VoiceOver is a screen reader primarily used by blind Mac OS X users, but sighted people also use it for a variety of reasons. Sighted people with dyslexia and other disabilities which impair reading may benefit from a screen reader. I’ve also heard of several users who have movement problems such as Parkinson’s disease and can’t manage any sort of pointing device using VoiceOver specifically for its screen navigation abilities. And of course teachers, parents, and other supporters of blind OS X users may wish to learn to use VoiceOver to better support the blind users. So, where would one start?
Woopid has a great tutorial focussing on the basics of VoiceOver in Leopard. This is a video tutorial aimed specifically at sighted users who wish to use VoiceOver and have zero experience. It only covers the barest beginning, but it’s a great start.
I suggest once you’ve been through the tutorial, start in with the VoiceOver Getting Started documentation from Apple’s website. The documentation is available in full in human-narrated audio form and PDF form with images. There’s also a printable “cheat sheet” for sighted users available in colour or black and white versions to help users memorise the function of different keys.
Website: VoiceOver in Leopard Video Tutorial from Woopid and VoiceOver Getting Started Documentation
- Ricky Buchanan
Nalida Besson April 21, 2012 at 7:32 am
I’m a sighted teacher of blind and visually impaired students who teaches VoiceOver to students for the iPad. But I also use it myself for some long reading passages. I like how the iDevices are universal design learning (UDL) devices.
Ricky Buchanan April 21, 2012 at 12:17 pm
I agree very much Nalida – the Universal Design is fantastic and helps so much with so many things, including I suspect many things the original designers never thought of!