Category: Geeks r Us
Does anyone else have terrible trouble with JAWS reading tables in Word 2016 (which comes as part of Office 365 subscription)? Tables where each row is bulleted are a complete nightmare, with each row apparently blank even when I know it isn't, and jumping right to the next column causing JAWS to read random parts of the table in the JAWS cursor voice. Same documents working fine on the Word 2010 I have at work.
System info: Win 10, 64 bit.
Does the table mode work, started with insert spacebar, and then t? I am not sure it would work, but it may be an idea to try. In general I find jaws is in decline. I hate to say that because it has been a life saver for me for 17 years, but I don't find the newer versions are holding up as well with current software as they did before.
Jaws 18 has the fixes. You don't say what version Jaws you have so.
Also, if you don't already have, Office has a new update and the latest version of Jaws adds new features for that too.
Go to FS website and read the whats new in Jaws section.
AH, thank you for the replies. Sorry, yes it's JAWS version 18, fully updated. Since the update it did improve performance a bit but it's still not working where each row is bulletted. I'll look again at whether my Office is up to date. Thank you forereel. Leaffan I agree with your comments, though I think it's partly how fundamentally Windows environments are changing – they are always playing catch-up. I think free products are genuinely becoming able to compete and FS will have to seriously address that. Had never heard of table mode so grateful for that suggestion.
Actually FS has been working with Microsoft directly lately.
An example of this is one your computer is ready for the new Windows update, your Jaws will add features that aren't available to you if you've not updated.
So, they are supposed to be ahead actually, not playing catch up.
Even the Edge is supposed to be able to work well. They have a podcast or whatever on FSCast web page,
http://www.freedomscientific.com/About/FSCast
Fair enough that's interesting. Either way it wasn't a complaint about FS. I think they're a very good company and very responsive to customer feedback.
I think the issue is that there are just so many shortcuts, that it's kind of hard to try to remember all of them. That's why it might be advisable when for instance,, you're trying to look at a specific feature of a program, to go through the JAWS help topics and see what keystrokes they have which might be of use to you. The search feature can help a little with that, but not much since the way it works requires you to be a bit too specific at times in my opinion.