From: jfw-users@groups.io <jfw-users@groups.io> On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2022 9:49 AM
To: jfw-users@groups.io
Subject: Re: [jfw-users] New Subscriber Contemplating Switching from NVDA to JAWS with A Few Questions

 

Hi. I’ve been using JAWS for Windows since version 1.0 began shipping in 1995 as well as NVDA since the summer of 2009 so I think that I can speak about both the similarities as well as the differences between the two screen readers.

Regarding sources for scripts another excellent resource is Hartgen Consultancy. Unlike Doug Lee’s Web site which Richard mentioned in his message the majority of Brian Hartgen’s scripts are not free of cost but they are well worth it. I am quite a fan of Leasey, which adds a lot of additional and extremely useful functionality to JAWS.

The JAWS-users.com Scripts page has a collection of free scripts which can be downloaded.

The Snowman also offers some scripts.

Unfortunately, we really don’t have a single script repository which is maintained by the community the way that NVDA does and, as Richard very correctly said, Freedom Scientific doesn’t maintain one. During the early days of JAWS when scripts were referred to as macros they did offer a small collection of JAWS macros but this went away probably around the time version 3.0 was released. This is, in my opinion, a missed opportunity. It would be the equivalent of Amazon selling Kindles but telling people that they need to find their own books from Joe’s Kindle Books page and other third-party Web sites. The only way to work around this is for the community to come together and organize their own repository of JAWS scripts.

I don’t know if a script exists to allow JAWS to speak passwords as they are entered.

 

Regarding training if you open the Help menu from the JAWS window and then open the Web Resources submenu you’ll find an option called Surfing The Internet which offers interactive training covering how to use JAWS on the Web. There are also links in the Web Resources menu to online training resources and recordings of webinars. While Freedom Scientific lacks resources for scripts they are certainly not lacking when it comes to the amount of training sessions they have offered, many of which go beyond the basics. They also have a Youtube channel offering shorter lessons covering a variety of computer applications.

Also, the American Council of the Blind’s ACB Community podcast offers a large collection of webinars conducted by Freedom Scientific with many of them doing a deep dive into specific JAWS features. Look for “ACB Community” wherever you get your podcasts and you’ll likely find it. Not all of the podcast episodes are from FS but there’s a nice assortment of them contained in that list.

Brian Hartgen of Hartgen Consultancy, who I mentioned earlier, also sells recordings of previously conducted training classes covering the use of JAWS and a variety of applications. His Microsoft Word tutorial is several years old and so parts of it are a bit outdated but it along with the other tutorials he offers is excellent and he is one of the finest trainers out there.

Finally, Cathy Anne Murtha’s Access Technology Institute sells a variety of training textbooks covering the use of JAWS with several applications.

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

 

 

I will try to help with part of your questions.

 

One resource for Jaws scripts is a site by Doug Lee: https://dlee.org

I tis best to always read the specific entry about the script before installing it.

 

I’m sure others have other sources for scripts, but as far as I know, Freedom Scientific doesn’t maintain a site of available scripts.

 

I cannot address whether Jaws has better braille support at this stage since NVDA recently added the HID Braille protocol.

 

I was never a solid NVDA user but the fact that many of the keystrokes are similar and most all are user defineable, that should help in the transition.

 

I’m not sure of any good training sites.  I learned it from asking questions on this list and getting some basic training from my colleagues when I was working at a rehab center teaching braille and adaptive devices and had to use Jaws for all the documentation, client database, etc.

 

All I can say, is Jaws is massively complex; and sometimes I wonder if all the complexity is necessary.

 

Good luck,

 

 

 

Richard

 

My web site; https://www.turner42.com/

 

 

Hi all. I've been playing with JAWS 2022 for a little while now. I'm a
long-time user of NVDA and like it, but I'm interested in some of the
features JAWS
provides that NVDA doesn't, and I'd like to start using Braille more
since I love Braille and am autistic and sometimes have periods of
sensory overload
with all my screen readers going off around me and other noises in my
environment. I know JAWS provides better Braille support, and I'm hoping
to get a
Braille display soon. I have a few questions though. Are there any
resources for finding scripts? I'm used to looking for add-ons in one
location, like
the NVDA add-ons website. Also, is there a way to make JAWS speak
passwords? With NVDA, I have an add-on that does this. Does anyone know
of any training
resources for people who already know how to use a computer, advanced
computer users, or people who have used other screen readers? I looked
at the basic
training materials, but they seemed a little basic for my needs.
Finally, is there anyone who has made this switch and might be able to
give me some tips on switching? Thanks.