You are about to learn the secret that all visually impaired computer users who are successfully surfing the web already know!
It is really quite simple...
Visually impaired people who navigate the Internet with a high level of success have learned to do so by reading a lot of web pages.
That is it!
That is the secret.
This may sound too simplistic, but it really isn't. Like any newly learned skill, it is mastered by doing it over and over and over again. So that is what this first exercise is intended to help you with.
Below are the links to about two dozen web pages. You are going to click on each one of these links and then read the ENTIRE page that loads. Yes, read all of it! No skipping past boring lists of links, long graphic names, information that seems completely useless etc. And, just for now, no clicking on any of the links found on these pages. The objective here is to learn to read web pages, not to learn to interact with them at this point. Those very important skills will be practiced in upcoming exercises.
It is of course unrealistic to try to read all of these pages in one sitting. Most people can get through them in about a week by reading 3 or 4 pages a day. Some of them will take 2 or 3 minutes to read, and others will take up to 15 minutes to get through. It is not necessary to read the pages in the order that they are listed. And it isn't necessary to reread any of the pages unless there is interesting text on them that you would like to hear again. You will always be able to return to this exercise as you learn more about web page reading and interact with these pages as your interest dictates. Some of these pages may be encountered in subsequent exercises through out this tutorial.
To get started, move to the first link on this page and activate it. Then, beginning at the top of the screen, start reading from there. Avoid using the Say All command if you are using JAWS or VoiceOver as this will cause the process of reading the page to seem boring and monotone. By moving line by line through the page the nuances of how the screen reader interprets a line within the browser will become evident. Also, the various web page elements will be announced to assist you in understaing what is on the page and how you will interact with it.
After reading the entire page that loads you will be able to return to this page by selecting the BACK button. There are keyboard commands and VoiceOver gestures for this. Besure to become familiar with these as you will be using them a lot.