Using ZoomText Xtra! with shortcut keys

Using the built-in screen reader

ZoomText Xtra! Level 2 has a built-in screen reader. As you run your Windows programs, the screen reader will speak automatically, telling you what is happening in the program.

The three basic functions of the screen reader

The following tables give some shortcut commands used by the ZoomText Xtra! screen reader. In each table, the left column lists actions you may want to perform and the right column lists the keyboard shortcuts for performing those actions.

Shortcut keys for screen reading

Screen-reading keyboard commands

The Speak-It Tool

The three basic functions of the screen reader:

1. GUI Reading - Reads all parts of the Windows environment: menus, dialog box controls, window titles, and text in message boxes.
2. Caret Reading - Allows the speaking of characters, words, or entire lines of text by moving the caret. The caret controls where typed characters will be inserted into a document.
3. Typing Echo - Allows text to be spoken as it is being typed into a program.

Note: if you turn off magnification by deactivating ZoomText, you also turn off the screen reader and all other ZoomText features. The only way to run the screen reader without magnification is to set the magnification level of the primary zoom window to 1x.

Shortcut keys for screen reading:

Screen reading keyboard commands:

The Speak-It Tool:

The Speak-It Tool allows you to speak text by clicking on words with the mouse, even if it is not in the active program.

Contact us at infotechaccess@server.rehab.uiuic.edu

back to the ZoomText Xtra! Shortcut Keys page

back to ZoomText Xtra! home page