Desktop screen readers
Last Updated: December 3, 2024
Users with low, partial, or no vision depend on screen readers to interpret web pages and help them navigate. This page provides setup instructions and troubleshooting tips for desktop screen readers.
Ask the participant to confirm their internet speed before setting up the screen share. If they have received any alerts from Zoom about having low internet bandwidth or connection speed, be prepared to facilitate without screen share.
Setup the screen share
Have the participant do the following to setup the screen share
Tab to the “Screen share” button and activate it with your space key.
Tab or navigate past the basic, advanced, and files” tab menu items and find “Share entire screen.” It should be the first item in the list of windows or applications to share.
Use your space key to select it.
If the participant gets lost in the list or mentions arrow keys aren’t working as expected, it’s because the list has two rows. Have them use the up and left arrow keys to return to the beginning of the list where they should have access to share the entire screen.
Tab to “Share sound” and use your space key to select it. This will let us hear your screen reader.
Tab to “Share” and use your space key to select it to start the screen share.
Common problems during screen share setup
Issue | Description | Possible solutions |
|---|---|---|
Can’t hear the screen reader | Researchers and facilitators don’t hear the participants screen reader, despite it being in use. | Ask participant to use the computer without headphones. |
Can’t see the window you need | You’ve started your share, but can’t see the window you need, like a Google Chrome window. | Windows might be minimized. Have the participant use the Windows Key+Shift+M to maximize all windows or use Command+Tab to select the window to maximize, and then use Windows Key+Up Arrow to maximize it. |
Disabled audio | When “sharing audio” the “mute” button becomes disabled/grayed out, not allowing researchers to hear participants. | To prevent this, the participant shouldn't share audio. Ask the participant to let you know what the screen reader output is while navigating through the study. |
“Save password” popup
| For screen reader users, the focus is on the browser, so the “Save password” popup doesn't affect them, but sighted users see it covering the screen. | For JAWS users, if a popup comes up, like “Save password”, the user should hit Shift+F6 to get focus to that window and close it. |
Use of, and access to Zoom chat | Zoom chat messages are notifications that are announced by screen readers. | Avoid the use of Zoom chat during sessions, except for sharing links. Ask the participant where they’d like to receive the link - email, Zoom chat, dictated, etc. For JAWS users: Alt+H is the keystroke to open or close Zoom chat, but it doesn’t always work to close the chat, and the chat box may still be visible. To access links in Zoom chat using JAWS, follow these instructions:
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Help and feedback
Get help from the Platform Support Team in Slack.
Submit a feature idea to the Platform.