{"id":334,"date":"2025-09-09T14:49:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T18:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.web.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/?p=334"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:54:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:54:42","slug":"screen-readers-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/screen-readers-work\/","title":{"rendered":"How Screen Readers Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of our ongoing efforts to build inclusive digital spaces, it\u2019s important to understand the tools used by people with disabilities to access content-one of the most essential being the screen reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">What is a Screen Reader?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A screen reader is a software program that enables people who are blind or visually impaired to interact with digital content. It reads aloud the text displayed on the screen using a speech synthesizer, or sends the information to a braille display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Essentially, it acts as a bridge between the user and the computer\u2019s operating system, applications, and web content\u2014translating what sighted users see on screen into audio or tactile feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Common Screen Readers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some of the most widely used screen readers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>JAWS (Job Access With Speech):<\/strong>\u00a0Commercial software from Freedom Scientific, widely used in professional environments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access):<\/strong>\u00a0A free, open-source screen reader for Windows, developed by the non-profit NVAccess.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>TalkBack:<\/strong>\u00a0The Google screen reader built into Android devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>VoiceOver:<\/strong>\u00a0Built into all Apple devices, including MacBooks, iPhones, and iPads.all Apple devices, including MacBooks, iPhones, and iPads.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">How Do Screen Readers Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Screen reader users rely heavily on the keyboard or a braille display to navigate. They use key commands to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Read or spell out a word or sentence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Navigate through lines or paragraphs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify where the cursor or focus is on the screen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Search for keywords or elements on the page<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jump to headings, lists, links, or buttons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advanced users may also:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Read specific elements using JAWS (e.g., bold or colored text)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Navigate menus and form fields<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check spelling or read cells in spreadsheets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When browsing a website or document, the screen reader typically starts reading from the top. This is why using&nbsp;<strong>headings<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>alt text<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>logical structure<\/strong>&nbsp;in your content is so crucial\u2014these help screen reader users navigate efficiently without needing to go through everything line by line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Want to Hear a Screen Reader in Action?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re curious about how a screen reader sounds and works in real time, the University of California \u2013 San Francisco has a great demo video you can watch below. It\u2019s a helpful way to build empathy and see why accessible design matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Screen Reader Demo for Digital Accessibility\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dEbl5jvLKGQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvaccess.org\/download\/\">Download NVDA<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dequeuniversity.com\/screenreaders\/nvda-keyboard-shortcuts\">NVDA commands<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/software.umich.edu\/titles\/jaws-2025\">Download JAWS<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dequeuniversity.com\/screenreaders\/jaws-keyboard-shortcuts\">JAWS commands<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dequeuniversity.com\/screenreaders\/talkback-shortcuts\">TalkBack gestures<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dequeuniversity.com\/screenreaders\/voiceover-ios-shortcuts\">VoiceOver for iOS gestures<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dequeuniversity.com\/screenreaders\/voiceover-keyboard-shortcuts\">VoiceOver for Mac commands<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As part of our ongoing efforts to build inclusive digital spaces, it\u2019s important to understand the tools used by people with disabilities to access content-one of the most essential being the screen reader. What is a Screen Reader? A screen reader is a software program that enables people who are blind or visually impaired to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"featured_media_global":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":337,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334\/revisions\/337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}