation of the information
on the screen. When the Braille cursor moves back to the control in focus, JAWS switches to
Structured Mode.
Example of Structured Line
After pressing ALT+ENTER on the task bar, a line similar to the following will appear on the
braille display:
"Task Bar Properties dlg Start Menu Options page <x> Always On Top check box."
This is similar to what JAWS speaks:
"Task bar Properties dialog Start menu Options page Always on Top check box checked."
Note the special symbols and abbreviations used in the braille example. See the JAWS Specific
Braille Abbreviations section for the complete list and their descriptions.
The words "Dialog," "Page," and "Check Box not checked," never appear on the screen in this
situation. And since Windows is a three-dimensional graphical environment, the information
shown on the braille display does not follow the order spoken by the JAWS speech synthesizer.
To observe what the information looks like without Structured Mode applied, see the Line Mode
section.
Defining Structured Mode
In JAWS, you now have the ability to define how information appears in Structured Mode. With
this new feature you can modify braille control symbols, the display order in which they appear,
and the braille representation of the control state. This is helpful because for each software
application on your computer, you control how and what information is shown on your braille
display.
Use the following steps to access the Define Structured Mode settings. For more information, see
Braille Group Options.
1. Open Settings Center (INSERT+F2), expand the Braille group, and then select the
General group.
2. Select Define Structured Mode, and press SPACEBAR to open the Control Type
Options dialog box.
3. You can now modify the following items:



The symbols used to represent controls on your braille display.
The symbols used to represent the states a control can be in – such as selected or
cleared for a check box.
The order information relating to a control is displayed in, and how much of that
information you wish to show on your braille display.
For more information, refer to Defining Structured Mode.
Navigating a Structured Line
When a structured line appears on the braille display, you may need to PAN LEFT so you can
see the focused control information first. When in a structured line, your PANNING keys allow
you to see any information about the structured line not showing on the display. This is
especially helpful with 40-cell displays.
Note that in Structured Mode the BRAILLE UP and the BRAILLE DOWN keys, which
navigate between controls the same way as your keyboard arrow keys, do not navigate a
structured line. However, the braille routing keys do allow you to activate buttons, highlight text
in an edit field, and toggle the state of check boxes.
Line Mode
Line Mode gives you an exact representation of the information on the screen, in the same way
the JAWS Cursor does.
When in Line Mode, JAWS uses screen coordinates to determine what information is sent to the
braille display. Using its Braille Cursor, JAWS relays information to the braille display exactly
as it is formatted on the computer screen. While this helps you better understand screen layout
and print format, the braille format may be confusing because in Windows text can appear
anywhere on the screen.
Using the example dialog from the Structured Mode section, the following would appear on the
display:
When first opening the Task Bar Properties dialog:
Check mark Always On Top
Move up one line:
Task Bar Options Start Menu Programs
Moving up one more line:
Task Bar Properties help symbol close symbol
Notice the text lines do not line up. This is because, in Line Mode, text is arranged using the
Windows format. To see all the text, you may need to use the PAN RIGHT and PAN LEFT
keys.
In Line Mode, JAWS provides a way for you to change how text is shown on your braille
display. The default setting is 8 pixels per space. For more information on pixel space relative to
white space on your braille display, see the section on braille formatting.
Speech History Mode
Speech History Mode displays braille information that is generated from the speech synthesizer.
This mode is beneficial to you if you are deaf and blind because you can access spoken
information not visible on the computer screen. If the information filtering through the speech
synthesizer is larger than ten lines, only the last part of information is displayed. In this situation,
pan left to display the beginning of the text.
In Speech History Mode, the braille movement keys let you review what is being spoken, but the
cursor routing buttons have no effect.
Attribute Mode
In attribute mode, JAWS indicates all attributes assigned to a block of text with a letter or
symbol. Attributes can include such changes as bold, italics, underline, and so on. This
information appears in the display's status cells. When multiple attributes are assigned to the
same block of text, the braille display cycles through each of them. To determine the rate at
which this cycling occurs, use the Attribute Rotation Rate option, which is located in the Braille
Marking group within Settings Center's Braille group.
Note: To use Attribute Mode, you must have a braille display with status cells.
Auto Advance Mode
Auto Advance Mode is equivalent to the Say All command for braille readers. The braille
display is automatically panned at a user-specified speed through an entire document,
automatically skipping over blank segments and blank lines. You can increase or decrease the
speed of the panning on the fly, skip backward or forward (using panning keys on the display),
or stop the mode by pressing a routing key (or changing the application focus). Panning speed is
adjustable from 500 milliseconds up to 20,000 milliseconds (1000 milliseconds = 1 second). By
default, the speed is set to pan every 5000 milliseconds.
You can select the length of time (in milliseconds) that you want JAWS to wait before panning
your braille display while you are reading in Auto Advance mode. You can choose any value
between 500 and 20,000 milliseconds. For more information, see Braille Group options.
JAWS assigns commands for Auto Advance mode to all Freedom Scientific braille displays and
notetakers. For information on starting Auto Advance mode, refer to the Help topic for your
specific model of Freedom Scientific braille display or notetaker:
Status Cells
For those braille displays that have Status Cells, they are generally located on the display's left.
These cells greatly enhance your Braille viewing and understanding of text formatting. The
number of status cells in your Braille display determines the type and amount of information
displayed.
If your braille display has five status cells, the first through third cells show your horizontal (xaxis) pixel location (if you are using an on-screen cursor), line number (if you are using the
Virtual Cursor), and/or Speech History index number (if you are using Speech History mode).
The fourth cell indicates the active cursor: PC Cursor (p), Virtual Cursor (v), JAWS Cursor (j),
Invisible Cursor (i), or Braille Cursor (b). The fifth cell indicates the active Braille mode: Line
(l), Structured (s), Speech History (x), or Attribute (i).
If your braille display has four status cells, JAWS displays the same information, but does not
show the active Braille mode. If your braille display has two or three status cells, JAWS displays
only the active cursor and active Braille mode in the status cells.
Along with Status Cells, DOTS 7 and 8 of each cell indicates the current state of text relative to
your braille display.
For instance:





If DOTS 7 and 8 are up on all cells of your display, then the structured or current line of
text is completely displayed.
If text is shown on only one side of your braille display, then DOTS 7 and 8 will be
raised on the status cells for that side, and down for the other.
If there is one more line of text to be shown on the display's right, then DOTS 7 and 8 in
the last status cell will be down.
If there is two or more full lines of text to be shown on the display's right, then DOTS 7
and 8 of the last two status cells will be down.
A blinking DOT 7 and a blinking DOT 8 indicates the position of the status cell and
Braille cursor, which corresponds to the character on the screen.
Note: If your braille display has Cursor Routing Buttons above each cell, then the Cursor
Routing Buttons above the status cell(s) behave as Braille keystrokes, and not as cursor routing
buttons.
Braille Flash Messages
Braille Flash Messages are short announcements that appear on your Braille display for only a
few seconds. These messages can announce application start messages, error messages, help
balloons, JAWS messages, smart help messages, status information, and user requested
information.
Braille Flash Messages disappear automatically after a short time, but you can dismiss one at any
time by pressing a cursor routing button. If you need more time to finish reading a message,
press one of your Braille display's panning buttons to keep the message on the display longer.
Do the following to turn Braille Messages on or off, change the message verbosity level, and
specify the length of time messages remain on the display:
1. From the Options menu, choose Braille.
2. Choose the Advanced button.
3. Choose the Flash Messages button to customize the Braille Flash Messages.
For more information on these options, refer to Flash Messages.
Selecting Text on a Braille Display
JAWS allows you to use the cursor routing buttons on your Braille display to select text. Do the
following to select text:
1. Pan the Braille display until the text that you want to select appears.
2. Hold down SHIFT and press the cursor routing button above the first letter you want to
include in the selection.
3. Continue reading until you reach the end of the text that you want to include in the
selection. All text that you want to select must fit on the screen.
4. Hold down SHIFT and press the cursor routing button above the last letter you want to
include in the selection. JAWS then selects all the text between the first and last letter.
Tip: When panning the Braille display to find the ending portion of the text, you should use a
panning method that does not move the active cursor so that the screen does not scroll and hide
the starting point of the selection.
Different models of Braille displays may have other methods for selecting text. Refer to the help
topic for your specific model of Braille display for lists of commands.
Linking and Unlinking the Cursor
There are two settings that determine how a braille display affects or is affected by the active
cursor.


Braille Follows Active: When set, as you move through Windows, the information at the
active cursor is displayed in braille. For example, when you move through the controls in
a dialog, information about the active control is displayed in braille.
Active Follows Braille: When set, the active cursor follows the Braille Cursor. However,
the Braille Cursor cannot move where the active cursor cannot go. For example, with the
PC Cursor active and this option set, you cannot move the Braille Cursor to the title bar
of the active window.
Each of these settings can be set permanently in Settings Center or temporarily in the Adjust
Braille Options dialog box, CTRL+INSERT+B. When set in the Adjust Braille Options dialog
box, if you switch between applications, even momentarily, the setting reverts to the setting
saved in Settings Center. Refer to the Adjust Braille Options dialog topic for more information.
There are also commands to toggle these settings assigned to controls on most braille displays.
For example, on a Focus braille display, T toggles Active Follows Braille, and F toggles Braille
Follows Active. When these commands are used, the settings stay in effect until you toggle them
again, or until you restart JAWS. Refer to the JAWS help topic for the braille display you use for
the specific commands to toggle these settings.
More Information
In Structured Mode, JAWS often acts as though Active Follows Braille and Braille Follows
Active are both enabled. In this mode, JAWS is literally sending a structured line of information
to the braille display. This information is determined by what type of window or control is
active, not necessarily by other settings.
Modify the Braille Follows Active and Active Follows Braille settings to change how JAWS
behaves under the following circumstances:



While using Line Mode.
While using the JAWS Cursor.
When in Structured Mode while no structured line is present, such as within a word
processing document.
Under these conditions, JAWS behaves in the following manner:
Braille Follows Active: As you navigate with your PC keyboard, the braille display shows
information from the location of the active cursor. Toggle Braille Follows Active off to have
your display monitor one part of a window while you work in another part of it using speech. For
example, in Outlook, review the messages you have received with speech while using your
braille display to monitor the number of messages displayed on the status bar.
Active Follows Braille: As you navigate with the controls on your braille display, the active
cursor moves with the Braille Cursor. Turn off this setting to review other parts of the screen
without moving the active cursor. This is very helpful when editing word processing files since
you can review other parts of the document without moving the insertion point from where you
are editing or adding information.
Braille Follows Active is on by default, and Active Follows Braille is off by default.
The Route Braille to Active command quickly returns the Braille Cursor to the location of the
active cursor. Refer to the JAWS help topic for your braille display to determine the specific
command.
Braille Formatting
The Toggle8PixelsPerSpace option, designed to be a convenient and efficient way to view
Braille, lets you conserve space on your Braille display, so more information can be displayed at
one time.
JAWS often has to estimate the number of spaces within a line or portion of a line, and it
estimates this based on the width in pixels. One space is assumed for every eight pixels.
Displaying Braille information in this manner provides you feedback on how this information is
visually presented.
Press the Toggle 8 PixelsPerSpace key and the message "unlimited pixels per space" is spoken.
Using the Unlimited Pixels Per Space option allows you to move up and down through the text,
viewing the display without white space. Only the space and tab characters written into the
document show as blank cells.
When 8 pixels per space is selected, each line may differ in pixel length. So using the BRAILLE
UP and BRAILLE DOWN keys may not place you at the same character location as that of the
preceding line.
You can change the setting at any time by using the toggle key. For more information, see your
Braille display's help topic on the Toggle 8 Pixels Per Space keystroke.
JAWS Specific Braille Abbreviations
The following symbols are used in Structured Mode to indicate different control types. All of
these symbols can be changed using the Control Type Options dialog box selecting Define
Structured Mode in Settings Center. To open this dialog box, do the following:
1. Open Settings Center, and type "Define Structured Mode" without the quotes in the
Search edit box.
2. Press DOWN ARROW to move to Defined Structured Mode in the filtered results in the
tree view.
3. Press SPACEBAR. The Control Type Options dialog box opens.
4. Press CTRL+TAB to switch between the Control Properties, State Properties, and
HTML Attributes pages. Refer to Defining Structured Mode for more information about
these pages.
The following tables provide braille abbreviations.
Braille Abbreviations for the Control Properties in the Default.JCF File
Control Properties Description
Control Properties Abbreviations
3 State Button
3st
Button
btn
Button Drop-down
->
Button Drop-down Grid
->g
Button List Box
btnlbx
Button Menu
btnmnu
Check Box
chk
Clock
clock
Column
col
Column Header
chdr
Combo Box
cbo
Command Bar
cmdbar
Context Menu
cntxmnu
Desktop
desktop lv
Dialog
dlg
Edit Combo
edcbo
Edit
ed
Edit Spin Box
spnbx
Extended-select List Box
xlbx
Frame
frame
FTP Link
ftplnk
Graphic
bmp
Group Box
grp
Header Bar
hdb
Heading 1
h1
Heading 2
h2
Heading 3
h3
Heading 4
h4
Heading 5
h5
Heading 6
h6
Hotkey Edit
hk
Icon Title
ico
Image Map Link
imglnk
IP Address Edit
iped
Left Right Scroll Bar
lrscb
Left Right Slider
lrtrk
Link
lnk
List Box
lbx
List View Item
lv
List View
lv
MDI Client
mdi
Menu
mnu
Menu Bar
mnubar
Multiline Edit
mled
Multi-select List Box
mlbx
News Link
nntplnk
Outline Button
outl btn
Password Edit
pwded
PDF Signature
sig
Progress Bar
progress
Radio Button
rbtn
Read-only Edit
rded
Row Header
rhdr
Row
row
Same Page Link
same pg lnk
Scroll Bar
scrlbar
SDM Bitmap
bmp
SDM Dialog
dlg
Send Mail Link
maillnk
Spin Box
spn
Split Button
sbtn
Start Button
start btn
Start Menu
start mnu
Status Bar
stb
System Tray
systray
Tab Control
tab
Table
tbl
Task Bar
taskbar
Task Switch List
tasks:
Tool Bar
tb
Tool Tip
tip
Track Bar
sld
Tree View Item
tv
Tree View
tv
Up Down Scroll Bar
udscb
Up Down Slider
udtrk
Upload Edit
uplded
Additional Braille Abbreviations for the Control Properties in the Microsoft
Outlook.JCF File
Control Properties Description
Control Properties Abbreviations
Calendar Grid
Calendar Appointment Field
Messages List
lbx
Braille Abbreviations for the State Properties in the Default.JCF File
State Properties Description
State Properties Abbreviations
Checked
<x>
Closed
closed
Collapsed
collapsed
Disabled
disabled
Expanded
expanded
Grayed
unavailable
Opened
opened
Partially Checked
<->
Pressed
pressed
Sub Menu
->
Unchecked
<>
Braille Abbreviations for the HTML Attributes in the Default.JCF File
HTML Attributes Description
HTML Attributes Abbreviations
longdesc
ld
onclick
clk
onmouseover
omo
visited
vl
Adjust Braille Options
To temporarily adjust Braille options, press CTRL+INSERT+B. This opens the Adjust Braille
Options dialog. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move through the list of options and
use SPACEBAR to toggle settings. Press ENTER to accept changes you have made.
The settings in this dialog are only in effect in the application that was active when you opened
the Adjust Braille Options dialog. If you switch to another application, even briefly, the settings
are restored to their original values. Most of the settings within this dialog are also available
within Settings Center, Braille Options. The default values for each item in the dialog correspond
to the settings within Settings Center.
Braille Mode: Use this option to control the format of the information sent to the Braille display.
If you select Line, JAWS sends the line of text at the current cursor position to the Braille
display. If you select Structured, JAWS sends information to the display that is relevant to the
current cursor position. The information sent includes things such as control type, dialog box
name, or number of items in a list. If you select Speech History, JAWS sends the same text to the
display that it sends to the synthesizer. When you select Attributes, JAWS indicates all attributes
assigned to a block of text with a letter or symbol.
Grade 2 Translation: Have grade 2 (contracted) Braille sent to your Braille display. In
computer (uncontracted) Braille, each character is represented by a single Braille cell. In grade 2
Braille, certain combinations of letters are combined into a shorter form, and more information is
displayed at one time.
Grade 2 Suppress Capital Signs: In grade 2 (contracted) Braille, JAWS indicates capital letters
by preceding them with the DOT 6 character. If you turn this option on, JAWS does not use
capital indication in order to preserve space on your Braille display.
Grade 2 Expand Current Word: If this option is on, the word at the Braille cursor location is
displayed in computer (uncontracted) Braille. It is helpful to enable this option when editing
documents while reading in grade 2 (contracted) Braille.
Active Follows Braille: If this option is on, the Braille cursor and the active cursor are linked
together. When you move the Braille cursor, the active cursor also moves. However, you cannot
move the Braille cursor where the active cursor cannot move.
Braille Follows Active: If this option is on, the Braille cursor follows as you move the active
cursor, but is not limited to where the active cursor can move. For example, when moving
through a dialog, the Braille cursor moves to each control as you press the TAB key.
Flash Messages: Use this option to turn the display of Braille Flash Messages on or off. Flash
Messages are short announcements that appear on your Braille display for only a few seconds.
These messages can include errors, status information, help balloons and other information. See
Flash Messages for more information.
Braille Keys Interrupt Speech: If you turn this option on, entering commands using the
controls on your Braille display interrupts JAWS if information is currently being spoken.
Mark with DOTS 7 and 8: Text attributes such as highlight, bold, italic, and underline can be
marked with raised DOTS 7 and 8 on your Braille display. Use this setting to temporarily turn
off attribute marking.
Display In: Set your Braille display to use either 6 or 8 dots to display Braille.
User Pan Mode: Select one of the following to choose how JAWS updates your Braille display
when you pan manually. Select Best Fit to ensure that words are not cut off when panning.
Choose "n cells" (where n is the fixed panning increment) to ensure that your Braille display
always pans the exact number of cells specified. Choose Maximize Text if you want to show the
maximum amount of text that can fit on your Braille display. Choose Automatic to allow JAWS
to choose the best method for showing text on your Braille display. For more information on
these options, see Braille Group options.
Word Wrap: If you turn Word Wrap on, JAWS does not split a word that is too large to be
shown on the Braille display. When you pan to the next increment, you can read the word in its
entirety. If you turn Word Wrap off, JAWS displays as much of the word as possible, but a
portion may be cut off. JAWS shows the remainder of the word when you pan to the next
increment.
Auto Pan Mode: This option determines how the content of the Braille display is updated when
the active cursor moves outside the area currently displayed. Select Off to turn off automatic
panning. If you select Minimal, JAWS pans the Braille display just enough to show the next
word at the location of the active cursor. If you select Match User Panning, JAWS pans the
Braille display using the same method specified under User Pan Mode. If you select To Middle,
JAWS keeps the word at the location of the active cursor in the center of the Braille display. If
you select Maximize Text after Cursor, JAWS pans the display so that text that appears after the
location of the active cursor is shown on the Braille display. If you select Maximize Text before
Cursor, JAWS pans the display so that text that appears before the location of the active cursor is
shown on the Braille display. Select Automatic to allow JAWS to choose the best method for
showing text on your Braille display. For more information on these options, see Braille Group
options.
Whiz Wheels: Whiz Wheels provide easy navigation with the Freedom Scientific Focus series
of Braille displays, PAC Mate Portable Braille Displays, and Braille Lite M20 and M40
notetakers. Turn this option off if you do not use the functionality they offer. This option is only
available if you have a Freedom Scientific Braille display with Whiz Wheels.
Braille Study Mode: This is a training tool for teaching and learning braille using Freedom
Scientific braille displays. When Braille Study Mode is on, JAWS will announce the current
braille character in a display cell when you press the Cursor Routing button immediately above
that cell. When you press the Navrow button (located behind the Cursor Routing button), JAWS
will announce and spell the braille word. To use Braille Study Mode, you must have a Freedom
Scientific PAC Mate or Focus braille display connected to your computer. Select on to start
Braille Study Mode. Select off to turn off Braille Study Mode. If unavailable appears, a braille
display is not attached to your computer. For more information, see Braille Study Mode
Braille Viewer
The JAWS Braille Viewer provides on the computer screen the textual representation of the
output received on a refreshable braille device. The application is designed to simulate a braille
display and operates with or without an actual braille display present. The main purpose of
Braille Viewer is to assist sighted instructors or testers that do not read braille or may not have
access to a braille display. It helps to demonstrate and confirm the output information JAWS
sends to these hardware devices.
Braille Viewer represents the number of cells on the currently running braille display, if one is
connected and active. Note that by default, Braille Viewer represents 40 cells if no braille display
is installed, or if the default braille display is not connected or turned on.
Braille Viewer is installed by default with JAWS. It is accessed by pressing WINDOWS Key to
open the Start menu, and then selecting All Programs, the correct JAWS submenu version, and,
finally, Braille Viewer.
When launched, an application desktop toolbar appears at the top of the screen and displays two
lines. The top line contains a read-only edit field that displays in text form exactly what is being
sent to the cells of a braille device. The second line contains the Braille Keys button, Exit button,
and status line, which displays modes (line, structured, or speech box) and other significant
information. Press the Braille Keys button to open a dialog box that shows a list of options
commonly performed by pressing braille keys on a braille display, such as Pan Right or Pan Left.
The toolbar can be moved to the top or the bottom of the screen, but is designed so it cannot be
hidden or covered by other windows.
Braille Viewer appears in the system tray and not the taskbar. Press INSERT+F11 to access
system tray icons without using a mouse.
Braille Viewer unloads when you close JAWS.
Adding and Modifying Braille Symbols
While JAWS correctly represents the most frequently used symbols in braille, you may need to
modify the braille representation for certain symbols or add new ones. If you are reading a
document and find that a certain symbol is misrepresented in braille, or if your braille display
shows a blank cell instead of a symbol, do the following:
Note: These steps are only applicable if you are using JAWS with Windows XP or later (that is,
the unicode version of JAWS). Versions of JAWS installed on earlier Windows operating
systems do not support this feature.
1. Ensure that Braille Translator is disabled. This is especially important if you are working
with foreign-language documents, as well as any math and science texts.
2. From the Options menu, choose Braille.
3. Select an appropriate table in the Translation Table list. Be sure to choose a table with the
word "unicode" in the title.
4. Choose the OK button.
Retry reading the symbol in your document. If the symbol still appears as a blank cell, do the
following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Open Settings Center (INSERT+F2), and expand the Image and Symbols group.
Select the Speak Character Value in Hex check box.
Choose OK to save changes and close Settings Center.
Return to your document. Move the cursor to a lowercase letter "a" (type one if none are
present) and press NUM PAD 5 three times quickly. JAWS should say, “Character
U+61HEX”. If you hear anything else, do not proceed with these steps.
5. Move the cursor to the character whose braille representation you want to change and
press NUM PAD 5 three times quickly to obtain the hexadecimal unicode value of the
character. Be sure to make a note of this value, as you will need it in the next steps.
6. Using a text editor like Notepad, open the currently active braille table. The tables are
saved in files with the extension .jbt in the folder where you installed JAWS (by default,
C:\Program Files\Freedom Scientific\JAWS\X (where X is the JAWS version
number)).The default braille table file is US_Unicode.jbt. The table files specify the
braille representation for a number of symbols. The first section contains the basic 127
ANSI characters. It is then followed by unicode entries. The entry format is:
U+XXX=YYYYYY
Where XXX is the symbol’s hexadecimal unicode value, and YYYY are the braille dots
representing the symbol.
7. If you want to modify a symbol that is misrepresented in braille, then you must first find
it in the braille table. Using the search feature of your text editor, try finding the relevant
entry. For example, to modify the braille representation for unicode character 2018, you
would need to look for the string “2018”. You would then find the following line:
U+2018=34578
This indicates that Unicode character 2018 is represented in braille by dots 3, 4, 5, 7, and
8. To modify a braille representation, replace the existing dot numbers with ones of your
choosing.
8. If a certain symbol does not appear at all on your display, then you can add it to the
braille table. The table entries are sorted according to their hexadecimal unicode values.
If you are comfortable with hexadecimal numbers, you may want to add your entry in the
appropriate slot. Otherwise, just add it to the bottom of the table. For example, if the
symbol is reported as, “Character U+259HEX”, and you want to represent it in braille
with dots 3, 4, 6, and 8, your table entry should look like the following:
U+259=3468
9. After you have finished modifying the file, save it. Then, quit and restart JAWS. Your
braille table changes should now take effect
Adding Speech for Special Symbols
While JAWS correctly represents the most frequently used symbols with speech, you may need
to add new ones. If you are reading a document and find that JAWS misrepresents or does not
announce a symbol, do the following:
1. Open Settings Center (INSERT+F2) and expand the Images and Symbols group.
2. Select the Speak Character Value in Hex check box.
3. Choose OK to save changes and close Settings Center.
4. Return to your document. Move the cursor to a lowercase letter "a" (type one if none are
present) and press NUM PAD 5 three times quickly. JAWS should say, “Character
U+61HEX”. If you hear anything else, do not proceed with these steps.
5. Move the cursor to the character whose speech representation you want to change and
press NUM PAD 5 three times quickly to obtain the hexadecimal unicode value of the
character. Be sure to make a note of this value, as you will need it in the next steps.
6. Using a text editor like Notepad, open the .sbl file for the active synthesizer. This file is
located in your user settings folder (C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application
Data\Freedom Scientific\JAWS\X (where X is the JAWS version number)\Settings\Enu).
If your user settings folder does not contain Eloq.sbl, then look for it in the shared
settings folder.
Note: Character definitions are specific to your synthesizer and selected language. For example,
if you are using Eloquence and American English, you should open the file named Eloq.sbl and
modify the section named [American English].
8. At the bottom of the appropriate section for your language, add a new entry for the
specific symbol you want JAWS to speak. The entry should be in the following format:
U+XXXX=SpokenRepresentation
(Where XXXX is the unicode hexadecimal value of the symbol, and
"SpokenRepresentation" is the desired pronunciation).
9. Save your changes to the .sbl file, and then quit and restart JAWS. Your speech changes
should now take effect.
Adding and Modifying Braille Symbols
While JAWS correctly represents the most frequently used symbols in braille, you may need to
modify the braille representation for certain symbols or add new ones. If you are reading a
document and find that a certain symbol is misrepresented in braille, or if your braille display
shows a blank cell instead of a symbol, do the following:
Note: These steps are only applicable if you are using JAWS with Windows XP or later (that is,
the unicode version of JAWS). Versions of JAWS installed on earlier Windows operating
systems do not support this feature.
1. Ensure that Braille Translator is disabled. This is especially important if you are working
with foreign-language documents, as well as any math and science texts.
2. From the Options menu, choose Braille.
3. Select an appropriate table in the Translation Table list. Be sure to choose a table with the
word "unicode" in the title.
4. Choose the OK button.
Retry reading the symbol in your document. If the symbol still appears as a blank cell, do the
following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Open Settings Center (INSERT+F2), and expand the Image and Symbols group.
Select the Speak Character Value in Hex check box.
Choose OK to save changes and close Settings Center.
Return to your document. Move the cursor to a lowercase letter "a" (type one if none are
present) and press NUM PAD 5 three times quickly. JAWS should say, “Character
U+61HEX”. If you hear anything else, do not proceed with these steps.
5. Move the cursor to the character whose braille representation you want to change and
press NUM PAD 5 three times quickly to obtain the hexadecimal unicode value of the
character. Be sure to make a note of this value, as you will need it in the next steps.
6. Using a text editor like Notepad, open the currently active braille table. The tables are
saved in files with the extension .jbt in the folder where you installed JAWS (by default,
C:\Program Files\Freedom Scientific\JAWS\X (where X is the JAWS version
number)).The default braille table file is US_Unicode.jbt. The table files specify the
braille representation for a number of symbols. The first section contains the basic 127
ANSI characters. It is then followed by unicode entries. The entry format is:
U+XXX=YYYYYY
Where XXX is the symbol’s hexadecimal unicode value, and YYYY are the braille dots
representing the symbol.
7. If you want to modify a symbol that is misrepresented in braille, then you must first find
it in the braille table. Using the search feature of your text editor, try finding the relevant
entry. For example, to modify the braille representation for unicode character 2018, you
would need to look for the string “2018”. You would then find the following line:
U+2018=34578
This indicates that Unicode character 2018 is represented in braille by dots 3, 4, 5, 7, and
8. To modify a braille representation, replace the existing dot numbers with ones of your
choosing.
8. If a certain symbol does not appear at all on your display, then you can add it to the
braille table. The table entries are sorted according to their hexadecimal unicode values.
If you are comfortable with hexadecimal numbers, you may want to add your entry in the
appropriate slot. Otherwise, just add it to the bottom of the table. For example, if the
symbol is reported as, “Character U+259HEX”, and you want to represent it in braille
with dots 3, 4, 6, and 8, your table entry should look like the following:
U+259=3468
9. After you have finished modifying the file, save it. Then, quit and restart JAWS. Your
braille table changes should now take effect