Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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WHY CAN’T JAWS JUST READ WHAT I WANT IT TO READ?!!! (self.Blind)
submitted by VicDumb
I bought a textbook for school in PDF and this crap can’t even read that! It just starts reading the whole thing from the beginning. Is there a point-and-click hot key that I’m not aware of? If not, then this trash is fucking useless. It would be so much more worth it if I could highlight what I want it to read, press a button, and it just reads it. Why couldn’t be as simple as iPhone voiceover? Man whatever... I’m annoyed.
dmazzoni 13 points 2y ago
If you can see enough to use a mouse to point and click, JAWS probably isn't the right product for you. Consider ZoomText instead - it lets you do exactly what you just described.
blundermole 6 points 2y ago
I agree. If OP wants something that will read highlighted text on demand, there are a few options out there. JAWS may not be the correct solution.
bjayernaeiy 11 points 2y ago
Have you had JAWS training at all? It's not trash nor useless, thousands of blind people rely on it and have no issues. May I ask what are you doing to achieve your results?
What PDF viewer are you using, is that text or image pdf file? You can navigate to a specific page and press insert down arrow to read from there...
What PDF viewer are you using, is that text or image pdf file? You can navigate to a specific page and press insert down arrow to read from there...
Amonwilde 3 points 2y ago
You should invest in TextAloud or Zoom Text. If you have enough sight to select what you want, they are the best option. JAWS and NVDA are really more for fully blind individuals, or people closer to it. Also, if you like Voiceover, why don't you read the PDF on your phone?
thatblindgirl 2 points 2y ago
For pdf , I really like the Voice Dream app.
grinchnight14 1 points 2y ago
JAWS and PDF is a combo that doesn't go too well together.
emobe_ 1 points 2y ago
Seems like you're getting mad at the computer and blaming it instead. Please stop.
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 2y ago
First of all, what reader are you using? Is it Acrobat? Is it some web-based thing? I recommend you use Qread. It doesn't have reading capabilities, but the rest of it is fantastic.
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Second, if it's actually reading it, then the one at fault here is likely you who doesn't know how to use JAWS. I get you're frustrated, but to be blunt, you're being an annoying teenager about this. Is your school providing you with training and accessible materials? They can show you how to read books properly.
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If you haven't stopped reading my comment by this point, I recommend you either get, or convert existing documents, into the epub format. It's about 15 squillion times better than PDF which was originally meant for printing stuff anyway.
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Second, if it's actually reading it, then the one at fault here is likely you who doesn't know how to use JAWS. I get you're frustrated, but to be blunt, you're being an annoying teenager about this. Is your school providing you with training and accessible materials? They can show you how to read books properly.
​
If you haven't stopped reading my comment by this point, I recommend you either get, or convert existing documents, into the epub format. It's about 15 squillion times better than PDF which was originally meant for printing stuff anyway.
changeneverhappens 1 points 2y ago
If you can't find a screen reader friendly format, reach out to able docs and see if they can convert it for you. It'll probably cost a small fee but they're a really neat company.
https://abledocs.com/
https://abledocs.com/
CloudyBeep 6 points 2y ago
The school should be making the document accessible.
changeneverhappens 2 points 2y ago
Yes it should.
However, it never hurts to have options!
However, it never hurts to have options!
r_e_n_1_1_ -4 points 2y ago
Since a PDF is a photo of a document, JAWS can’t read it. Is there anyway you can exchange it for a RTF (rich text format)?
ryan516 6 points 2y ago
PDF isn’t exclusively photos—some poorer quality PDFs tend to be, but most PDFs made to be distributed as PDFs are text-based, with some extra formatting
bjayernaeiy 2 points 2y ago
It may be text PDF
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