New Mac user needing some help.

I hope you enjoy using your Mac.

On the homepage of AppleVis, you will find a Getting Started heading. Under this heading there is a section for resources on getting started with your Mac.

Also, you might find some audio tutorials helpful. Mac For the Blind sells audio tutorials on learning to use the Mac and iOS devices using VoiceOver. Mac for the Blind also offers one-on-one training in the use of the Mac, iOS and other blindness-specific assistive technologies.

National Braille Press sells a book on learning the Mac with VoiceOver. This book is available in several formats including braille, eBraille, Word and DAISY, and will be updated soon to cover El Capitain, the latest version of OS X. I am not sure if the book has already been updated, but it was updated for Yosemite, the previous version of OS X, so it will probably be fairly up-to-date anyway.

You might also find the free book "Mastering the Mackintosh" by Tim Sniffen in the iBooks store helpful. Another book, free on the iBooks store is "iSee" by David Woodbridge, though this book is a little out of date, but David Woodbridge has said that he will update it.

One device you might find helpful is a magic trackpad. This is a bluetooth device that acts as a multitouch surface for OS X. Once paired with your iMac, activate the trackpad commander by pressing the VO keys and rotating clockwise with two fingers on the trackpad. Use similar gestures to control Voiceover on the Mac.

Also, on the mac, to switch between open apps, press command tab. To hear the window in focus, press VO f 2. Use this combination twice for the window chooser menu, which displays a list of all open windows for the current app.

HTH

I also found the free book by tim useful.
I use a mac book pro.
Does this mean that it's not possible to enable the trackpad commander on the iMac so the magic trackpad must be purchased separately?

I've never seen one and just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly.

hi, in VoiceOver help thre is some thing that's cold VoiceOver tutorial or get started wen you press on ctrl and options f8 the VoiceOver tutorial wil open. you can to kno sounds of VoiceOver choosing in the suteble option.

Perhaps you mean alt plus tab to move between windows. This is done the very same way but using command plus tab.
As for insert T, you can see which window you are on by pressing VO keys plus command plus f2. For the VO keys you can choose between using ctrl plus option( also called alt), or the Caps Lock key. You can choose the preferred VoiceOver modifier key in the VoiceOver utility, VO plus f8. I think both caps lock and ctrl plus option are enabled by default.

A comment about switching windows that I had to find out myself, because nobody ever talks about it. Command + Tab is great for switching between apps, but if you're anything like me, you'd like an easy way to switch between open windows within an application (i.e. multiple Text Edit documents). The Window Chooser is all anyone ever talks about, but this adds an unnecessary step. In most apps, Command + ` (the key to the left of 1 on the top row of alphanumeric keys) switches between windows. Super convenient.

Also, clarification for Liz: the iMac doesn't have a trackpad, just a mouse, hence why you'd need to purchase a Magic Trackpad in order to use Trackpad Commander with an iMac.

Like several have said, I would get a track pad. As someone who used IOS devices long before Mac OS, I still use my track pad a lot more than keyboard commands. Of course, this is up to personal preference. For me, trackpad use just helped me use the mac without a learning curve out of the box. To switch between windows with trackpad, you use a two finger, verticle, double tap on the left side of your trackpad. I use that a good deal. Feel free to email me if you need any extra help.
[email protected]

Hi Lisa
I don't know if there a possible way to set up
however That I seen over the time sometimes voiceOver does by default when opened the page at safari just don't press anything on the device but
how VoiceOver to begin reading the page
the command is
VO A
control option A

Open VoiceOver utility and arrow down till you find internet. There choose the "page loading" tap, and choose between read a page sumary, the full page or nothing.

As for the trackpad, if you can afford it go for it, but you can live without it. Touch gestures are quite useful and sometimes make things easier but you can live without them. It is a matter of money.

Hello rAul,

Thank you for the clarification.
and I have also learned that you can control VO's reading in safari.
I'm glad to elran something new today.

Liz

Hi All,
I love forums like this, as it reminds me how different we all are in our likes and preferences.
When I moved over to the Mac from Windows the very first thing that I did was go out and buy a Trackpad. I simply couldn't imagine using this great new piece of kit without one.
Fast forward a little bit and I honestly couldn't tell you the last time that I used it. In fact, just writing this post prompted a hurried search of my office just to locate the thing*.
This is not to say that it doesn't do it's job well or that in the Rock?Scissors/Paper game of life that keyboard beats trackpad** It's just that we all interact with our devices differently.,
Thanks all for sharing and reminding me that there are many ways to skim a Mac...
Cheers,

@SeaNoEvil00
* For those playing along at home, it was being used as a paperweight on the back shelf...
** Which, as we now know, covers paper...