Hello fellow list members,

 

I am still using jaws 2020 and everytime I startup my laptop, jaws asks me if I want to download the latest update? Since I am not sure if I want to start using jaws 2021 yet, I always say no to this update question thinking it is going to maybe download the latest release of jaws 2021.

 

My question is this, since I am still using jaws 2020, if I did say yes to this latest update of jaws question, will I get a newer updated version of jaws 2020 or will I get the latest updated version release of jaws 2021? Any help with this question would be so very much appreciated! Much, much thanks in advance for any possible help with this jaws update question I have !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kindest regards,

 

Hank

 

 

Enhancements in JAWS 2021.2105.53 (May 2021)

 

The following is a list of improvements made between the April 2021 release and the May 2021 update.

 

Easier Navigation Through Email Threads in Outlook

 

It is quite common, particularly in a work or school environment, for email messages to include several people, resulting in lengthy message threads as
participants reply and add to the conversation. When opening an email that contains a thread of messages, including replies or forwards, it can be time
consuming to read through the thread with JAWS or Fusion using the ARROW keys to locate particular responses as you need to move through all of the header
information for each message.

 

To make this easier, you can now use the N or SHIFT+N Navigation Quick Keys to quickly move to and place focus at the beginning of the next or previous
message in an open email thread, skipping over all of the header information. As you navigate with these commands, JAWS and Fusion reads who the message
is from, the date it was sent, and the first line. If you determine this is not the message in the thread you were looking for, continue using N or SHIFT+N
until you reach the message you want. While reading a particular message in the thread, pressing ALT+1 or ALT+2 now announces the sender or date  of the
message at your current location. To review sender and date info for the entire email, press CTRL+HOME to move back to the top before pressing ALT+1 or
ALT+2.

 

For users of the Focus braille display, you can set a NAV rocker to move through messages in an open email thread. While focused in an email, press the
NAV Mode button above the NAV rocker you want to set to cycle through the available navigation modes until "Message" is selected. If you are using an older
Focus display that includes Wiz Wheels, press down on the wheel to select the mode. If focus moves away from the message, the navigation mode defaults
back to Line.

 

Note: Currently, this feature is only available while reading an email and not when editing a message. Additionally, while currently limited to messages
containing replies and forwards from Outlook, we will continue to improve this feature over time to support emails from other sources like Gmail and iOS.

 

Voice Assistant Improvements

 

In the initial 2021 release, we introduced Voice Assistant, a new way to interact with JAWS in Windows 10. Voice Assistant offers a convenient option for
quickly performing various JAWS commands using natural speech instead of memorizing specific keystrokes. Since its introduction, we have received numerous
requests from customers wanting to be able to access more JAWS features by voice in order to increase productivity.

 

Some JAWS features you can now access by using voice commands include:

 

list of 16 items
• Selecting Text, especially blocks of text, has never been easier. Just locate the spot where you wish to begin selecting and say "Hey Sharky, Start Selection."
Then navigate to the location where selection should end and say "Hey Sharky, Finish Selection." You did it! At that point, all text between the two locations
will be highlighted. You can confirm using the SHIFT+INSERT+DOWN ARROW Command to verify you got it all. This works on Web Pages, in Documents, and even
in Emails.
• Working with the JAWS speech history without remembering any keystrokes is now even easier. Try any of the following:
list of 3 items nesting level 1
• "Hey Sharky, Show Speech History"
• "Hey Sharky, Copy Speech History to Clipboard"
• "Hey Sharky, Clear Speech History"
list end nesting level 1
• Working with Technical Support just got easier. Have you ever been asked to get the version information for your software or operating system? Try this
out:
list of 2 items nesting level 1
• "Hey Sharky, Virtualize Version Info"
• "Hey Sharky, Copy Version Info to Clipboard"
list end nesting level 1
• You can now ask JAWS to help virtualize a control or window, or even copy them directly to the Clipboard. For example, go to the JAWS About dialog box,
and try the following:
list of 4 items nesting level 1
• "Hey Sharky, Virtualize Window"
• "Hey Sharky, Copy Window"
• "Hey Sharky, Virtualize Control"
• "Hey Sharky, Copy Control"
list end nesting level 1
• When navigating Word documents and Outlook messages, you can use Voice Assistant to work with various elements like headings, tables, and graphics. Try
the following:
list of 3 items nesting level 1
• "Hey Sharky, List Headings"
• "Hey Sharky, Next Table"
• "Hey Sharky, Next Graphic"
list end nesting level 1
• When editing a Word document or Outlook message, you can use Voice Assistant to move to Spelling or Grammatical errors. For Example, try:
list of 2 items nesting level 1
• "Hey Sharky, Next Spelling Error"
• "Hey Sharky, Next Grammatical Error"
list end nesting level 1
• While reading a message in Outlook containing several replies or forwards, you can now say "Hey Sharky, Next Message" or "Previous Message." You will
skip the headings and get right to the various replies within that email.
• When focused on math content in Word that you wish to navigate, you can now say "Hey Sharky, Math Viewer." This opens the JAWS Math Viewer where you
can explore the current equation.
• To edit a math equation using the new Braille Math Editor, move to the equation and say "Hey Sharky, Math Editor."
• Toggle the Braille or Text Viewers on or off by saying "Hey Sharky, Braille Viewer" or "Text Viewer."
• Start or stop a JAWS Tandem session by saying "Hey Sharky, Tandem."
• Open the Select a Voice Profile dialog box by saying "Hey Sharky, Voice Profile."
• To access something in the System Tray, try saying "Hey Sharky, System Tray."
• Speak the most recent Windows notification by saying "Hey Sharky, Notification."
• If you have a laptop and want to know the charge level of its battery, just say "Hey Sharky, Battery."
• On a web page, open the Custom Label dialog box for labeling an element by saying "Hey Sharky, Custom Label."
list end

 

Braille Math Editor

 

JAWS and Fusion currently supports reading Math equations on web pages that are displayed using MathML, or math equations in Microsoft Word documents inserted
using the native Word math format. You can navigate the individual elements of an equation using the Math Viewer, accessed by pressing ENTER from a web
page or INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by EQUALS from a Word document when focused on the equation. If JAWS braille translation is set to Unified English Braille
or United States English Grade 1 or Grade 2 output, math expressions are also shown on a braille display using Nemeth Braille format.

 

The new Braille Math Editor in JAWS now enables braille users in Windows 10 to input their own equations, and in Office 365, edit existing equations in
Word documents. To open the Math Editor, press the layered command INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by SHIFT+EQUALS (plus sign). Focus braille display users can
also press DOTS 3-4-6-7 CHORD.

 

When the Math Editor opens, focus is placed into an edit field where you can immediately begin typing the equation in Nemeth braille from your braille
display's keyboard. As you type, a preview pane below the edit field visually displays the equation so a sighted teacher or parent can review it. Once
you are finished inputting the math equation, press ENTER or choose the Accept button to close the Math Editor. If you are in Word, the equation you entered
is automatically inserted into the document at your current location. The equation is also copied to the Clipboard so you can paste it in other applications.

 

Opening the Math Editor while focused on a math equation in a Word document displays the existing equation in Nemeth Braille, allowing you to edit or replace
it. After making any changes and pressing ENTER to close the editor, the current equation in the document is replaced by the new or modified equation.

 

Note: After inserting or modifying an equation in Word from the Math Editor, the blinking cursor (dots 7 and 8) on the braille display always remains at
the beginning of the math content, even as you move by character with the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys. If you need to insert another line of math content,
first press the END key to move to the end of the current math content and then press ENTER.

 

While the Math Editor is opened, you have the following additional options:

 

list of 3 items
• Press CTRL+N to start a new equation.
• Press CTRL+P to preview the current equation in the Math Viewer. When finished, press ESC to return to the Math Editor.
• Press ALT+E to open the edit menu where you can copy your Nemeth Braille to the Clipboard using a specific format. MathML is the default format when
copying, however, depending on the application where you intend to paste the equation, you can also choose to copy your Nemeth Braille to LaTeX or Braille
ASCII. After choosing a format to copy to, paste the equation into the specific application before pressing ENTER or selecting Accept to close the Math
Editor as this always copies as MathML and will erase the current clipboard contents.
list end

 

To learn more about Nemeth Braille, check out this
Nemeth Tutorial
which teaches this braille code beginning with the very basics up through advanced mathematics.

 

Other Changes
list of 12 items
• Resolved an issue where JAWS was not announcing the download status of files in Edge Chromium.
• Addressed an issue where the text of a link in a GMail message was not being read if it spanned multiple lines.
• When selecting a link or button on a web page that opens a modal dialog such as a calendar, resolved an issue where JAWS was reading the entire contents
of the dialog all at once as soon as it gained focus.
• JAWS now indicates when you move in and out of text in Google Docs that is marked as a suggestion.
• Expanded the description in Commands Search for setting a temporary PlaceMarker (CTRL+WINDOWS+K) to describe how this keystroke is used as part of selecting
text.
• Added the Copy Speech History to Clipboard keystroke (INSERT+SPACEBAR, CTRL+H) to Commands Search.
• Updated the description in Commands Search for the Read Address Bar keystroke (INSERT+A) so it can be found by searching for either "URL" or "address."
• If the Navigation Quick Key Manager is launched from an Outlook message, the Navigation Quick Key N for moving through messages in a thread, is now listed
so you can reassign it if necessary. The Navigation Quick Key Manager is located in the Run JAWS Manager dialog box (INSERT+F2).
• Resolved an issue where Navigation Quick Keys in Outlook messages would sometimes unexpectedly stop working until you moved focus away then back to the
message.
• When selecting text in Outlook messages for copying and pasting, addressed an issue where selection was not always working as expected, causing the wrong
text to be selected. This occurred most often in messages containing lists.
• Updated the INSERT+H help for Excel to list all of the latest JAWS hot keys.
• Added a new dictionary rule for "FYI" so JAWS no longer says the more verbose "for your information" when encountering this acronym.
list end

 

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