A Word In Your Ear Revisited

Optimising the Power of JAWS for Windows and Microsoft Word.

For many years, Microsoft Word has been the industry standard and leader for word processing documents. It still is the “go to” application for creating visually appealing accessible documents. This is why the support within the JAWS screen-reader for this application provides the blind user with some incredible tools to gain the most from it. But how do you unlock that power? Our online course, “A Word in Your Ear”, will show you how.

Why This Course Matters.

Creating Microsoft Word documents requires attention to key elements:

• Presentation: As a blind professional, you want to feel confident that your documents are visually impressive, leaving no need for colleagues to “make allowances” for poor formatting. This course will help you achieve that level of professionalism.
• Productivity: Screen-reading technology can make tasks more time-consuming. Learning to leverage JAWS for fast navigation, efficient formatting, and quick access to information is crucial for success.
• Accessibility: Advocating for accessible content starts with leading by example. This course will ensure your documents are a benchmark in accessibility, showcasing how it’s done right.

“A Word in Your Ear” equips you with the skills to meet these challenges. Whether you’re crafting a newsletter or managing complex professional documents, you’ll learn to work efficiently with two exceptional tools: JAWS and Microsoft Word.

Originally developed in 2018, this course has been fully updated to reflect the latest enhancements in Microsoft Word and accessibility features. For the first time, text transcripts accompany the audio lessons, making the course even more inclusive.

Special focus will be placed on:

• The role of CoPilot in Microsoft Word.
• Advanced techniques for accessible document creation.
• Using self-help tools to solve challenges beyond the course material.

What Will I Learn?

The course is divided into four lessons, each of at least 60 minutes duration. Topics include:

• Customising Word for maximum accessibility
• Demystifying the Ribbon interface
• Efficient shortcut keys
• Tips for saving and editing
• Alignment, formatting, and font verification
• JAWS Speech and Sounds Manager
• Navigation Quick Keys in JAWS
• JAWS Skim Reading Tool
• Text selection and manipulation techniques
• Working with headings, styles, and lists
• Optimising page layout for visual appeal
• Creating and navigating tables
• Customising JAWS output for tables and Braille
• Using templates effectively
• Building accessible forms
• Track Changes (Revisions)
• Autocorrect features
• Inserting date and time
• Handling online and offline images with appropriate text descriptions

The course also includes in-depth discussions on creating fully accessible documents for people with diverse print disabilities.

Who is the Course For?

“A Word in Your Ear” is ideally suited to anyone who already understands the basic concepts of word processing and who wishes to further their knowledge in this area. It will also benefit I T professionals who have an elementary understanding of screen-reading but who want to provide a greater level of support to blind people, such as other colleagues they are working with.

Course Prerequisites.

As can be seen from the list of topics above, many subjects are covered. It is therefore important that you have:

• Good keyboarding skills;
• Knowledge of how to undertake basic word processing features, such as to select (or highlight) text, printing, spell checking, etc;
• JAWS for Windows version 22 through to 2025;
• Microsoft Office 365 or Word 2019;

If I Purchase the Course, What Will I Receive?

The course will give to you:

• An audio recording and text transcript of each of the 4 lessons;
• Four live sessions using the Zoom conferencing platform, to be held at 7 PM UK time (2 PM US Eastern) on Wednesday 12, 19, 26 March and 2 April. You do not need to take part in the live sessions since the audio archives and text transcripts will be available to you.

How to Purchase.

A Word in Your Ear is priced £80 which is approximately 98 American Dollars.

Conclusion.

Take control of your word processing with “A Word in Your Ear” and unlock the full power of JAWS and Microsoft Word. Whether you’re aiming to elevate your professional skills or create flawless, accessible documents, this course has you covered. With expert guidance and flexible access, this training is an invaluable investment in your productivity and accessibility expertise.