JAWS (screen reader)

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JAWS
Developer(s) Freedom Scientific
Initial release January 1995 (1995-01)
Stable release 14.0.3005 / May 16, 2013
Operating system Microsoft Windows
Type Screen reader
License Proprietary
Website freedomscientific.com
For help using JAWS to navigate and edit Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Using JAWS.

JAWS (Job Access With Speech) is a computer screen reader program for Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to-speech output or by a Refreshable Braille display.

JAWS is produced by the Blind and Low Vision Group of Freedom Scientific, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.

A May 2012 screen reader user survey by WebAIM, a web accessibility company, found JAWS to be the most popular screen reader worldwide; 49.1% of survey participants used it as a primary screen reader, while 63.7% of participants used it often.[1]

JAWS supports all versions of Windows released since Windows XP. There are two versions of the program: Standard, which works on home Windows operating systems, and retails for US$895, and Professional, which works on all Windows operating systems, and retails for US$1,095.[2] A DOS version is free.

The JAWS Scripting Language allows the user to use programs without standard Windows controls, and programs that were not designed for accessibility.

Contents

History [edit]

JAWS was originally released in 1989 by Ted Henter, a former motorcycle racer who lost his sight in a 1978 automobile accident. In 1985, Henter, along with a $180,000 USD investment from Bill Joyce, founded the Henter-Joyce Corporation in St. Petersburg, Florida. Joyce sold his interest in the company back to Henter sometime in 1990. In April 2000, Henter-Joyce, Blazie Engineering, and Arkenstone, Inc. merged to form Freedom Scientific.

JAWS was originally created for the MS-DOS operating system. It was one of several screen readers giving blind users access to text-mode MS-DOS applications. A feature unique to JAWS at the time was its use of cascading menus, in the style of the popular Lotus 1-2-3 application. What set JAWS apart from other screen readers of the era was its use of macros that allowed users to customize the user interface and work better with various applications.[citation needed]

Ted Henter and Rex Skipper wrote the original JAWS code in the mid-1980s, releasing version 2.0 in mid-1990. Skipper left the company after the release of version 2.0, and following his departure, Charles Oppermann was hired to maintain and improve the product. Oppermann and Henter regularly added minor and major features and frequently released new versions. Freedom Scientific now offers JAWS for MS-DOS as a freeware download from their web site.[3][4]

In 1993, Henter-Joyce released a highly-modified version of JAWS for people with learning disabilities. This product, called WordScholar, is no longer available.[5]

JAWS for Windows [edit]

In 1992, as Microsoft Windows became more popular, Oppermann began work on a new version of JAWS. A principal design goal was not to interfere with the natural user interface of Windows and to continue to provide a strong macro facility. Test and beta versions of JAWS for Windows (JFW) were shown at conferences throughout 1993 and 1994. During this time, developer Glen Gordon started working on the code, ultimately taking over its development when Oppermann was hired by Microsoft in November 1994. Shortly afterwards, in January 1995, JAWS for Windows 1.0 was released.

Currently a new revision of JAWS for Windows is released about once a year, with minor updates in between. The latest version is 14.0, released in October 2012.

Features [edit]

[icon] This section requires expansion. (August 2012)

The software includes a mode designed specifically for web use, activated when Internet Explorer is in the foreground. For web pages, JAWS first declares the title and number of links. Speech is toggled on/off with the Ctrl key, lines are navigated with the up/down arrow keys, and the (shift)Tab key moves between links and controls. Forms are found and read with Ctrl+Insert+Home, then the F key.[6] JAWS can access headings in Word and PDF documents and web pages[7]

JAWS' feature set and configurability have been described as "complex", with training recommended for users such as web designers performing accessibility testing, to avoid drawing the wrong conclusions from such testing.[8]

Release history [edit]

Version Release date Significant changes
JFW 1.0 January 1995 First version for Windows, supported Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11
JFW 2.0 About 1996

Added support for Windows 95
JFW 4.0 September 14, 2001
  • Many changes to user interface
  • Optional tutor and access key help added [9]
JFW 4.5 August 30, 2002
  • Quick navigation keys added to Internet Explorer, for navigating between HTML elements on a page [10]
JFW 5.0 October 9, 2003[11]
  • Many improvements with Internet support
  • Speech and Sounds Manager, for indication of fonts, controls and web page elements. [12]
JFW 6.0 March 3, 2005[13]
  • Introduction of Internet licencing
  • Introduction of separate user settings
  • Comes with a demo of FSReader, a DAISY reader manufactured by Freedom Scientific, for reading JAWS training material[14]
JFW 7.0 October 14, 2005[15]
JFW 7.1 June 21, 2006
JFW 8.0 November 17, 2006
JFW 9.0 November 19, 2007
  • HTML composition support
  • New "adjust JAWS options" dialog box[19]
JFW 10.0 November 3, 2008
JFW 11.0 October 23, 2009
  • Research It, a feature that provides quick access to information such as word definitions, weather forecasts and sports scores
  • Now comes on a DVD rather than a CD
  • Ships with the full version of FSReader 2.0 rather than a demo[21]
JFW 12.0 October 21, 2010
  • Provides a settings center to replace the old configuration manager to easily change settings
  • Allows consistent navigation of ribbons using the "virtual ribbon menu"
  • Supports the ARIA specification for making webpages more accessible[22]
JFW 13.0 October 24, 2011
  • Provides in-built optical character recognition for graphics on the screen
  • Provides a new "Quick settings" feature as a replacement for the old "Adjust JAWS options" dialog box[23]
JFW 14.0 October 22, 2012
  • Supports Windows 8
  • Introduces Flexible Web, a feature that allows the user to hide unwanted HTML elements on webpages or to go to a particular HTML element when a page launches[24]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Screen Reader User Survey #4". WebAIM. Retrieved August 25, 2012. 
  2. ^ "JAWS System Requirements". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 12, 2011. 
  3. ^ "DOS Software Toolkit". Trace Research & Development Center. University of Wisconsin. 2007. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. 
  4. ^ More JAWS downloads. Freedom Scientific. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "Henter-Joyce Newsletter". September 1993. 
  6. ^ Thatcher et al. (2006). Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance (1 ed.). Friends of ED. p. 109. ISBN 978-1590596388. 
  7. ^ Thatcher et. al., p. 385
  8. ^ Thatcher et. al., p. 501.
  9. ^ What's New in JAWS 4.0. Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 24, 2006
  10. ^ What's New in JAWS 4.5. Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 24, 2006
  11. ^ "Freedom Scientific Newsroom: JAWS for Windows 5.0 is released". Press Release. St. Petersburg, Florida: Freedom Scientific. October 9, 2003. Retrieved November 9, 2008. 
  12. ^ What's New in JAWS 5.0. Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 24, 2006
  13. ^ "JAWS 6.0 is Shipping to New Purchasers and SMA Holders". Press Release. St. Petersburg, Florida: Freedom Scientific. March 3, 2005. Retrieved November 9, 2008. 
  14. ^ "What's new in JAWS 6.0". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 24, 2006
  15. ^ "JAWS 7.0 Ships to New Buyers and SMA Holders". Press Release. St. Petersburg, Florida: Freedom Scientific. October 14, 2005. Retrieved November 9, 2008. 
  16. ^ "What's New in JAWS 7.0". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 24, 2006
  17. ^ "What's New in JAWS 7.10". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 24, 2006
  18. ^ "What's New in JAWS 8.0". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 22, 2007
  19. ^ "What's New in JAWS 9.0". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  20. ^ "What's New in JAWS 10". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  21. ^ "What's New in JAWS 11.0". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  22. ^ "Features and Enhancements in JAWS 12". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  23. ^ "What's New in JAWS 13.0". Freedom Scientific. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  24. ^ http://www.freedomscientific.com/downloads/jaws/JAWS-whats-new.asp "What's New in JAWS 14.0"]. Freedom Scientific. Retrieved October 23, 2012.

External links [edit]

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