• Guess what? @DHSHolly and @DhsDarcy just added 17 more apps to the accessible iphone apps list http://tinyurl.com/mxlzqf #iphoneaccess # 24 hours ago
• News: Apple Posts iPhone Manual for VoiceOver Users http://www.lioncourt.com/?p=443 # 2009/07/02
• News: The MacCast Podcast Spotlights iPhone Accessibility http://www.lioncourt.com/?p=441 # 2009/07/02
• @grtdane We have not received any info that MacSpeech is no longer accessible with VoiceOver, but do not have a copy to test, either. # 2009/07/01
• News: MacSpeech Dictate Legal Ships http://www.lioncourt.com/?p=439 # 2009/07/01

Mac-cessibility Quick Tips are a weekly feature of Lioncourt.com to help blind and visually impaired Mac users improve their computing experience. Not all tips will be specific to VoiceOver, and most will apply to both Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Now, on to this week’s tip.

Many applications on the Mac sport a toolbar which provides quick access to common commands, or else access to commands that are not readily available anywhere else. Toolbars are also common in application Preference windows to house buttons that switch from page to page within the preferences. Many users don’t realize that you don’t need to navigate to the toolbar with VoiceOver and, in the case of Leopard, interact with it. Instead, simply use the Mac OS X hot key Control-F5 to jump directly to the first item on the toolbar. You can then use VoiceOver to navigate through the controls on the toolbar, or else tab through them. No interaction required.

Mac-cessibility Quick Tips are a weekly feature of Lioncourt.com. They provide useful tips and tricks for improving the Mac experience for blind and visually impaired users. Not all tips will be VoiceOver specific, and most will apply to both Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

Need a quick way to jump to form fields on a web page, such as edit boxes for user names and passwords, buttons, checkboxes, etc? Here’s two ways to get this functionality. The first works in both Tiger or Leopard, the second is a new feature exclusive to VoiceOver in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

1. In Safari, open the Preferences window with Command-Comma.
2. Click the "Advanced" button to view the advanced options in this window. If you are using VoiceOver with Leopard, you will need to interact with the toolbar to find this button.
3. Check the checkbox labeled "Press tab to highlight each item on a web page."
4. Close this window with Command-W.

Now when you’re browsing, you can use Option-Tab to jump to any form fields and controls on a web page. Tab alone will move you through links and other elements.

If you are running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you may also use the new "Jump to Control" feature in VoiceOver. To jump through the controls, use VO-Command-J to move forward, or VO-Command-Shift-J to move back.

Happy browsing!

Apple released a free update to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard today. This update, (10.5.1), provides a wide array of bug fixes and other changes as detailed in this Apple support document. At this time, we are not aware of any accessibility enhancements or changes as a result of applying this update. If you find any, let us know. The update is free and recommended for all Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard users. To update your machine, choose the "Software Update" option in the Apple menu.

Yesterday, Apple released the long rumored update to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. 10.4.11 offers thirty-nine security fixes and numerous other enhancements and changes to Tiger. Of interest to VoiceOver users will be the final version of Safari 3.0. In previous betas, Apple’s web browser had some improved access with VoiceOver under Tiger. While these improvements were nowhere near as extensive as those found with Safari 3 in Leopard, it should prove to enhance your browsing experience. If you have additional information about any accessibility enhancements or problems with Mac OS X 10.4.11, please let us know. For full details on the changes in this update, click here.