Training Links




JAWS 13 Basic Training Released

The Basic Training for JAWS 13 has been revised and updated to include the latest in new JAWS 13 features. The newly-revised training is available in both text and audio DAISY format as well as individual MP3 modules.

Updated items include:

  • Using the new Quick Settings in JAWS 13
  • Using Settings Center for configuration changes
  • Updated lessons on surfing the Internet
  • Using Windows Explorer in Windows 7
  • JAWS user interface changes
  • And much more

Use Check for Updates to Download Training Materials

The new JAWS 13 Basic Training is included on the JAWS program DVD. It is also available now on the Training Downloads page. JAWS 13 users can also use the JAWS Check for Updates feature to find it. Here's how to use the Check for Updates feature:

  • Go to the JAWS Help menu and press P to choose Check for Updates. A dialog box appears that contains a list of check boxes for all updates that are available, including any DAISY training materials.
  • Press UP or DOWN ARROW to move through the list.
  • Press SPACEBAR to check any items you want to download and install.
  • Then press ENTER to activate the Install button. The download begins and when finished, a new dialog box appears that asks if you want to install the files, with a Yes and No button.
  • Choose Yes. After the installation is complete, the final dialog box appears that tells you that the updates were successfully installed.
  • Choose the OK button, and the dialog box closes. Now you can use FSReader DAISY player to read the newly installed book. In FSReader, just choose CTRL+O to reopen the File Open dialog box and choose the new book.

    • NOTE: All of the books for the JAWS Basic Training were updated for JAWS 13 except for book 4. It will not appear in the check for updates dialog box.

New Training Webinars Posted for the First Part of 2012

New Webinars and workshops have been posted online by the Freedom Scientific Training Department.

Free Webinars

  • Internet and Computer Security with JAWS, January 25
  • JAWS and iTunes®, February 8
  • Webinar Training Room Orientation, February 15
  • Using the PLEXTALK to Read NLS, Bookshare, and Learning Ally Books, February 22
  • Surf's Up! Surfing the Internet with JAWS and MAGic, Lessons One through Six, March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 4, & 11
  • Internet Explorer 9 with JAWS, April 25

Visit the free Webinars page for more information or to register for the Webinars listed above.

Paid Webinars

Thanks to a very successful and popular reception of our paid training Webinars, the Training Department is pleased to announce greatly reduced pricing on our paid Webinars. In addition, a couple of the introductory paid Webinars have been made available for no charge.

  • Excel 2010, Lessons One through Three, February 7, 9, & 16, $29
  • PowerPoint 2010, Lessons One through Three, March 6, 8, & 15, $29
  • Web Page Testing with JAWS, Lessons One through Six, March 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, & 29, $29
  • JAWS for Teachers and AT Trainers, Lessons One through Twelve, April 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, May 1, 3, 8, & 10, $49

Visit the paid Webinars page for more information or to register for the Webinars listed above.

New PAC Mate Omni DAISY Books and MP3 Files Posted

We have also posted two new PAC Mate Omni BX DAISY books on the training downloads page. MP3 audio files of the two new books are available there as well. They are:

  • The Voice Settings Dialog Box, PAC Mate Omni QX (DAISY)
  • The Voice Settings Dialog Box, PAC Mate Omni QX (MP3)
  • The Braille Settings Dialog Box, PAC Mate Omni QX (DAISY)
  • The Braille Settings Dialog Box, PAC Mate Omni QX (MP3)
  • Introduction to the PAC Mate Omni BX (DAISY)
  • Introduction to the PAC Mate Omni BX (MP3)
  • Introduction to the Windows Mobile Environment BX (DAISY)
  • Introduction to the Windows Mobile Environment BX (MP3)
  • Setting the Date and Time BX (DAISY)
  • Setting the Date and Time BX (MP3)
  • Setting an Alarm on the PAC Mate Omni QX (DAISY)
  • Setting an Alarm on the PAC Mate Omni QX (MP3)
  • Getting Help on the PAC Mate Omni BX (DAISY)
  • Getting Help on the PAC Mate Omni BX (MP3)

Visit the Training Downloads page to find these new DAISY books.

Four New JAWS Training DAISY Books are Available

The Freedom Scientific Training Department has released four new DAISY training books for JAWS® screen reading software. These full text and audio DAISY books are available now in the following formats:

  • For DAISY text and audio use the Check for Updates in the JAWS Help menu, or visit the Training Downloads page
  • MP3 audio files of the books are also available for download separately on the Training Downloads page

Excel Column and Row Headers

Those who use Microsoft Excel® on a regular basis know how quickly one can get lost in a spreadsheet without the use of row and column titles. When a sighted user navigates a spreadsheet, she can lock the row and column titles into place by using the Freeze Panes option from the Window menu in earlier versions of Excel or the View tab of the ribbon in Excel 2010. When this is done, the titles for the rows and columns remain on the screen as the user scrolls horizontally or vertically through the spreadsheet.

Topics covered in this book include:

  • Use the Define Name feature of Excel to add row and column header information directly to an Excel worksheet to make your documents more accessible to JAWS screen reader users, even if you do not personally use or own JAWS
  • Learn how to manually set up header information when the document author does not include this information at the time the document is created
  • Instructions for Excel versions 2003, 2007, and 2010
  • Practice files for you to use during the lesson

Settings Center

Brand new in JAWS 12, Settings Center replaces the old Configuration manager, and makes it a breeze to find the exact settings you want to change. Settings Center provides a consistent interface and central access point for JAWS features and settings. In this DAISY book we explore Settings Center in detail. Learn just how easy it is to find and change the things you want to in JAWS 12 and later.

Topics covered in this book include:

  • Start and close Settings Center
  • Look at the different parts of the Settings Center window
  • Practice exercises using Settings Center
  • How to modify last changed settings

Text Analyzer

When editing a document using speech only, inconsistencies such as unmatched parentheses, unintentional format changes, extra whitespace, and stray punctuation can often be missed. The new Text Analyzer feature introduced in JAWS version 12 is a tool that notifies you of these errors in your document by using a spoken message or WAV file. You can configure JAWS to announce discrepancies by count, by description, or by sound while proofreading the document by line, sentence, paragraph, or Say All command. Braille users benefit from this since a sound is emitted before the user has time to read the entire line looking for errors.

Topics covered in this book include:

  • Enabling or disabling Text Analyzer
  • Temporary or permanent changes when using Text Analyzer
  • Exercises and practice document included

Virtual Ribbon Menus Feature

The ribbon is a new style of menu available in many new applications being released today. Ribbons first appeared in Office 2007 programs, but are now becoming more common in other applications tailored for the Windows® 7 operating system. Ribbons create an accessibility challenge due to inconsistent navigation between various groups and items. For example, the lower ribbon contains groups of icons, sometimes arranged in several rows. When you press the ARROW keys to move between items in a group, you can skip items if there is a row above or below the one you are on. When pressing the ARROW keys or TAB, no indication is given when focus leaves one group and enters another. You cannot use first letter navigation in the ribbons, because pressing keys might activate ribbon key tips. Finally, because of a group's layout, you do not know if you should navigate up, down, left, or right to select an item.

The new virtual ribbon menus feature in JAWS provides predictable navigation, lets you see everything in the ribbon, and offers consistency when navigating with the ARROW keys. For example, each group on the lower ribbon is treated as a submenu. Once you open the group submenu, you can press DOWN ARROW to move through all of the items within that group. When you reach the bottom of the items in that group, focus wraps back to the top item, and vice versa. You can also use first letter navigation in the virtual ribbon menus.

This book is recorded using Windows 7 and WordPad, but you can also follow along if you have Office 2007 or 2010 in either Windows Vista or XP.

Topics covered in this book include:

  • Differences between using the JAWS virtual ribbon menus feature as opposed to the Microsoft ribbon
  • Enabling or disabling the virtual ribbon menus feature
  • Practice exercises
  • First letter navigation in the virtual ribbon
  • Using the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) with the virtual ribbon menus
Training Headquarters Logo

Power to Work - Power to Learn - Power to Grow

Hands-on Workshops in Saint Petersburg

  • Basics of Script Writing with JAWS and MAGic, April 16 through 20
  • Script Development with JAWS and MAGic, April 23 through 27
  • Web Page Testing with JAWS, May 14 and 15
  • Supporting and Teaching Windows 7 with JAWS and MAGic, June 11 through 15
  • Office 2010 and Windows 7 with JAWS and MAGic, June 18 through 22

Visit the Training Workshops page for more information or to register for the hands-on workshops listed above.

OpenBook Overview, a New Training DAISY Book, is Available

The Freedom Scientific Training Department has released a new DAISY training book for OpenBook® scanning and reading software. This full text and audio DAISY book is available now in the following formats:

  • For DAISY text and audio use the Check for Updates in the JAWS Help menu, or visit the Training Downloads page
  • MP3 audio files of all of the DAISY books are also available for download separately on the Training Downloads page

This book demonstrates how to get started with OpenBook using the new PEARL® Portable Reading Solution.

Topics covered in the new book include:

  • Launching and closing OpenBook
  • Changing the voice settings in OpenBook
  • Acquiring and reading text with the default OpenBook settings
  • Context-sensitive help
  • Key Describer
  • Switching to a different workflow to acquire multiple pages of text automatically
  • Creating a new workflow from an existing workflow
  • Saving files, opening files, and editing text
  • The OpenBook Dictionary feature
  • The OpenBook Help System
  • Saving your OpenBook settings

Web Design and Using JAWS on the Internet

Bring greater accessibility to your Web site. Learn more about how JAWS works on the Web. Visit the updated Surf's Up Web site for examples of how to write effective HTML code and use JAWS and MAGic on the Web. Find more information on our Accessibility Tips and Web Design page, with links to free HTML tutorials, validation tools, guidelines, and other resources.

Take your magnification with you. The ONYX Deskset. Learn more.

JAWS Tandem DAISY Book Released

Have you ever installed a software program that you wanted to show to a friend, but your friend lives across town, or maybe even in another state or country? Have you ever tried to help someone who just doesn't understand computers to accomplish a task on a computer while talking to them on the telephone? Perhaps you are interested in doing training for people but you cannot physically get to their home or office, for whatever reason. Maybe you're a consultant and one of your client's teenagers installed a new software game, which in turn caused a cascade of bad things to happen to the programs you had installed for the client originally. Do you want to do it now, without the hassle and expense of travel? Well if so, JAWS Tandem™ is for you!

JAWS Tandem is a feature that lets you access another computer running JAWS, so that you can provide hands-on technical support, write scripts from a distance, or perform remote JAWS training. It is used by support personnel, distributors, dealers, consultants, trainers, and friends. Any two people who have JAWS can connect their computers together over the Internet and accomplish any or all of the above.

Use the JAWS Check for Updates, located in the JAWS Help menu, to find the new book. You can also visit the Training Downloads page to get either the Tandem DAISY book or the Tandem MP3 file.

Free Software for Saint Petersburg Workshop Attendees

The Training department at Freedom Scientific offers hands-on workshops throughout the year at our Saint Petersburg, Florida, headquarters. As an added value, those who attend training workshops at our headquarters in 2011 will receive a free copy of TypeAbility, the outstanding talking typing tutorial from YesAccessible!, as well as a free copy of
J-Tools from T&T Consultancy, Ltd.

TypeAbility 4.0 for JAWS is compatible with JAWS 6 and higher and with MAGic screen magnification software 10.5 or higher. To read more about TypeAbility, visit YesAccessible! at www.YesAccessible.com

J-Tools is an exciting new suite of software tools for users of JAWS 9 and higher that assists when working with word processing, e-mail, calendar, and the Internet. T&T Consultancy Ltd (UK) is well-known for developing products reliant upon the world’s most popular screen reader, JAWS for Windows and more recently, MAGic screen magnification software. Equipped with easy to use documentation and tutorials, the products are developed by and for visually impaired people.

In addition to J-Tools, their product range includes:

  • J-Say, a joining of JAWS for Windows and Dragon® NaturallySpeaking™, allowing complete control of the computer using the human voice with no keyboard input required.
  • Say-MAGic, providing a fantastic range of features to give low vision users of MAGic access to Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This is the newest product in the range.
  • J-Tunes, provides high quality access to Apple iTunes. iTunes is a complete music management system, and J-Tunes is by far T&T’s most popular product and is being updated on a very frequent basis.

To read more about J-Tools, visit T & T Consultancy, Ltd. at www.tandt-consultancy.com

With TypeAbility priced at $100 per copy and J-Tools priced at £45 (approximately $85 USD), this adds great value to the hands-on instruction and dynamic training one receives by coming to a training workshop in Florida.

Visit the workshop schedule page for dates and more information.

PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 Training with JAWS and MAGic

Learn how to create and give PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 presentations using JAWS and MAGic. This lesson teaches you how to use the keyboard to create and give presentations, and includes a link to practice files.

Some of the things you will learn include how to:

  • Use JAWS or MAGic and the keyboard to create and present slide shows
  • Set a background color for all slides in the presentation
  • Use a photograph as a background for an entire slide
  • Label pictures and objects with alternate text
  • Use design templates in PowerPoint to choose a variety of different slides
  • Navigate at the object as well as the text entry level of slides
  • Insert a button to play a sound on a slide
  • Use slide animation effects to fly in bullet points one at a time
  • Rearrange animation effects for a more effective presentation
  • Insert and be able to read speaker's notes during your presentation
  • And much more.

Go to the PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 with JAWS and MAGic training page now and get started, or use the link on that page to download the lesson along with practice files and work offline at your leisure.

Training Department Information

The Freedom Scientific Training Department's motto is, “Power to work, power to learn, power to grow.” We have grown over the years and have created some wonderful training materials that we want to share with you. Please take advantage of all of the training information and materials we have posted here on our site. We hope you will come back often to see what is new.

The Freedom Scientific Training Department
Contact us at 800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000
Extension 1016 or 4001
FAX: 727-471-7927

E-mail: training_info at FreedomScientific.com

Pictures of students



Microsoft®, Excel®, PowerPoint®, Outlook®, and Windows Vista® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

JAWS®, MAGic®, OpenBook™, PAC Mate Omni™, and ONYX™ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Freedom Scientific, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.