Newsletter

We e-mail our newsletter out on the last Tuesday of each month. To sign up for our e-newsletter, navigate to the bottom of this page and enter your information to stay connected.
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In each e-newsletter, you will receive:

• updates from the EMPOWERing Youth with Visual Impairment project,
• resources from other organizations that can support transition-aged students with visual impairment, their families, and the professionals who serve them,
• a deep dive on a transition-related topic, and
• actionable steps for students, families, and professionals to apply what they learn from the deep dive topic.

Screen Reader User: Quick Tips

Below we outline some quick tips and keyboard shortcuts for navigating the EMPOWER newsletter with VoiceOver (VO) and NVDA.

VoiceOver Navigation (MacBook)

VoiceOver (VO) screen reading on a MacBook does well within an email (Outlook and Gmail were tested). VO works best when using the Safari browser. Turn on VO with command + F5. Once in the browser, navigate the document by headings.

Headings Navigation

• Keyboard shortcut: VO + command + H

OR

• Navigate web item rotor: VO + U
• Within the rotor, right arrow until you hear headings
• Navigate through headings menu: VO + down arrow
• To select a heading to go to: VO + space

General Navigation

• To navigate through each section of the newsletter: VO + left or right arrow keys
• Read all: VO + A
• To jump to links, headings, web spots, landmarks, and form controls: VO + U
• To select an item: VO + space

Additional Navigation Support

For a more comprehensive list of VoiceOver keyboard commands on a Mac, visit: Get started with VoiceOver on Mac - Apple Support

VoiceOver Navigation (iPhone)

VoiceOver does well navigating the newsletter within an email (Outlook and Gmail were tested). We recommend using the Safari browser on an iPhone. If you have Siri set up, we recommend starting by asking Siri to turn on VoiceOver. Below we outline very basic navigation tips.

Headings Navigation

• To access the rotor menu: use your thumb and forefinger, like turning a knob on the surface, to choose different rotor settings and navigation modes
• Select headings
• Swipe finger up or down to navigate headings

General Navigation

• To navigate, lightly drag your finger over your screen. VO speaks the name of each item you touch.
• To move to next item or previous item: swipe left or right.
• To select an item: double tap your finger.
• To read continuously from a selected item: use two fingers and swipe down.
• To stop reading: two finger tap.

Additional Navigation Support

For a more comprehensive list of VoiceOver keyboard commands on various iPhone versions, visit: Learn VoiceOver gestures on iPhone Apple Support.

NVDA and JAWS Navigation

NVDA does well navigating the newsletter within an email (Outlook and Gmail were tested), as well as in a browser. Turn on NVDA with Ctrl + Alt + N. For JAWS we recommend viewing the email in the browser. Turn on JAWS with Ctrl + Alt + J.

Headings Navigation

• To quickly navigate headings: H (shift + H to go to previous heading)

Links Navigation

• To quickly navigate to the next focusable item (e.g., link, button): tab (shift + tab to previous link)

General Navigation

• To navigate through each section of the newsletter: use up or down arrows
• Read all: insert + down arrow or caps lock + down arrow
• To select an item: enter or space

Additional Navigation Support

For a more comprehensive list of NVDA and JAWS keyboard commands on Windows devices, visit: NVDA 2023.3 Commands Quick Reference (nvaccess.org) and JAWS Hotkeys – Freedom Scientific

Reported Issues

JAWS does not recognize headings within Outlook email on a Windows 10 device. Additionally, forwarding the newsletter to others will strip it of its headings. Recommended: select the link at the top of the newsletter to view in a browser.