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Re: Using JAWS with Boot Camp on a Mac

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From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Apr 20, 2015 8:03PM

> RE: mapping the JAWS key, I think that's fixable if indeed it's a problem. One solution is to install an external keyboard that has the Windows and Mac keys on it to accommodate both operating systems.

I occasionally run a Windows screen reader on VMWare Fusion with Windows 7 and ran into the issue with insert and capslock being modifier keystroke with the MacBook Air keyboard. My solution was to get a numberpad with an insert key. It's smaller than carrying around a whole keyboard.

Jonathan

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Jonathan Avila
Chief Accessibility Officer
SSB BART Group
<EMAIL REMOVED>

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-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Chagnon | PubCom
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2015 6:12 PM
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Using JAWS with Boot Camp on a Mac

<< Is Bootcamp itself accessible? >>
I don't know for sure.

But with Bootcamp, you set it up once, install Windows and your software once, and that's it. You don't have to do anything else after that, other than choose to launch Windows or Apple when the computer starts up.

Technically, the user holds down the Option/Alt key when pressing the computer's power button, and keeps it down until 2 icons appear, one for Mac the other for Windows. Choose the operating system you want and voila! You're at your standard Windows or Apple desktop (or login if you have that set up).

The only part of this that might not be accessible is when the OS icons appear after the computer starts. Since neither OS has launched at that time, I doubt a screen reader has also launched to voice out the icons on the screen. But then again, maybe a minimized Voice Over is available at that point, too.

But this might be easy to overcome. There's really nothing other than the 2 icons on the screen, Mac or Windows, and sometimes a third "recovery" drive icon. Arrow left/right will select either operating system. The icons don't change, so once you know which icon is Windows, which is Mac, you can then arrow to the correct icon and launch the appropriate operating system. Once the operating system launches, you're at the usual desktop and your A.T. should kick in as planned.

RE: mapping the JAWS key, I think that's fixable if indeed it's a problem. One solution is to install an external keyboard that has the Windows and Mac keys on it to accommodate both operating systems.

--Bevi Chagnon

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Lynn Holdsworth
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2015 2:48 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Using JAWS with Boot Camp on a Mac

Is Bootcamp itself accessible? I used Parallels for a while, but couldn't get the Jaws key mapped so gave up and went back to 2 machines.

> On 20 Apr 2015, at 17:51, Chagnon | PubCom < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
> We run Apple BootCamp on all our Macs at my office. Various versions of Windows are installed on them: Win 7 32-bit and Win 7 Pro 64-bit. We don't have 8.1 running on any of them.
>
> Once installed, the Macs boot up into Windows just like an ordinary PC. The Windows OS runs natively--that is the Apple OS is not running, and Windows is not running in emulation mode (other software like Parallels which run Windows in emulation mode). The Apple keyboard is mapped to the Windows keyboard (although on some keyboards, it can be confusing to figure out at first where the Windows' Alt and Control keys have been mapped to).
>
> JAWS runs and operates just as it does on regular PCs. No difference that we've found.
>
> Bottom line: when you use BootCamp to install and run Windows on a Macintosh, you're just running Windows. Nothing's different.
>
> --Bevi Chagnon
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On
> Behalf Of Moore,Michael (DARS)
> Sent: Monday, April 20, 2015 12:25 PM
> To: WebAIM Discussion List
> Subject: [WebAIM] Using JAWS with Boot Camp on a Mac
>
> We have a consumer who would like to use JAWS with BootCamp on a Mac? Can anyone provide some resources/information on how well this works, system requirements, etc.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike Moore
> Accessibility Coordinator,
> Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services
> (512) 424-4159 (Office)
> (512) 574-0091 (Cell)