Steve Kelley
A Mac Classic, quite an antique these days, was my introduction to the world of Apple in the early 1990s. I had been using an IBM 8088 with a 10 MB hard drive running DOS in my office. The Mac was completely different, offering graphics, a mouse, and what seemed like a more intuitive, inviting interface. The IBM got the job done, but it seemed like the user had to conform to the machine. The Mac, on the other hand, just seemed to understand the user better.
Fast-forward many years to 2005, when Apple introduced VoiceOver as a screen reader in Mac OS 10.4 Tiger, a full five years behind the introduction of Narrator, Microsoft's screen reader for Windows. Perhaps because of some of the third-party screen readers available for Windows at that time, Narrator lacked the features needed to be an all-around, everyday screen reader. Apple's VoiceOver, although a bit late to the onboard screen reader game, immediately made the Mac more accessible right off the shelf.
As a result, the Mac developed a reputation for being the more accessible computer.
For those who want to learn more about the world of Mac accessibility with VoiceOver, there is certainly a community of enthusiastic users, like you'll find at AppleVis, but the availability of training seems more limited than what's available for Windows screen readers, like JAWS and Narrator.
Fortunately, writer Janet Ingber's latest Mac tutorial, Mac Basics for the Beginning User: Mac OS 11 Big Sur Update, published by National Braille Press (NBP), is a comprehensive guide to get the Mac beginner up and running with VoiceOver. Ingber is an experienced VoiceOver user who has authored several previous Mac tutorials, so readers will find that this book covers not only the latest Mac operating system update, Big Sur, but older versions of the operating system as well.
Book Layout
From the opening pages of the book, Ingber's comprehensive familiarity with previous versions of the Mac operating system, and with Windows, enables her to address both the new computer user starting out with a Mac, and Windows users who may be learning the Mac for the first time. Readers familiar with a previous version of the Mac OS, and new to the most recent update, Mac OS Big Sur, will find this a useful guide to many of the changes.
Mac Basics for the Beginning User is divided into over 120 sections within 46 pages, many just a few paragraphs long, as the book moves from getting the Mac set up for the first time, to setting up an email account, getting around a webpage, working with PDF files, and creating a text document. The book is packed with keyboard shortcuts and tips from an experienced user, yet is sensitive to the needs of the beginner. For example, clarification for those using a Touch Bar on their newer Mac Books and for those with a row of function keys, and a quick jump into Getting Help, including the phone number and website for Apple Accessibility, are all found conveniently in the first pages.
Focus on VoiceOver
Mac Basics for the Beginning User is almost exclusively focused on learning the basics while using the Mac's screen reader, VoiceOver. There is very little information offered for the beginner on other accessibility features such as the Zoom screen magnifier and display settings for low vision. For this low vision Mac user, the many keyboard shortcuts, and explanation of the basic Mac concepts, such as the File Explorer, Dock, VoiceOver Utility, etc., are thorough and understandable, whether or not VoiceOver or the mouse is used. For example, this writer, after many years using Windows, is routinely confounded by file management using the Mac Finder. Learning the shortcuts from the book, such as Command + Option + L to go directly to the Download folder in Finder and Command + Shift + H to go right to the Home folder made it so much easier to navigate in the Finder application. That said, beginners looking for more extensive information on accessibility features beyond VoiceOver, will want to supplement this book with additional information, such as that found on the Mac Accessibility website.
Information as Needed
Mac Basics for the Beginning User is written to get readers going on their Macs quickly. By keeping the sections short and direct, Ingber interjects information where needed as the book progresses to more comprehensive topics like email, the VoiceOver Utility, and creating a text document. For example, on page 4, in the section " Quickly Adjusting VoiceOver Speech Settings, readers learn how to change the basic VoiceOver settings, while a deeper dive into the VoiceOver preferences comes later in several sections devoted to the VoiceOver Utility. Ingber offers readers the information they need to move on to the next section without getting overloaded.
In the section "Power Options on Your Computer," Ingber gives readers the heads-up that the next several sections will consist primarily of System Preferences. For those who want to get right into the email section, the book is designed so readers can jump ahead to that section, and fine-tune their System Preferences later by returning to the skipped chapters.
Shortcuts and Handy Tips
Sections like "Commands for Navigating Web Pages," "Web Rotor," "Navigating with the Trackpad," and "Navigating Using VO Keys," are all packed with the most-used keyboard shortcuts and helpful tips, like this tip in the "Commands for Navigating Web Pages" section:
The Tab key will move you through all elements on a web page. Shift-Tab will move you backward through the elements. If, for some reason this feature is not working, do the following: * Open Safari preferences with Command-, (comma) * Tab to the advanced tab and select it with VO-spacebar. * VO-Right Arrow to "Press Tab to highlight each item on a web page." If the checkbox is not checked, check it with VO-Spacebar.
Additionally, Ingber is quick to point out alternative methods for performing tasks. In the section "Accessing System Preferences," readers discover an alternative way to open System Preferences. The first shortcut is to open the Apple menu using VO + M (the VO, or VoiceOver, keys are the Control and Option keys held down at the same time). Once in the menu, use the Down Arrow key to get to System Preferences and select it with VO + Spacebar. Here, the author includes the following alternative, "You can also go to the dock with VO-D and then type the letters "sys." This should bring you to System Preferences." This is just one example of many alternative approaches found throughout the book.
Try it While You Read
Mac for Beginners is written in a way that invites reinforcing interactivity for readers with a Mac nearby. For example, in the "Sound" section, the author introduces us to the Sound Effects tab in the System Preferences menu. This includes interacting with a table using many of the navigational keystrokes described earlier in the book. The alert volume setting uses a slider to adjust volume level, and readers are guided through the process of how to do so:
When you get to the volume level, you will be on a slider. Treat it like a table. Interact with it using Shift-VO-Down Arrow. Use the Up and Down Arrow to review your choices. You do not have to use the VO keys, but you can. After making your choice, get out of the slider with Shift-VO-Up Arrow.
Again, this is just one example of many that reads as though an instructor was looking over the reader's shoulder as they learned a new task on the Mac, step by step.
Mac OS Big Sur Updates
There is no specific section devoted to Mac OS Big Sur updates, these are all interwoven into more of a task-specific context. In the section "Exploring the Screen," readers explore the Menu Bar using VO + M and the Arrow keys. Big Sur introduces a new way of opening the context menu, introduced as part of this process:
Check out the contextual menu either by typing Shift-VO-M, or if using BigSur, bring up the actions menu with VO-Command-Spacebar. Then use the Down Arrow to go to Show Menu and select it with VO-Spacebar.
Introducing the changes to Big Sur as they came up in the Control Panel, App Store, Menu Extras, etc., made the directions easier to follow for readers, regardless of which OS they are using.
Wrap Up
Organizing the basic elements of the Mac operating system when using VoiceOver, and integrating the changes of a new operating system, is no easy task. While the focus of Mac Basics for the Beginning User on using VoiceOver may be less appealing for a low vision user, Janet Ingber's description and instruction of the basic Mac elements, like System Preferences, menus, Finder, Safari, etc., are useful for any beginner. With a focus on VoiceOver, this book is really essential reading for the Mac newbie using a screen reader. Ingber's organizational style, with the emphasis on tasks and presenting new information on an as-needed basis, will enable the beginning Mac user to make progress from the very first pages of the book, whichever operating system they are using.
Product Information
Mac Basics for the Beginning User: Mac OS 11 Big Sur Update, by Janet Ingber, is published by National Braille Press.
Price: $12.00-$14.50
Formats: Braille, DAISY (download), DAISY (on USB drive), eBraile (download), eBraile (on USB drive), Word file (download), Word file (on USB drive)
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
Related Articles:
- Book Review: Personal Power: iOS Edition, by Michael Feir
- What's New in MacOS Big Sur by Janet Ingber
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