Now that we know how to use our web browser, let's cover some basic commands that can help you read text and navigate to key areas of a web page.
Skip Links
Many web pages have "Skip Links" at the top of the web site that will quickly jump you to the main content of a page. When you open a new web page, a skip link will be the first thing you find after pressing the down arrow or the Tab key (if a skip link is present). Press Enter to activate the skip link, and you can skip over lots of clutter and get right to the important information on a page. *Not all websites will have skip links available.
Reading Commands
Reading text on web pages is just like reading text in a document. We can use the same reading commands to work through text on a web page, select and copy text, or jump to the beginning or end of web page. Believe it or not, if you can master these reading commands, you'll be well on the way to navigating the internet with JAWS.
| Task | Keyboard Command |
|---|---|
| Move to previous/next element or line of text | Up/down arrow |
| Move to the previous or next character | Left/right arrow |
| Move to previous or next word | Ctrl + left/right arrow |
| Move to previous or next paragraph | Ctrl + down/up arrow |
| Read all from current position, JAWS specific | JAWS + down arrow (Desktop) or JAWS + A (Laptop) |
| Go to top of page | Ctrl + home |
| Go to bottom of page | Ctrl + end |