Category: Jaws

Working efficiently in Microsoft Word requires more than just typing and basic navigation. Word includes a wide range of tools that help you search through text, skim documents quickly, select large sections of content, and manage formatting more effectively. For screen reader users, these tools are especially valuable because they rely heavily on keyboard commands and structured navigation.

This guide introduces practical techniques for finding and replacing text, skim reading, navigating large documents, using bookmarks, highlighting content, selecting large text blocks, and managing formatting issues such as pasted content and special characters. Mastering these tools can significantly improve both speed and accuracy when working with documents.

Microsoft Word includes many advanced features that help you create complex and well-structured documents. While many users focus on basic typing and formatting, Word also provides powerful tools for inserting images, organizing documents with sections, generating tables of contents, and formatting text into multiple columns. These features are especially helpful when preparing reports, books, newsletters, or other structured documents.

For screen reader users, these tools are accessible through keyboard shortcuts and structured dialog boxes. Understanding how they work can make document creation much more efficient and accessible. The following guide explains several important Word features that are often used in more advanced documents.

Writing academic or professional documents often requires careful citation of sources. While citations and bibliographies are essential for maintaining credibility and avoiding plagiarism, formatting them correctly can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating. Fortunately, Microsoft Word provides built-in tools that simplify the process of creating, organizing, and managing references. These tools are especially useful for screen reader users because they are accessible through keyboard shortcuts and structured dialogs.

This guide explains how to create citations, insert previously created references, generate bibliographies, edit and update sources, adjust bibliography formatting, and transfer citation libraries between computers. The goal is to help users work efficiently while maintaining accessibility and consistency in their documents.

Footnotes and endnotes are perfect for adding extra facts, statistical details, or citations without cluttering your main text. Footnotes sit right above the bottom margin of the page, which is completely different from footers that sit below the margin. Endnotes, on the other hand, wait until the very end of your document or chapter to make their appearance. We will focus mostly on footnotes since they are the most commonly used format, but the rules apply closely to both.

Tables are a bit like a double edged sword in the world of document design. When used correctly, they present complex data with a clarity that standard text simply cannot match. However, for those of us using screen readers, a poorly constructed table can feel like a labyrinth without a map. To keep your documents professional and accessible, it is best to follow a few golden rules. First, try to limit your tables to no more than five or six narrow columns. Any more than that and the table risks exploding off the physical page margins, making it a mess for sighted readers and a headache for you to manage. Additionally, if your data involves heavy calculations, it is often smarter to do the heavy lifting in Excel and import the results into Word later. While Word handles text beautifully, Excel is the true champion of numbers.

Styles are among the most powerful tools in Microsoft Word for ensuring consistent formatting and effortless navigation. For screen reader users, headings are more than just visual markers; they are the structural skeleton of your document. By defining different heading levels, such as Heading 1 for parts of a book and Heading 2 for chapters, you create a clear hierarchy that allows anyone reading your work to understand how information is organized. This approach is far more efficient than formatting every single title manually. If you were writing a long report, manually changing every font and spacing setting could take hours and lead to mistakes. Using styles allows you to automate the process, which is a major advantage for visually impaired writers who cannot simply eyeball the page to catch inconsistencies.

Creating lists is a fundamental skill for organizing your documents. Whether you are listing ingredients for a recipe or outlining a project plan, Word offers two primary ways to set your items apart from standard paragraph text. Bulleted lists, often called unordered lists, are perfect for when the sequence of items does not matter. On the other hand, numbered lists, known as ordered lists, are essential when the specific order is vital for the reader to follow correctly.

Navigating Microsoft Word effectively often comes down to how you interact with the Ribbon. While the Ribbon was designed to make commands visually accessible for sighted users, it can sometimes feel like a maze for those using screen readers. Understanding how the Ribbon is structured, and when to bypass it, is the key to a smooth workflow.