iPad: Accessibility - VoiceOver
If required, please turn
on your screen reader to have the contents of this page read out to you.
For more information on Screen Readers please go to the Home page. Here you will find links to some of the most popular Screen Reader applications.
If VoiceOver has not been enabled and you are visually impaired ask a sighted person to turn this on, by going to Settings, General, Accessibility then VoiceOver and move the on/off switch to on.
Background.
The Apple iOS provides many helpful features to help users who are visually impaired, or have hearing difficulties, use the iPad as normal. Even users with physical or motor skills will find that they have been catered for, however I will concentrate mainly on features that visually impaired users will benefit from.
VoiceOver is Apple’s screen reader and will read the contents of the iPad screen to the User, in response to finger gestures on the iPad screen. You may be using VoiceOver now to read the contents of this file. Please note, you can also use Siri and Dictation to help you type, launch apps, and read calendar entries.
To access and enable or change any accessibility features you first need to select the appropriate options within the iPad system settings.
Using the
application
with Voiceover active.
In order to navigate to the Settings application,
you will need to search from the top to the bottom of the current page,
this can be achieved by flicking up with two fingers and VoiceOver will
announce each application in turn, from the top of the screen to the
bottom, when you hear VoiceOver say ‘Settings’, tap once on the screen
with two fingers to pause VoiceOver. Alternatively, you can flick right
with one finger on the current screen, to work your way through each
displayed application until you hear VoiceOver announce ‘Settings.
VoiceOver
will open the Settings application and announce the heading of the
first page in this application, namely the heading ‘Settings’. The
screen will be split into two, down the left hand side there is a list
of the available system settings that can be changed, on the right hand
side of the screen will be displayed the available options for the
currently selected system setting.
To move the
focus of VoiceOver to the right hand side of the screen you can flick
right repeatedly with one finger which will move you first down each
item on the left hand screen, and then over to the right hand screen.
Or by using the screen rota function to select Headings, once Headings
has been selected you can flick up or down with one finger to move
between headings on the current screen, by doing this locate the
heading named ‘General’. You will now be located at the top of the
right hand side of the screen with VoiceOver focused on the heading for
this information.
Note, to perform a rota gesture on the iPad
screen, place two finger tips on the screen and turn them just as if
you were turning a knob. Each time you twist your fingers around this
pretend knob, you will hear the Narrator announce something new, you
will hear the following announcements, characters, words, speech rate,
containers, headings, then back to characters.
What you are
doing here, with the selected Rota option, is to change how VoiceOver
moves around the screen when you flick up or down with one finger on
the screen, or change the speech rate, if that has been selected just
prior to the flick up or down gesture.
So you can move around
the screen one character at a time, one word at a time, or change the
speech rate, or move around the screen by one container at a time, and
finally move around the screen jumping through the available headings.
A
container is exactly that, it is an area on the screen that contains
other items. The home screen and the dock area are containers and if
you have selected containers with your rota setting, you can then move
between the home area and the dock area by flicking up or down.
Containers are in general larger areas that contain one or more smaller
items.
By selecting different options with the rota you can change settings
that are relevant to the current page.
Any time you hear a dull drum sound means you can travel or navigate no
further in the desired direction.
Flick right
with one finger and you should hear VoiceOver take you to the VoiceOver
button which should be on, it can be toggled off by double tapping with
one finger. Do not do this if you are dependent on VoiceOver. Flicking
right with one finger will take you through some text relating to
activating some basic VoiceOver gestures.
If VoiceOver can interpret your finger
gestures it will announce what they are. When you have finished with
this practice screen, navigate to the top right hand side of the screen
and locate the Done button, once you hear VoiceOver announce the words
Done, button, activate this button by double tapping anywhere on the
screen with one finger. This will take you back to the Settings page
and VoiceOver may announce the word Notifications, this is the first of
the options in the Settings list.
You will hear VoiceOver announce ‘Settings, heading’.
To
move the focus of VoiceOver to the right hand side of the screen you
can flick right repeatedly with one finger which will move you first
down each item on the left hand screen and then over to the right hand
screen. Or by using the screen rota function to select Headings, once
Headings has been selected you can flick up or down with one finger to
move between headings on the current screen, by doing this locate the
heading named ‘Speech’. You will now be located at the top of the right
hand side of the screen with VoiceOver focused on the heading for this
information.
By flicking right with one finger you will be
presented with two options, Default
Dialect and Add
New Language. Here
you can select either option to change the default dialect or add a new
language. If required select either of these options by double tapping
with one finger, anywhere on the screen. Moving through the available
dialects or languages by flicking right or left with one finger, then
selecting as required.
Now exit the Speech settings page, by
flicking left with one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver,
back button’ then double tap with one finger, anywhere on the screen to
activate this button.
An easy way to exit the current screen,
providing it has a ‘back button’ displayed, is to use the double scrub
gesture, to activate the back button and return to the preceding page.
To do this scrub left and right with two fingers anywhere on the screen.
Remember
you can move between headings on the left and right hand sides of the
screen by flicking up or down with one finger, providing your Rota
settings is set to Headings.
Note,
If you are unsure if you are on the VoiceOver settings page, first
ensure the Rota settings is set to Headings and flick up or down with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver Heading’.
Navigate
to the Braille
option by flicking right with one finger, when you have
arrived at the Braille option, activate to open up the Braille options
screen where you will be able to navigate through the available Braille
options. Exit out of the Braille options screen by flicking left with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver, back button’ then
double tap with one finger, anywhere on the screen to activate this
button.
Note,
If you are unsure if you are on the VoiceOver settings page, first
ensure the Rota settings is set to Headings and flick up or down with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver Heading’.
Navigate
to the Rota
option by flicking right with one finger, when you have
arrived at the Rota option, activate to open up the Rota options screen
where you will be able to navigate through the available Rota options.
Turning options on and off as required. Exit out of the Rota options
screen by flicking left with one finger until you hear Voiceover say,
‘VoiceOver, back button’, then double tap with one finger, anywhere on
the screen to activate this button.
Note,
If you are unsure if you are on the VoiceOver settings page, first
ensure the Rota settings is set to Headings and flick up or down with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver Heading’.
Also,
as the VoiceOver settings are shown on the right hand side of the
screen, you can just tap with one finger on the right hand side of the
screen to force VoiceOver to focus on this side of the screen.
Depending on where your finger lands, VoiceOver will announce the
VoiceOver option that your finger lands on. You can now navigate
through the available options as usual by flicking left or right with
one finger.
Navigate to the Typing Style option and activate.
The right hand side of the screen will display the three available
typing styles for you to choose from.
Standard
Typing, this is where Narrator announces the key your
finger is over
but will not insert that character, until you double tap with one
finger to confirm the character just announced is the one you want.
Touch
Typing, in this mode as soon as your finger is lifted off
a key, then
the key just left will insert the character shown on that key, this
will be the character just announced by the Narrator. As you move your
finger around the keyboard Narrator will announce each key as you pass
over it, when you finally lift your finger off the screen whilst
positioned on the keyboard, the associated character will be inserted
into your text.
Direct Touch Typing,
this is just like using
an ordinary keyboard, to insert a key you must quickly tap the key and
its associated character will be inserted into the text area. You can
of course keep your finger on the keyboard and move it around to find
the character you require. Narrator will announce each key your finger
passes over, once you have located the required character you must
still tap it once for the character to be inserted into your text. This
is different to ordinary touch typing described above, where as soon as
you lift your finger a character is inserted.
Select your desired typing style and exit this screen back to the
VoiceOver settings screen.
Note,
If you are unsure if you are on the VoiceOver settings page, first
ensure the Rota settings is set to Headings and flick up or down with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver Heading’.
Navigate
to the ‘Modifier Keys’
option, then activate this option to take you to
the two options available for changing the modifier keys when you have
a keyboard attached to the iPad. The two options available are ‘Control
plus Option’ or ‘Caps Lock’ Keys. Change your settings if required and
exit out of the Modifier Keys options screen, by flicking left with one
finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver, back button’ then
double tap with one finger, anywhere on the screen to activate this
button. Alternately, you can use the double scrub gesture to activate
the back button.
Note,
If you are unsure if you are on the VoiceOver settings page, first
ensure the Rota settings is set to Headings and flick up or down with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver Heading’.
Navigate to the ‘Always
Speak Notifications’ option, then double tap
with one finger to toggle this setting on or off.
Note,
If you are unsure if you are on the VoiceOver settings page, first
ensure the Rota settings is set to Headings and flick up or down with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver Heading’.
Navigate
to the ‘Navigating Images’
option by flicking right with one finger,
when you have arrived at the Navigating Images option, activate to open
up the Navigating Images options screen where you will be able to
explore through the available Navigating Images options. Turning
options on and off as required. Exit out of the Navigating Images
options screen by flicking left with one finger until you hear
Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver, back button’, then double tap with one
finger, anywhere on the screen to activate this button.
Note,
If you are unsure if you are on the VoiceOver settings page, first
ensure the Rota settings is set to Headings and flick up or down with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver Heading’.
Navigate to the ‘Large
Cursor’ option, then double tap with one finger
to toggle this setting on or off.
You are now at the last available options under the VoiceOver settings.
Exit
out of the Double -Tap options screen by flicking left with one finger
until you hear Voiceover say, ‘VoiceOver, back button’ then double tap
with one finger, anywhere on the screen to activate this button.
Now
exit out of the VoiceOver settings screen by flicking left with one
finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘Accessibility, back button’ then
double tap with one finger, anywhere on the screen to activate this
button.
An alternative and easy way to exit the current screen,
providing it has a ‘back button’ displayed, is to use the double scrub
gesture, to activate the back button and return to the preceding page.
To do this scrub left and right with two fingers anywhere on the screen.
Note,
If you are unsure if you are on the Accessibility settings page, first
ensure the Rota settings is set to Headings and flick up or down with
one finger until you hear Voiceover say, ‘Accessibility Heading’.
The next Accessibility option we will look at is the Zoom option.
Accessibility Page Control Section
Keyboard control (Chrome/Safari): Screen Speak - Press ALT + s, Pause Audio - Press Alt + p. To reset/reload page activate the Reload Page button below.
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To search for text primarily in other pages of the Simplyinformed Website, enter text in the search box below. To get back from the search results Press ALT and Left Arrow. Please note there may be a few initial links that take you to other sites that match your site search string, these can of course be disregarded if you only want to be taken to content on this site. Please note that the Search box is displayed as a table with one row and three columns, in other there are three cells in the search table layout. Cell one is where you enter your search string and press enter, or move to cell two to activate the Search Button. Move to cell three to find the clear search content button to clear out the text in cell on, ready to enter a new search string. Use the Up and Down arrows to move through search table cells when using NVDA. Once the Narrator has been taken to the search box press the enter key so that the screen reader switches into text input mode.
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