Navigating Web Pages

JAWS and MAGic make reading Web pages easy. When you visit a page with Internet Explorer, JAWS immediately begins reading the page from the top down. In this section, you will learn about Navigation Quick Keys, reading text, and navigating headings, lists, links, and images.

Reading Text

JAWS uses the Virtual Cursor to read and move through HTML pages. The Virtual Cursor is invisible to sighted users, but JAWS users can use this cursor to read and select text and move to different elements on the page.

MAGic also uses the virtual cursor, but MAGic makes the virtual cursor visible by means of highlighting the current word, line, or HTML element as the user reads or navigates with the keyboard. MAGic also highlights the text or element when running simultaneously with JAWS.

The commands used to read Web pages are the same as the commands used to read text in any other type of document. You can also select and copy text on Web pages. The sample page Jim's Cafe at Innisport demonstrates the layout and content of a typical Web page on the Internet.

JAWS Tip: To see a complete list of commands that you can use to read text in documents, refer to the JAWS Reading Commands table. If you are not yet familiar with JAWS table reading commands just press DOWN ARROW to move through and read the commands in the table.

MAGic Tip: To begin reading anywhere on the page with MAGic move the mouse pointer over the text you want to read. Then begin using normal reading commands, such as DOWN ARROW for next line, UP ARROW for prior line, INSERT+UP ARROW for the current line, or INSERT+DOWN ARROW to read from the cursor to the bottom of the page.

JAWS Tip: To begin reading anywhere on a Web page beneath the mouse cursor with JAWS, move the mouse pointer over the text you want to read. Then press the keystroke INSERT+NUM PAD PLUS. This is the keystroke to route the virtual cursor to the mouse cursor. Then use normal reading keys.

To practice reading text on the Internet with JAWS or MAGic, do the following:

  1. Press INSERT+F7 to display a list of links on this page.
  2. Make sure the link Jim's Cafe at Innisport is selected and press ENTER. This opens the sample page in a separate Internet Explorer window. You can hold down ALT and press TAB to switch back to this window and refer to these instructions. JAWS and MAGic remember where you are on the page, so you won't lose your place.
  3. When the page loads, JAWS begins reading it. Press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page. Then press P twice to move to the second paragraph on the page.

NOTE: MAGic does not make use of navigation quick keys. If you are running both JAWS and MAGic simultaneously, JAWS takes over when you press a navigation quick key while MAGic magnifies and highlights the page or sections of a page as you move along.

  1. Use the standard JAWS reading commands to read the text on the page. Any command that you can use to read text or Word documents can be used when reading Web pages.
  2. Press SHIFT+P until you return to the first paragraph on the page.

JAWS Tip: The letter P is a Navigation Quick Key that lets you move by paragraph through the page. There are other Navigation Quick Keys that let you move through all the headings, links, images, and other elements on the page. If you hold SHIFT when you press one of these keys, JAWS moves to the previous element. For example, pressing SHIFT+P moves you to the previous paragraph. To read more about them choose the link Navigation Quick Keys.

The Reading Behavior of JAWS on Web Pages is Different when MAGic is Running

When you read a Web page with JAWS alone as opposed to with JAWS and MAGic running together, or with MAGic alone, you get slightly different results. When JAWS is running alone it uses simple layout to read the screen of a Web page. When MAGic is running alone or with JAWS, MAGic changes the way the screen is read from simple layout to screen layout, which is more in sync with what a sighted user sees on the page visually.

EXERCISE: With JAWS alone try the following:

  1. Press SHIFT+H to move to the heading level 2 just above this list.
  2. Press DOWN ARROW to move to the line that begins with the words "When you read a Web page with JAWS alone..." and notice which word is the last word spoken by JAWS. It is the word "When" in the second sentence that begins "When JAWS is running alone..." Why is this?

JAWS Tip: This is because JAWS defines a line of text on a Web page as however many words will fit into the space of 150 characters, without chopping off any words. This is how JAWS figures out how to navigate in the "virtual" world of Web page documents where there is not a visible cursor.

  1. Press DOWN ARROW again and notice that the next line of text begins with the words "JAWS is running... and ends on the word "screen" which is actually about in the middle of the third sentence of that paragraph.

EXERCISE: If you have MAGic installed, start it now. You can keep JAWS running at the same time and enjoy the benefits of using both programs together. JAWS handles reading the text on the screen while MAGic handles visual highlighting and/or magnification and shows you where JAWS is on the screen.

  1. Press SHIFT+H to move back to the heading level 2 above.
  2. Now, with both JAWS and MAGic running, or with MAGic running alone, press DOWN ARROW and notice what is read. Did you notice that MAGic highlighted the line and stopped reading with the last word of the line that is visible on the screen?
  3. Try pressing DOWN ARROW again to read the next line of text. Again, only the current line from left to right on the screen is read, and MAGic highlights it nicely.

This is an example of what we mean when we say that MAGic changes how JAWS reads from simple layout to screen layout – it helps JAWS to read the way the screen is actually laid out.

Hyperlinks

A hyperlink (or "link" for short) is text that performs some action when you click it or select it and press ENTER. You can move through all the links on the page by pressing the TAB key. To see how JAWS and MAGic help you navigate links, do the following:

  1. Open the sample page Jim's Cafe at Innisport and press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
  2. Press U to move to the first unvisited link on the page. An unvisited link is one that leads to a page or location that you have not visited.
  3. Press V to move to the next visited link on the page. A visited link is one that you have previously activated or one that leads to a page you have visited recently.
  4. Press INSERT+F7 to display a list of all links on the page. This keystroke works in both JAWS and MAGic alike, even if you are only using one product alone. Use the arrow keys to select "Innisport Hotel" and then press ENTER. Read the message that appears and then press ENTER.
  5. Press INSERT+F7 again. Select "Reputation for Quality Service" and press ALT+M to move to this link. JAWS says, "This page link," to indicate that this hyperlink will take you to another location on the current page.

JAWS Tip: The link "Reputation for Quality Service" is the start of a list of four links. Many Web pages use clusters of links like this to consolidate page navigation in a single spot. If you wanted to continue reading down the page without using any of these links, you could skip over them by pressing N. The Navigation Quick Key N moves you to the next block of text that is not a link.

  1. Press INSERT+F7 again. Select "Send us an e-mail message" and press ALT+M to move to this link. JAWS says, "Send mail link," to indicate that this link allows you to send a message to an e-mail address using your default mail program.

NOTE: In addition to same page and e-mail links, another special type of link you may encounter is called an FTP link. When you move to these links, JAWS says, "FTP link." Activating an FTP link opens an FTP session that usually allows you to download files. For example, the following is an actual FTP link: Download an Accessible Chess Game. When you activate this link, Internet Explorer will begin downloading a file containing an accessible chess game called WinBoard from the FTP site.

Skip to Main Content Links

Some Web pages have special links with names like "Skip to Main Content" or "Skip Navigation." These same page links allow you to quickly jump past site navigation tools, such as menus, navigation bars, and so on and go directly to the important information on the page. These types of links usually appear at the beginning of the page and are often invisible to sighted users.

Lists

Web pages often contain bulleted (unordered) and numbered (ordered) lists that provide information. The procedures on this page are examples of lists. To see how JAWS navigates lists, do the following:

  1. Open the sample page Jim's Cafe at Innisport and press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
  2. Press L to move to the first list on the page. This is a bulleted list that contains three items.
  3. Press I to read the first item on the list. You can continue using either I or the DOWN ARROW key to read through the rest of the list. To move back through the list, use SHIFT+I or the UP ARROW key.
  4. Press L to move to the next list. This is a numbered list with four steps that explain how to locate the restaurant. Review the steps in this list with I or the arrow keys.
  5. Press I until you move to step three.
  6. Press DOWN ARROW to move to the nested list within step three. This nested list is an unordered list of three bulleted items. A nested list is a list of items that is contained within a larger list. Another example of a nested list would be an outline. JAWS announces the level of nested lists.

Lists may be arranged differently depending on their purpose. Web page authors may interrupt a list with a paragraph, quote, image, or similar element. If this is the case, the next list on the page usually begins where the previous list ended. For example, if a procedure is interrupted during step three by an image, the next list on the page might begin with step four.

JAWS Tip: You can display all lists on the page by pressing INSERT+CTRL+L. You can then select a list and press ENTER to move to it. Note that the list items within each list are displayed in one single horizontal line per list within this dialog box, so you hear a lot of information when using this particular keystroke.

Headings

Web page authors use headings to divide a document into sections. Level 1 is the highest level of heading. Level 2 headings are subsections of level 1 headings. Level 3 headings are subsections of level 2 headings and so on.

Navigation Quick Keys for Headings

To see how JAWS allows you to navigate headings, do the following:

  1. Open the sample page Jim's Cafe at Innisport and press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
  2. Press H to move to and read the first heading on the page. JAWS says, "Jim's Cafe at Innisport." This is the only level one heading on the page. Level one headings often indicate the topic or subject of the page.
  3. Press H again until you move to the level three heading, "Poultry." Press P to read the text below this heading.
  4. Press 3 to move to the next level three heading. You can move to headings of a certain level by pressing a number between 1 and 6 as long as they are contiguous and in the same section of the Web page.
  5. For example, keep pressing the number 3 a few times. Did you hear JAWS announce "no next heading at level three in this section" after reaching the level three heading for Seafood?
  6. Now try pressing the number 3 with the SHIFT key to move backwards by level three headings. Did you hear JAWS announce "no prior heading at level three in this section" after reaching the level three heading for Poultry? This gives you a good idea of how the different headings relate to each other.
  7. Press H a few more times. You eventually reach the bottom of the page. JAWS says, "Wrapping to top," when there are no more headings. JAWS then moves you back to the first heading at the top of the document.

JAWS Tip: Don't forget that you can add SHIFT to navigation quick keys to move backward through the page. For example, press SHIFT+H to move to the previous heading, or press SHIFT+3 to move to the previous level three heading.

When you reach the top of the page by using the SHIFT key in combination with navigation quick keys to move backwards through the page, JAWS announces, "Wrapping to bottom," and starts over again from the bottom of the document.

You can press ALT+INSERT+HOME to move to the first heading on the page, and press ALT+INSERT+END to move to the last heading on the page.

The JAWS and MAGic List of Headings

JAWS and MAGic also have a list of headings that allows you to navigate by headings on a Web page. You can sort this list by tab order or alphabetically. You can also view only headings of a specified level. To explore the options in this dialog box, do the following:

  1. Open the sample page Jim's Cafe at Innisport and press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
  2. Press INSERT+F6 to display a list of headings on this page. Press DOWN ARROW to move through the list and read the headings. If you select a heading and press ENTER, the list closes and you move directly to that heading in the document.
  3. Press the TAB key to explore the Heading List dialog box in more detail. Each option is described below:
  4. Make sure you are back in the actual list of headings. Press ALT+1 on the numbers row and read the current line by pressing INSERT+UP ARROW. You should hear that there is only one item now in the list, a level one heading.
  5. Press ALT+2 on the numbers row and read the current line by pressing INSERT+UP ARROW. You should hear that there are now four items displayed in the list, all level two headings. In the list of headings, you can filter out all headings except the specific level you are looking for by pressing ALT and any number from 1 to 6. To view all headings again, press ALT+L.
  6. Press ESC for now to close the list of headings.

TIP: Use the list of headings in either JAWS or MAGic whenever you first go to a Web page to get an overview of how the page is structured.

Images

Most Web pages use images to enhance their appearance, provide information, or assist with navigation. To see how JAWS or MAGic handle images, do the following:

  1. Open the sample page Jim's Cafe at Innisport and press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
  2. Press G until you move to the level one heading, "Jim's Cafe at Innisport." You may not have noticed it earlier, but the level one heading in this document is actually an image.

MAGic tip: If you are using only MAGic and not JAWS, press CTRL+HOME followed by DOWN ARROW to move to the graphic heading level one at the top of the page. Alternatively, use INSERT+F6 to open the List of Headings for MAGic and use it to navigate to the heading desired.

  1. JAWS and MAGic cannot read graphic text. The text you are hearing for this image is called alternate text. Web page authors use alternate text to describe images.
  2. Press G to move to the next image, which is a graphical link. The alternate text tells you that this is a map. On an actual page, a person might be able to click this image to open another page where the image is shown in larger size.
  3. Press ENTER to activate the graphical link. Read the message that appears and then press ALT+F4.
  4. Press INSERT+CTRL+G to display a list of all images on the page. This keystroke only works if you have JAWS running, either by itself or in conjunction with MAGic.

JAWS Tip: When you press INSERT+CTRL+G notice that the item highlighted in the list is the one that is closest to where you are currently reading on the page.

  1. Select "FS-SiteFactory Logo," which is the next image on the page, and press ENTER to move to it. There is no alternate text for this image, so JAWS and MAGic read the title attribute instead.
  2. JAWS and MAGic also announce that this image has a long description. Authors can add long descriptions to images if they want to provide a more detailed text description. Press ALT+ENTER to open a new page that contains the long description. Then, use the standard JAWS reading commands to read the text. Since the long description appears in a new browser window, be sure to close the window by pressing ALT+F4 when you're finished reading it.
  3. Press G to move to the next image. It is an image of the Freedom Scientific logo. It also has a long description. However, notice the difference between the prior image and this one. This one is more than just an image with a long description; it is also a graphic link with a long description. The link takes you to the Freedom Scientific home page. If you want to activate the link, press ENTER. If you want to activate the long description press ALT+ENTER.
  4. Press G again to move to the last image on the page. This image has no alternate text, title, or long description. However, this image is a link to another page. For images like this one, JAWS and MAGic announce the image's file name and location on the Web site and tell you that the image is a link. With MAGic alone, you hear "link graphic" instead of the URL of the linked graphic as is the case when JAWS handles the speech.

JAWS Tip: To change which descriptive image attributes JAWS looks for first, press INSERT+V. Select "Graphics Recognized by" and use the SPACEBAR to cycle through the available options. This results in a temporary change. You can change this option permanently in the JAWS Settings Center. Settings Center can be found in the list of JAWS managers by pressing INSERT+F2. For more information about Settings Center and changing settings, either temporarily or permanently, please refer to the JAWS Basic Training.

Tabbed Browsing in Internet Explorer and Firefox

You can have several different tab pages open at once in Internet Explorer and Firefox. You can switch between the multiple tabbed pages by pressing CTRL+TAB. They both work the same way in this respect. Use the link here for a list of Internet Explorer and Firefox keystrokes for tabbed browsing. If you are using Firefox and you want a more complete list of the keystrokes, how would you find out what keystrokes are available to you? You can press INSERT+F1 twice quickly in any application to find the JAWS help for that application. Press F6 to move to the right side of the JAWS help and you will find a link for keystrokes and more.

JAWS Tip: You can use PlaceMarkers with JAWS to mark spots on Web pages so that you can find them again quickly. PlaceMarkers are discussed in more detail later, but they are very easy to use. Here's how to get started with PlaceMarkers:

  1. Before moving on, let's put a PlaceMarker right here. You can move right back to any spot on any Web page using JAWS PlaceMarkers. Press CTRL+SHIFT+K. The PlaceMarker dialog box appears. Focus is on the Add button.
  2. Press ENTER to activate the Add button. JAWS gathers the text from where you are on the page and puts it into an edit box. You can change this by typing over it or editing it, but for now, just leave it alone and press ENTER to close the PlaceMarker dialog box.
  3. Press CTRL+HOME to go to the top of the page.
  4. Now press the navigation quick key K to move back to where you just put the PlaceMarker on this page. See how that works? Feel free to put PlaceMarkers anywhere on the Surf's Up pages as you begin using them. It makes it very easy to get back to the exact spot you want to go to.

EXERCISE: Try the following exercise for tabbed browsing now. You need to be using Internet Explorer version 7 or later or Firefox version 3 or later in order to follow along.

  1. Press TAB to move to the next link on this page, followed by CTRL+ENTER. The Jim's Cafe page loads in a new tab page in the background. Navigating Web pages is still running on a tab page in the foreground.
  2. Jim's Cafe at Innisport

Press CTRL to stop speech, if necessary, and try a few keystrokes to see how this works:

  1. First, press CTRL+TAB a few times to move between the two pages.
  2. Next, press CTRL+TAB to move back to the Jim's Cafe page and spend a minute reading through it. When you are finished, press CTRL+TAB to move back to the Navigating page.
  3. Press CTRL+SHIFT+Q to open a context menu of the open tabs, and press DOWN ARROW to move through this list. Notice that the page which is in the foreground has a check mark beside it. You can press ENTER on one of the items in the context menu to switch to that page as well.
  4. For now, press ESC to get out of the context menu.
  5. Next, press ALT+F4 but don't go beyond that. If you only had one tab page open ALT+F4 would close that page and the whole Internet Explorer window. Instead, since there are multiple tab pages open, you should get the message from Internet Explorer asking "Do you want to close all tabs?" Since you DO have multiple tab pages open, Internet Explorer gives you this prompt.
  6. Press ESC to get out of this dialog box.
  7. Press CTRL+TAB a couple of times to make sure you are on the Jim's Cafe page.
  8. Now press CTRL+F4 to close just that page. Focus returns to the Navigating Web page.
  9. Verify that this is the only tab page open by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+Q. What happened? Nothing happened! That's because this keystroke only works if there ARE multiple tab pages open. So there you have a great way to find out if there are multiple tab pages open.

NOTE: It is still possible to have multiple instances of Internet Explorer running and each instance can have multiple tabs. If you have two or more different browser sessions running you can press ALT+TAB to move from one session to another. For example, many of the sample pages for Surf's Up run in separate windows, not as tabbed pages.

Navigation Quick Key Manager

Introduced in JAWS 10, Navigation Quick Key manager is used to view, edit, or delete Navigation Quick Key assignments. To open Navigation Quick Key manager do the following:

  1. Press INSERT+J to switch to the JAWS window.
  2. From within the JAWS window press ALT+U to open the Utilities menu.
  3. Press N to open the Navigation Quick Key manager submenu. Focus moves to the first item of three, HTML/PDF.
  4. Press DOWN ARROW to move through the other two items. You find one for Microsoft Word and one for Microsoft Outlook.

NOTE: You can also find Navigation Quick Key Manager in the list of JAWS managers by pressing INSERT+F2.

Divisions

Web page authors often divide the content of a page into sections, or divisions. To see how JAWS allows you to navigate divisions, do the following:

  1. Open the sample page Jim's Cafe at Innisport and press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
  2. Press Z to move to the first division. This section contains the image that serves as the page heading.
  3. Press CTRL+INSERT+Z to display a list of all divisions on the page.
  4. Use the arrow keys to select "Dishes and Appetizers" and press ENTER. JAWS moves you to the section containing the choices available at Jim's Cafe.
  5. Continue using Z and SHIFT+Z to explore all the divisions on the page.

ARIA Landmarks

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) landmarks can be used to add additional navigation structure to Web pages. When a Web page loads, JAWS announces if there are ARIA landmarks on the page. Use the keystroke SEMICOLON to move forward from one landmark to another. Press SHIFT+SEMICOLON to move backward from one landmark to another.

An example of a Web page that uses both divisions and ARIA landmarks is found on the e-Learning page of Freedom Scientific.

  1. Press INSERT+F7 and choose the link for the e-Learning page of Freedom Scientific. Press ENTER on this link and the page opens in a new browser window. Listen to JAWS announce the number of links, headings, and ARIA landmarks on the page once the page has loaded.
  2. Press CTRL+HOME to move to the top of the page.
  3. Try pressing Z to move by divisions on this page. When you get to the sections for Webinars, each Webinar is a different "section" on the page. Since some Webinars span several days or weeks, the class dates listed for them are headings. If you had to navigate by headings you might have to press the letter H several times within that particular Webinar to get to the next section. Move ahead to the next section and skip over the headings by pressing the navigation quick key Z.
  4. Press CTRL+HOME again to move back to the top of the page.
  5. Press SEMICOLON to move to the different ARIA landmarks on the page. Landmarks are not visible on the screen, but they are used to make it easy to get from one part of the page to another. To hear the new section where the virtual cursor has moved to press DOWN ARROW after you move to each landmark. The main landmark is at the top of the page where the main text for the page begins. Region landmarks designate the different broad categories on the page, such as free Webinars, paid Webinars, and Webinar archive links.

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