IMPORTANT KEYBOARD COMMANDS Furthermore, we presented and discussed important key- board commands for reading and navigating within text and dialog boxes, including commands to determine the current focus on Windows 11 computers when using screen readers. Understanding these concepts is essential for screen reader us- ers. We explored commands for navigating to the beginning or end of a line or document, as well as commands to move to the previous or next character, word, line, and paragraph. When needing to determine the current location on Windows 11, it is also important to be able to identify the current character, cur- rent character phonetically, current word, spell out the current word, current line, and spell out the current line, which is par- ticularly helpful when needing to spell out an entire email or webpage address. Additional commands to determine the cur- rent location were explored for JAWS, NVDA, Narrator, Screen Reader from Dolphin, and SuperNova Magnifier and Screen Reader. To repeat the current control in focus, the command using all of these screen readers is the screen reader special key with Tab. For each of these screen readers, to read the entire window/box, the command is the screen reader special key with the letter “B.” To read the title bar of the active window, the command is the screen reader special key with the letter “T.” We explored commands to navigate in dialog boxes and vari- ous control types, including navigating forward and backward through controls using Tab and Shift with Tab. Some of the control types discussed for keyboard navigation were buttons, check boxes, combo boxes, radio button groups, edit boxes, list boxes or list views, sliders, and treeviews. INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES IN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY: INTRODUCING THE WHEEL CONCEPT On day two, we started off the conversation discussing the acronym WHEEL, which is a method for conceptualizing the process of Web navigation while using a screen reader (Sessler Trinkowsky, 2011, 2021). Participants first learned about this concept and then practiced applying it in pairs. WHEEL is an it- erative process for considering next steps while exploring web- sites and starts with determining what the person is looking for on the Web (the “W”). Next, it is important to consider how the information is expected to be presented, which is the “H” in WHEEL (e.g. link, heading, link, graphic, table, text, form fields, etc.). The two “E’”s stand for employ and explore, which refers to the different commands that will be employed to explore. At this stage, it will be necessary to use different commands and tools, such as commands to navigate by headings, links, or other elements, as well as using screen reader features, such as opening the list of links or headings for the current page. This continues until the person either finds what they are looking for or needs to try something else. This entire process restarts when they loop back to the beginning to start over on each
page or when something does not work as expected. They now need to consider what to do next. Since there is not one single method of accomplishing a task on the Web, this process requires flexibility to allow each person to apply it using their own acquired style of Web navigation. EXPLORATION THROUGH RESOURCES SHARING The Resources Smackdown was a fast-paced, collaborative part of this pre-conference session designed to showcase the many ways professionals can continue learning and stay cur- rent in the rapidly evolving field of visual impairments and as- sistive technology. The format encouraged active sharing of resources that have made a real difference in participants’ work with their learners. The core goal of the exploration and sharing is to counteract the historical adoption and accessibility delay in new technologies The Resources Smackdown started with a brief whole group discussion of why continuous learning is essential in this area of assistive technology for learners with visual impairments. High-value sources such as national centers, professional orga- nizations, federal technical assistance resources, listservs, pod- casts, and peer-reviewed journals were presented to kickoff this smackdown while emphasizing how each contributes to staying informed and improving practice. By the end of the Resource Smackdown, attendees walked away with a rich, crowdsourced set of high-quality resources and practical strategies for keeping their knowledge current at this point in time. The smackdown format not only emphasized the best tools and ideas from the group, it reinforced the value of collegial collaboration as an additional resource for contin- ued growth in our profession. EXPLORATION OF EMERGENT TECHNOLOGY The Emerging Tech component of this pre-conference ses- sion introduced participants to the newest or most upcoming innovations. A forward-looking tour of technologies that are beginning to influence how learners access information, navi- gate environments, complete academic tasks, and engage with the world was provided. The emphasis of the information was on translating cutting-edge developments, many still in early consumer or prototype stage, into meaningful implications for education, rehabilitation, and independent living. The content shared during this part of the pre-conference session is grounded in one of this pre-conference session pre- senter’s annual processes of attending the Consumer Electron- ics Show (CES), the world’s largest gathering of emerging tech- nology companies. CES offers a unique vantage point. CES is not designed as a disability-specific conference, but instead CES serves as a powerful early indicator of technological shifts that will eventually shape society. The presenter who attends CES approaches CES with a systematic exploration strategy, begin-
February / March, 2026 | https://www.closingthegap.com/benefits-of-membership/ 39 Closing The Gap © 2026 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator