ed1004

Q: on my Mac Pro how can I get voiceover to start reading at a specific point on a document?, on my Mac Pro how can I get voiceover to start reading at a specific point on a document?

On my Mac Pro how can I get voiceover to start reading at a specific point in a document, and then continue on to the next paragraph and so on?  Thank you.  Ed

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)

Posted on Jan 31, 2014 6:51 PM

Close

Q: on my Mac Pro how can I get voiceover to start reading at a specific point on a document?, on my Mac Pro how can I get voiceover t ... more

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Cazanah,Helpful

    Cazanah Cazanah Feb 1, 2014 7:56 AM in response to ed1004
    Level 1 (30 points)
    Feb 1, 2014 7:56 AM in response to ed1004

    Hello ed1004,

     

    1. Move the VoiceOver cursor to where you want it to begin.
    2. Press Control - Option- A,  also known as VO-A.  Hold the 'Control' and 'Option keys and then press A.  The 'Control' and 'Option' keys are located on the bottom left side of the keyboard, second and third key from the left, respectively

     

    Did I answer your question?

     

    Yes, It Worked!

    Fabulous!  Glad I could help.

     

    No, That Didn't Work.

    Please answer the following question, so I have a better understanding of your question.

     

    VoiceOver or Text-to-Speech?

    • VoiceOver is Apple's built in screen reader software commonly used by people who are blind.  Windows equivlents would be Jaws and Windows Eyes.
    • Text-to-Speech is you highlight any text, and you Macbook Pro will read it aloud.

     

    If you are using VoiceOver, did you just get started or do you have years of experience?

    • This will help me know how detailed I need to be when responding.

     

    What kind of document?

    • Word Document (.doc, .docx), PDF (.pdf), Text Edit (.rtf, .txt) ,

     

    What software are you using? 

    • Pages, Text Edit, Safari, Preview, Microsoft Word?
  • by ed1004,Helpful

    ed1004 ed1004 Feb 1, 2014 12:19 PM in response to Cazanah
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 1, 2014 12:19 PM in response to Cazanah

    Thank you for your reply.  Your answer did not do what I need. 

     

    I wish to read articles in on-line editions of various business publications.

     

    I am a new Apple user (60 days). 

    I am using a MACPro with OSX, probably Mavericks 10.9 (where would I look to see if that is the correct information?)

    I am a new user of both "reader" and "VoiceOver".

     

    How can I cause the VO cursor(box) show-up/start?

    How can I move the VO cursor to various sentences or paragraphs of an article and have it start reading ... and perhaps even continue reading on to the next paragraph(s) ... even to the end of the article?

    I have the following VoiceOver-related documents:

    1)  Chapter 4 - Working with text

    2)  Appendix A. Commands and Gestures

    3)  Boot Camp: About keyboards and key assignment for Microsoft Windows.

    4)  Control your MAC with multi-touch gestures

    Please suggest any publications or other sources.

    Thank you for you time and expertise.  Ed Kasmar

  • by Cazanah,Solvedanswer

    Cazanah Cazanah Feb 8, 2014 11:12 PM in response to ed1004
    Level 1 (30 points)
    Feb 8, 2014 11:12 PM in response to ed1004

    Welcome to the Apple family!!!! 

     

    How can I cause the VO cursor(box) show-up/start?

    Press Control-Option and F5.   The F5 key is located on the top row of keys 6th key over.  This is a toggling "Keyboard Shortcut" for turning VoiceOver on and off.

    How can I move the VO cursor to various sentences or paragraphs of an article and have it start reading ... and perhaps even continue reading on to the next paragraph(s) ... even to the end of the article?

     

    How to read a website with VoiceOver

     

    Step 1:  Go to the Website

    A quick keyboard shortcut is Command-L.  This will jump you up to the address bar.  Start typing where you want to go.  i.e "www.thewebsite.com"

     

    Step 2:  Working with Webpage

    VoiceOver will automatically start reading the website.  You can pause the speech by hitting the 'Control Button'. 

    • If VoiceOver does not being reading the webpage, then you might have to "Interact" with it.  If VoiceOver say "HTML Content" then press Control-Option-Space-Down Arrow to interact with the webpage.


    Use Control-Option-Right Arrow to move throught the website.  This will speak "EVERYTHING" on the page.

    • Most website that I've found have their articles labeled as 'Heading'.  You can jump from heading to heading, by pressing Control-Option-Shift-H.
    • If you'd like an itemized alphabetical listing of the site, press Control-Option-I 

     

    Press Control-Option-Space on the link or article you want to view.

     

    Step 3.  Reading from Top to Bottom

    Once you found and clicked on the the article/link, use the same 'Heading' command, Control-Option-Shift-H to find the title. 

    After finding the title, press Control-Option-A will start reading from the title on. 

    • Note:  If there are any other items (ads, pictures, etc) it will read those too. 
    • Tip:  You might be able to activate a feature called the 'Reader'.  The Reader isolates the article and elimanates the ads  The keyboard command is Shift-Command-R.  You can also find it in the Menu Bar (Command-Option-M) under the word 'View' then 'Show Reader'. 

    I am using a MACPro with OSX, probably Mavericks 10.9 (where would I look to see if that is the correct information?)

     

    You can find this information under the 'Apple menu' in the Menu Bar.  To access the Menu Bar, press Control-Option-M. 

    Go to Apple Menu > About This Mac.  This will open up another window.  Use Control-Option-Right Arrow until you hear 'Version'.  If you purchased it brand new from Apple within the last six month, more than likely you have Mavericks. 

     

    Recommanded Articles. 

     

    AppleVis- Commonly used Keyboard Commands

    Chapter 2: Learning VoiceOver Basics

    Chapter 6: Browsing the internet

    Apple Accessibility Resource Page

     

    The  'Commands Help' Voiceover Menu. Control-Option-H-H.  (hit H twice)  is my best friend.  It's a searchable VoiceOver Menu with most of the VoiceOver command.  Example:  You are looking for the 'Read Current Paragraph' keyboard command.   Press Control-Option-H-H and then type Paragraph.  It will then bring up all the commands with the word paragraph.  I believe there are three.   

     

    As from the Trackpad Commands, I've copied and pasted below from Appendix A: Commands and Gestures

     

    VoiceOver standard gestures

    If you’re using a Multi-Touch trackpad, you can use VoiceOver gestures. VoiceOver provides a set of standard gestures for navigating and interacting with items on the screen. You can’t modify this set of gestures.

    NOTE:Gestures that don’t mention a specific number of fingers are single-finger gestures.

    General

     

    Enable the Trackpad Commander and VoiceOver gestures

    VO-Two-finger rotate clockwise

     

     

    Disable the Trackpad Commander and VoiceOver gestures

    VO-Two-finger rotate counterclockwise

     

     

    Turn the screen curtain on or off

    Three-finger triple-tap

     

     

    Mute or unmute VoiceOver

    Three-finger double-tap

     

     

    Navigation

     

    Force the VoiceOver cursor into a horizontal or vertical line when you drag a finger across the trackpad

    Hold down the Shift key and drag a finger horizontally or vertically

     

     

    Move the VoiceOver cursor to the next item

    Flick right

     

     

    Move the VoiceOver cursor to the previous item

    Flick left

     

     

    Move content or the scroll bar (depending on the Trackpad Commander setting)

    Three-finger flick in any direction

     

     

    Go to the Dock

    This gesture moves the VoiceOver cursor to the Dock wherever it’s positioned on the screen

    Two-finger double-tap near the bottom of the trackpad

     

     

    Go to the menu bar

    Two-finger double-tap near the top of the trackpad

     

     

    Open the Application Chooser

    Two-finger double-tap on the left side of the trackpad

     

     

    Open the Window Chooser

    Two-finger double-tap on the right side of the trackpad

     

     

    Jump to another area of the current application

    Press Control while touching a finger on the trackpad

     

     

    Interaction

     

    Speak the item in the VoiceOver cursor or, if there isn’t an item, play a sound effect to indicate a blank area

    Touch (includes tap or dragging)

     

     

    Select an item

    Double-tap anywhere on the trackpad

    You can also split-tap (touch one finger and then tap with a second finger on the trackpad)

     

     

    Start interacting with the item in the VoiceOver cursor

    Two-finger flick right

     

     

    Stop interacting with the item in the VoiceOver cursor

    Two-finger flick left

     

     

    Scroll one page up or down

    Three-finger flick up or down

     

     

    Escape (close a menu without making a selection)

    Two-finger scrub back and forth

     

     

    Increase or decrease the value of a slider, splitter, stepper, or other control

    Flick up (increase) or flick down (decrease)

     

     

    Text

      

    Read the current page, starting at the top

    Two-finger flick up

     

     

    Read from the VoiceOver cursor to the end of the current page

    Two-finger flick down

     

     

    Pause or resume speaking

    Two-finger tap

     

     

    Describe what’s in the VoiceOver cursor

    Three-finger tap

     

     

    Change how VoiceOver reads text (by word, line, sentence, or paragraph)

    Press the Command key while touching a finger on the trackpad

     

     

    Rotor

     

    Change the rotor settings

    Two-finger rotate

     

     

    Move to the previous item based on the rotor setting

    Flick up

     

     

    Move to the next item based on the rotor setting

    Flick down

     

    To customize other gestures by assigning VoiceOver commands to them, use the Trackpad Commander.

    If you need a reminder about what a gesture does, press VO-K to start keyboard help, and then use the gesture on the trackpad and listen to the description.

     

     

    Sorry lots of information.  Enjoy.  You

  • by ed1004,

    ed1004 ed1004 Feb 9, 2014 6:05 PM in response to Cazanah
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 9, 2014 6:05 PM in response to Cazanah

    Many thanks.  I will try these.  Ed