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MS Word Home Tab With Screen Readers

by | Nov 11, 2023 | MS Word | 0 comments

Overview

In Microsoft Word, the “Home” tab is one of the main tabs located on the ribbon at the top of the application window. The Home tab provides various formatting and editing options for your document. Here are some of the key groups and functions you’ll find in Home Tab:

Clipboard Group:

  • Cut: Removes the selected text or object and places it on the clipboard.
  • Copy: Copies the selected text or object to the clipboard.
  • Paste: Inserts the contents of the clipboard at the cursor’s location.
  • Format Painter: Copies the formatting from one section of text or an object and applies it to another section.

Using the Clipboard group in Home Tab of Microsoft Word with a screen reader involves a series of keyboard commands:

Copying Text:

  1. Select the text you want to copy using your screen reader’s navigation commands (e.g., arrow keys, Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow, etc.).
  2. Once the text is selected, press Ctrl + C to copy it to the clipboard.

Cutting Text:

  1. Select the text you want to cut using your screen reader’s navigation commands.
  2. Once the text is selected, press Ctrl + X to cut it to the clipboard. This removes the selected text from its current location.

Pasting Text:

  1. Place your cursor at the location where you want to paste the text.
  2. Press Ctrl + V to paste the content from the clipboard into the document.

Formatting Painter:

  1. Select the text with the formatting you want to copy.
  2. Press Ctrl + Shift + C to copy the formatting.
  3. Select the text where you want to apply the copied formatting.
  4. Press Ctrl + Shift + V to paste the formatting onto the selected text.

Font Group:

  • Font Family: Allows you to select the typeface (e.g., Arial, Times New Roman) for your text.
  • Font Size: Adjusts the size of the selected text.
  • Case: Change the case of selected text to upper, lower, or proper case.
  • Bold, Italic, Underline: Applies these text formatting styles.
  • Font Color: Changes the color of the selected text.
  • Highlight Text: Adds a background color to the selected text.
  • Strike through: Cross selected text by creating a line through it.
  • Script: Type small letters below or above the text line.
  • Clear Formatting: Removes all formatting from selected text.

Using the Font group in Microsoft Word with a screen reader involves a series of keyboard commands and navigation techniques. Here are steps on how to use the Font group in Word with a screen reader:

Selecting Text:

Use your screen reader’s navigation commands to select the text you want to format (e.g., arrow keys, Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow, etc.).

Accessing the Font Group:

To access the Font group in the Home tab, you can use the following steps:

  1. Press Alt to activate the ribbon menu.
  2. Use arrow keys to navigate through the ribbon tabs until you reach the Home tab.
  3. Press Right Arrow to navigate within the Home tab, and you will eventually reach the Font group.

Changing Font Family, Size, and Style:

Once you’re in the Font group, you can adjust various font attributes.

  • Use the arrow keys to navigate through the available options:
  • Font Family: Arrow keys to select the desired font.
  • Font Size: Arrow keys to choose the font size.
  • Bold, Italic, Underline: Press Enter or Spacebar to toggle these styles on or off.
  • Font Color: This option may open a color picker dialog where you can select a color. Use your screen reader’s navigation commands to interact with this dialog.

Highlighting Text:

To highlight or change the background color of selected text:

  • In the Font group, find the “Text Highlight Color” button.
  • Press Enter or Spacebar to open the color options and select a highlight color.

Clearing Formatting:

If you want to remove formatting from selected text:

  • Select the text.
  • In the Font group, find the “Clear Formatting” button.
  • Press Enter or Spacebar to clear the formatting.

Font Dialog Box:

For more advanced font formatting options, you can open the Font dialog box:

  • Select the text you want to format.
  • In the Font group, find the “Font Dialog Box Launcher” button (often represented by a small arrow or box).
  • Press Enter or Spacebar to open the Font dialog box, where you can access additional font settings.

Paragraph Group:

  • Alignment: Aligns text to the left, centre, right, or justifies it.
  • Bullets and Numbering: Creates bulleted or numbered lists.
  • Line Spacing: Adjusts the spacing between lines of text.
  • Increase/Decrease Indent: Indents or outdents paragraphs.
  • Sort: Sorts selected text alphabetically or numerically.

Using the Paragraph group in Microsoft Word with a screen reader involves a series of keyboard commands and navigation techniques:

Selecting Text:

Use your screen reader’s navigation commands to select the text or paragraph you want to format (e.g., arrow keys, Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow, etc.).

Accessing the Paragraph Group:

To access the Paragraph group in the Home tab, you can use the following steps:

  1. Press Alt to activate the ribbon menu.
  2. Use arrow keys to navigate through the ribbon tabs until you reach the Home tab.
  3. Press Right Arrow to navigate within the Home tab, and you will eventually reach the Paragraph group.

Alignment and Indentation:

Once you’re in the Paragraph group, you can adjust various paragraph formatting options.

  • Use the arrow keys to navigate through the available options:
  • Alignment: Arrow keys to select left, centre, right, or justified alignment.
  • Bullets and Numbering: Press Enter or Spacebar to open a menu for creating bulleted or numbered lists.
  • Increase/Decrease Indent: Use these options to adjust the paragraph’s indentation.
  • Line Spacing: Press Enter or Spacebar to open a menu where you can choose line spacing options (e.g., single, 1.5 lines, double).

Sorting Text:

To sort selected text alphabetically or numerically:

  • Select the text you want to sort.
  • In the Paragraph group, find the “Sort” button.
  • Press Enter or Spacebar to open the Sort Text dialog, where you can specify sorting criteria.

Paragraph Dialog Box:

For more advanced paragraph formatting options, you can open the Paragraph dialog box:

  • Select the paragraph or text you want to format.
  • In the Paragraph group, find the “Paragraph Dialog Box Launcher” button (often represented by a small arrow or box).
  • Press Enter or Spacebar to open the Paragraph dialog box, where you can access additional paragraph settings.

Clearing Formatting:

If you want to remove paragraph formatting:

  • Select the paragraph or text.
  • In the Paragraph group, find the “Clear Formatting” button.
  • Press Enter or Spacebar to clear the formatting.

Styles Group:

  • Quick Styles: Provides predefined text styles that you can apply to your text.
  • Change Styles: Allows you to modify and create custom text styles.

Using styles in Microsoft Word with a screen reader is an important skill for creating accessible and well-structured documents. Styles help you format your document consistently and make it easier for screen reader users to navigate and understand your content. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use styles in MS Word with a screen reader:

  1. Open Microsoft Word: Launch Microsoft Word on your computer.
  2. Create or Open a Document: Either create a new document or open an existing one that you want to format using styles.
  3. Navigate to the “Home” Tab: Use your screen reader’s navigation commands to move to the “Home” tab on the Word ribbon. Most screen readers have shortcut keys for moving between the ribbon tabs.
  4. Select Text: Use your screen reader’s navigation commands to select the text you want to apply a style to. You can do this by placing the cursor at the beginning of the text and then using your screen reader’s selection commands.
  5. Open the Styles Group: Once you’ve selected the text, navigate to the “Styles” group. This group contains various style options.
  6. Choose a Style: Use your screen reader to explore the available styles in the Styles group. Typically, there are predefined styles like “Normal,” “Heading 1,” “Heading 2,” and so on. Choose the style that best fits your selected text. You can usually activate a style by pressing the Enter key while focused on it.
  7. Review and Edit Styles: If you want to review or edit the styles applied to different parts of your document, you can use the following steps:
    1. To check the style of a specific paragraph: Place the cursor within that paragraph and navigate back to the Styles group. Your screen reader will announce the current style applied to the paragraph.
    2. To modify a style: Navigate to the “Styles” group, locate the style you want to modify, and press the context menu key (usually Shift + F10) to open the context menu. From there, you can choose “Modify” to adjust the formatting options.
  8. Apply Styles Consistently: Continue applying styles to different parts of your document as needed. Consistency in style usage is essential for accessibility.
  9. Use Heading Styles: When creating headings, make sure to use the built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) for proper document structure. This helps screen readers understand the hierarchy of your content.
  10. Check Accessibility: After formatting your document with styles, it’s a good practice to run the built-in accessibility checker in Word to ensure your document is accessible to people with disabilities.
  11. Save and Share: Save your document and share it as needed. Properly styled documents are easier for everyone to read and understand.

Editing Group:

  • Find: Opens the Find and Replace dialog box for searching text.
  • Replace: Opens the Find and Replace dialog box for replacing text.
  • Select: Various options for selecting text in your document.
  • Editing Tools: Cut, Copy, Paste options with special formatting.

Using the “Editing” group in Microsoft Word with a screen reader allows you to perform various editing tasks within your documents. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the “Editing” group with a screen reader:

  1. Open Microsoft Word: Launch Microsoft Word on your computer.
  2. Create or Open a Document: Either create a new document or open an existing one that you want to edit.
  3. Navigate to the “Home” Tab: Use your screen reader’s navigation commands to move to the “Home” tab on the Word ribbon.
  4. Select Text: Use your screen reader’s navigation and selection commands to select the text you want to edit. You can do this by placing the cursor at the beginning of the text and then using your screen reader’s selection commands.
  5. Navigate to the “Editing” Group: Once you’ve selected the text, navigate to the “Editing” group, which is typically located within the “Home” tab. This group contains various editing options.
  6. Use Editing Options: Within the “Editing” group, you’ll find several common editing options, including:
    • Find: Use the “Find” command to search for specific text within your document. You can specify search criteria and navigate through the search results.
    • Replace: The “Replace” command lets you search for specific text and replace it with another text or formatting. You can specify the text to find and the text to replace it with.
    • Select: The “Select” command provides options for selecting specific elements within your document, such as selecting all text with similar formatting.
  7. Perform Editing Tasks: Activate the specific editing option you need by selecting it with your screen reader’s commands. For example, to cut text, navigate to the “Cut” option and activate it. To paste text, navigate to the location where you want to insert the text and activate the “Paste” option.
  8. Review Your Changes: After performing editing tasks, review your document to ensure that the changes were made as expected.
  9. Save Your Document: If you’re satisfied with your edits, save your document.

Shortcut Key Commands:

Here are some commonly used shortcut key commands for functions related to the “Home” tab in Microsoft Word. These shortcuts can help you perform various formatting and text manipulation tasks quickly without using the mouse.

  1. Bold: To make selected text bold, press Ctrl + B.
  2. Italicize: To italicize selected text, press Ctrl + I.
  3. Underline: To underline selected text, press Ctrl + U.
  4. Copy Text: To copy selected text or objects, press Ctrl + C.
  5. Cut Text: To cut selected text or objects, press Ctrl + X.
  6. Paste Text: To paste copied or cut text or objects, press Ctrl + V.
  7. Undo: To undo the last action, press Ctrl + Z.
  8. Redo: To redo an action that you’ve undone, press Ctrl + Y or Ctrl + Shift + Z.
  9. Select All: To select all text and objects in the document, press Ctrl + A.
  10. Find: To open the Find dialog and search for text, press Ctrl + F.
  11. Replace: To open the Replace dialog and find and replace text, press Ctrl + H.
  12. Align Text Left: To left-align selected text, press Ctrl + L.
  13. Center Text: To center-align selected text, press Ctrl + E.
  14. Align Text Right: To right-align selected text, press Ctrl + R.
  15. Justify Text: To justify selected text (align both left and right edges), press Ctrl + J.
  16. Increase Indentation: To increase the indentation of a paragraph, press Ctrl + M.
  17. Decrease Indentation: To decrease the indentation of a paragraph, press Ctrl + Shift + M.
  18. Change Font: To open the Font dialog and change font settings, press Ctrl + Shift + F.
  19. Change Font Size: To open the Font Size dialog and change font size, press Ctrl + Shift + P.
  20. Change Font Color: To open the Font Color dialog and change font color, press Alt + H, F, C.
  21. Change Highlight Color: To open the Highlight Color dialog and change the background color of selected text, press Alt + H, I, H.
  22. Clear Formatting: To remove formatting from selected text, press Ctrl + Spacebar.
  23. Applying heading levels: To apply heading levels, press Alt + Ctrl + 1 (for heading level 1). Heading levels could be applied up to 3 levels using the shortcut command.
  24. To demote heading levels: Select the data and press Alt + Shift + right arrow.
  25. To promote heading levels: Press Alt + Shift + left arrow.