brianhartgen's blog

This message was originally posted to the Leasey email list.

Hi to all

Leasey version 3.3 build 68 is now available. Please read this message carefully as it contains important information.
You may like to keep it for reference.

The changes in this version of Leasey will be outlined below, although they are fully described in the documentation. In addition, early next week, two in depth LeaseyBite audio and text tutorials will be available detailing the changes and how to use the new features.
If you use LeaseyCuts extensively, significant changes have been made in this area, see below. If you feel you may need tuition on this point, we suggest you do not upgrade until the audio tutorial is available on this subject.

This is the first version of Leasey to accommodate JAWS 2018 and all JAWS updates going forward. You will find that JAWS updates will become more frequent during the ensuing months, and what we have done in this version of Leasey is to ensure that it can be installed into this new version of JAWS and upwards including 2019 etc as we head into next year.
We are doing our very best to look ahead, so by the time we get to this time in 2018, people should not be asking why Leasey isn’t installing into the new version of JAWS. This has been a very challenging time for us and we hope all goes smoothly from this point forward.

For those people using JAWS 2018, you will need to head to our website and download the version of Leasey you are licensed for, Total Package or Advanced. Despite me asking people not to, some people yesterday still used the JAWS 2018 migrate settings feature and caused themselves some real difficulty. We have tried to take care of this in the installer if you are one of those people.

If you are not running JAWS 2018 right now, you can check for updates in the usual way and the build should come down to you. However, if you are reliant on the human generated speech prompts in Leasey Total, I recommend you download the new installer and run that. This is because on some machines, elevated permissions are required to install the speech prompts and they are not being brought down using check for updates. We cannot take that risk at the moment in putting the human speech prompts in check for updates.
This is an issue which will be resolved in future releases.

In summary, if in any doubt, download the installer and run it. You cannot do any harm that way. Installing over the top of your existing version will be just fine.

Unless anything is spectacularly wrong, this will be the last major Leasey update for 2017. I think we’ve come a very long way with Leasey this year with many new features and improvements and we hope you continue to enjoy using the product.

What to Do if You Have a Problem.

Leasey is installed on hundreds of machines around the world. I am the only person dealing with Leasey technical support, so please bare that in mind. If you have a problem, please do not use social media to let us know. That is the wrong place for dealing with such queries. Please email support@leaseycentral.com, and in this way, your issues can be tracked and dealt with properly. If something needs to be fixed via a further small update, it can be dealt with much better this way.

If you need assistance with installing Leasey, for example if you do not have the knowledge to install a program, please let us know so that we can arrange a support call. Again, please be patient.

And lastly, the changes in this version. Do enjoy using this latest release of Leasey!

New in Build 68.

Improved support for iTunes 12.7. This has been enhanced in many areas. As of this writing, an archive of a training course in the use of iTunes is available for those who would like to purchase it. Students who completed the training class benefited from over 7 hours of tuition. Please consult the Training page on our website for details.
LeaseyRadio now contains full access to all the radio stations in the Shoutcast directory. In addition to you being able to listen to the existing radio stations Leasey has available, you can browse through, or search, thousands of radio stations which are part of Shoutcast's directory. Browse by category, or search for a radio station, musical artist or song title. If you search for a song, Leasey will bring back a list of all stations playing the track. As you browse through any station, for example by genre, Leasey will not only tell you the station name but also the song playing on the station. This gives you the opportunity of you being able to easily select something you'd like to hear. A LeaseyBite will be produced to demonstrate this feature. Press Leasey Key then R to check it out.

As stated in the documentation, if a few stations do not play in Shoutcast, please do not contact us. Clearly if absolutely none of them work, that is a different matter entirely. But if you find some stations do play and some do not, that is outside of our control. Some stations are listed in the Shoutcast directory which are no longer in operation or which are temporarily not streaming. You can usually tell if a station is streaming content because, as you browse the station listings, you will find we have included the song title playing at the time you access the list. That is a very good indicator that it is streaming content.

LeaseyCuts have had many changes. Again, these changes will be demonstrated in a LeaseyBite. LeaseyCuts pointing to web pages are now in their own separate list for easier access, accessed by pressing the Leasey Key then Control+Semicolon, and they are browser specific. So if you create the LeaseyCut, and Firefox was running at the time, that is the browser which will be used to launch the site in the future. These days, people want to choose the browser to work with specific sites.
Our recommended browsers are Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.
If you do use Firefox, check out this useful blog post about its future.

Pressing the Leasey Key then Shift+Dash will allow you to set the JAWS behaviour when a LeaseyAlert is focused. This behaviour is now independent of LeaseyPoints.

Hi to all

This brief newsletter which we release from time to time just keeps you updated with what is happening at Hartgen Consultancy and when products are scheduled to be updated or released.

JAWS 2018.

According to VFO's excellent FSCast podcast, JAWS version 2018 is scheduled for release at some point next week.

J-Dictate and Other Tools.

Our J-Dictate product is already updated and available for download now to accommodate JAWS 2018. If you have kept your original purchase Email, containing the links to the J-Dictate product, you can go ahead and get the installer so you are all set for the JAWS 2018 official release.

J-Dictate in German is now almost complete and was recently demonstrated at a conference in Germany. We look forward to officially releasing it.

For those people who have in the past attended our training courses for GoldWave and Reaper, you will find that the necessary JAWS scripts used during the training have been updated for version 2018. And, if you use our free scripts for Sonos devices, they too have been updated.

Leasey.

The next version of Leasey should be available on the same day as JAWS 2018. This will enable you to install the product alongside JAWS 2018. In addition, you'll find the following new features:

• Enhanced support for iTunes 12.7.
• LeaseyRadio now contains full access to all the radio stations in the Shoutcast directory. In addition to you being able to listen to the existing radio stations Leasey has available, you can browse through, or search, thousands of radio stations which are part of Shoutcast's directory. Browse by category, or search for a radio station, musical artist or song title. If you search for a song, Leasey will bring back a list of all stations playing the track. As you browse through any station, for example by genre, Leasey will not only tell you the station name but also the song playing on the station. This gives you the opportunity of you being able to easily select something you'd like to hear. A LeaseyBite will be produced to demonstrate this feature.
• LeaseyCuts have had many changes. Again, these changes will be demonstrated in a LeaseyBite. LeaseyCuts pointing to web pages are now in their own separate list for easier access, and they are browser specific. So if you create the LeaseyCut, and Firefox was running at the time, that is the browser which will be used to launch the site in the future. These days, people want to choose the browser to work with specific sites.
• There are also other small features, all of which will become clear as we launch the Leasey update.

StationPlaylist Studio.

StationPlaylist Studio version 5.3 is soon to be released. We already have a comprehensive set of JAWS scripts to work with this version, including new features. These include accessibility improvements for version 5.3 itself. We'll publish the full list of changes and improvements on our website at the appropriate time, but the scripts will be available within a matter of hours following release of the product. These scripts have been tested in live broadcasting situations, voice-tracking environments and in 24-hour a day automation, all with truly excellent results.

J-Say.

For those who use our J-Say product, we expect version 16 to be available during early December as happened last year. In addition to being compatible with JAWS 2018, we have a number of new features planned for this product which we're very excited about.

Training.

Please don't forget to visit our Training page. This year we've delivered a number of online training classes, the archives of which can all still be purchased. Look through the list and see if there's anything you'd like to learn about.

We look forward to the coming months and continuing to deliver high quality products for users of JAWS! As you can tell, there's a lot going on!

Since we launched Hartgen Consultancy in December 2014, we made a very public commitment. This was that we would do our very best to provide savings on products when we possibly could. We started by cutting £150 from the cost of our J-Say product, and since then, we have introduced low-cost training courses, created a relatively inexpensive voice dictation product called J-Dictate, and we will soon be launching a version of J-Dictate in German with J-Say to follow.

Now, it is Leasey's turn. We're so very glad that Leasey is being used by hundreds of people around the world; not just computer beginners but particularly people who consider themselves to be JAWS power users. Leasey not only provides JAWS users with many new features regularly, but also improves efficiency for all manner of tasks. More about that below.

As a company, we're now in a position to offer Leasey permanently at lower prices. We hope this means that even more people can get access to the many features she provides. We would very much like to thank all the people who have supported us to get the product off the ground, purchasing Leasey at its original price over the years, because this has made it possible for us to reduce the cost to the blindness community as a whole. The users who purchased Leasey at its opening prices have, we feel, been very well compensated, as no charges have been applied to upgrades, of which there have been many. Of course we would also like to thank our loyal beta testers, who invest hours of time each month to testing Leasey, suggesting improvements and providing other feedback. In summary, however you support us, especially through social media, we sincerely thank you. Launching a sustainable business, and product such as Leasey, is no easy task and we're very glad to receive the support that we do.

Now to the prices. The cost of Leasey Total Package is now £75 which is approximately 100 American dollars. The cost of Leasey Advanced is now £50 which is approximately 62 American dollars. The cost of multi-user Leasey versions have also been changed to reflect this.

Anyone who has purchased a product through LeaseyPlan, (where it was possible to buy the product over a number of months), should contact us so we can assist you in converting your authorisation to a full version.

In summary, we feel that Leasey is the ideal companion to JAWS. We remember the days when with each new JAWS release, there were so many new features to assist the average consumer. It was something to look forward to each year: a little like Christmas, where there was something new to unwrap. While the JAWS developers work very hard on each new major version change, they have their work cut out to keep pace with major Microsoft Office and Windows changes. If its features that you want, Leasey is the product you need. We produced a major update with many new features in July of this year, and we have another very significant update to come before the end of 2017, including enhanced support for the Google Chrome web browser, considerably enhanced radio directory, and much more. To be part of the new features when the next Leasey release hits the ground, be sure to get Leasey today to be in at the cutting edge!

Using iTunes and JAWS for Windows to manage your music, hear the radio, and enjoy movies, TV and podcasts.

Introduction.

"It's a resource hog". "It's slow to load". "It gets updated frequently and I don't know if I'll still be able to access it with JAWS". "I cannot find the content I want to hear".

Those are just some of the feelings people express about iTunes for Windows from Apple. But nevertheless, it's been around for 16 years, and it is the world leader if you want to purchase the latest song or album quickly, even if you don't intend to use iTunes itself to play it. No wonder, as there are over 30 million songs available to buy through the iTunes Store, and not all of them are by the band U2 or about Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriends! Apple have made iTunes the largest music retailer on the planet and designed a concept which is perfect for our "Instant Gratification" culture.

But in adddition, there's no denying that iTunes is a complete music management system. Not only can you find the items you want, but you can also have songs uploaded to listen to on other devices, import CD's into the program, create playlists for that party you're hosting, and even play music from Apple's extensive catalogue for free if you have an Apple Music subscription.

Our training course, "Get iTuned Into Audio", will not only show you how to use all of the features of iTunes just described, but it will also spend time teaching you how to customise the product for optimum accessibility. That is the key to resolving many of the difficulties people have. If you spend time customising the way iTunes presents information, this not only improves speed and navigation but it also ensures the level of accessibility is considerably enhanced.

What Will I Learn?

The course is divided into five sessions, each of which lasts over an hour. Many of the topics are extremely in depth, but broadly speaking they include:

• Customising iTunes for keyboard navigation and optimum accessibility.
• Understanding the terminology.
• Navigating the iTunes screen and an explanation of each item to be found.
• Importing existing audio files into your iTunes library.
• Importing CD's into your iTunes library.
• Viewing and changing the song and album information for each item.
• Finding content by searching for it. This includes customising searches.
• Customising the iTunes views and the information JAWS speaks or outputs to Braille.
• browsing items by artist, title, album, recently added or other categories.
• Playing the audio content. Volume adjustment, move by track or album, telling iTunes about your listening preferences.
• The Menu Bar, the Context Menu and the Actions Menu.
• Checking and unchecking items.
• Verifying the spelling of existing items.
• Sharing your listening preferences via social media.
• Creating and managing playlists.
• iTunes Match. What it is and how to use it on your computer and other devices.
• Apple Music. How it works, searching for content and listening to it when you have an Apple Music subscription.
• Working with the iTunes Store. This includes finding content by searching or browsing for it, previewing items, purchasing, navigation tips to find what you want quickly, screen-reading strategies to manage your account, downloading items you have previously purchased, and more.
• Playing your purchased content using a media player other than iTunes.
• Learning about new releases and iTunes recommendations based upon your listening preferences.
• Purchasing, renting and listening to movies and TV shows. This includes selecting a specific TV series and purchasing audio described items.
• Hearing radio stations in iTunes.
• Listening to, subscribing to, and managing podcasts.
• Working with your audio content on other devices. This includes interaction with Apple Music, managing playlists, and iTunes Match.
• Working with the Sonos interface for iTunes.

Points to Note.

Users of our Leasey product do have many advantages when navigating iTunes. For those who do not have Leasey, course students will be able to download a small subset of JAWS scripts which will make it possible to access some tasks much easier and will refine the speech output.

While the course does contain details of purchasing content, iTunes Match and Apple Music, there is no compulsion to purchase anything additional to participate. You can learn about these services which may inspire you to take advantage of them at a later date.

Who is the Course For?

Even if you do not intend to use iTunes as your primary music source for listening to audio, the training course still provides immense value. Once you know how to work with it, iTunes is by far the quickest and easiest way of previewing and purchasing music, movies and TV shows. The course will give you the skills you need to get the most from it.

If I Purchase the Course, What Will I Receive?

The course will give to you:

• An audio recording of each lesson in MP3 format.
• Text documentation comprising a list of keystrokes to reinforce topics covered in the lessons.
• If necessary, a small set of JAWS scripts to improve the accessibility of iTunes.

Costing.

The cost of the course is £40 which is currently 52 US dollars.

Alternatively, anyone can purchase the course by sending an Email to jaws@hartgen.org, whereupon a fully accessible electronic invoice will be sent to you which can be paid through PayPal or any major credit or debit card. Orders can also be placed by telephone:

If you would like to read the views from participants of our previous courses, please Visit our Training area.

Summary.

If the Internet has made the world's knowledge accessible to almost anybody with a computer, iTunes has done the same with music. Find out how it all works from an accessibility perspective!

Leasey version 3.3 will be released tomorrow. This is by far one of the most significant updates we have made for a long time. Here are the new features in brief.

This version contains many new features and improvements. For further information, please refer to our documentation.

New in LeaseySearch:

iTunes. Search for an item, preview results from within the JAWS Results Viewer, and get new releases. When the audio sample of a song is playing, pause, stop, play and adjust the volume with keystrokes. All this is done without iTunes needing to run.

News. Search in over 30 sources including:
BBC Sport
Bloomberg
Business Insider
Business Insider UK
CNN
Daily Mail
entertainment Weekly
Financial Times
Fox Sports
Google News
Independent
Mirror
MTV News
MTV News UK
National Geographic
New Scientist
Newsweek
and many more.

Highly configurable Weather app. Providing more than just the weather, our new app gives you the local time of the place you are searching. It also gives Temperatures, wind speed, humidity, "feels like", maximum and minimum temperatures, and current forecast. Temperatures and Kilometres/miles per hour formats are controlled by the user.
Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise and Moonset times are given if desired. You can also search for place names or type, "Nearby", and Leasey will attempt to determine your current location.
Seven day forecast included.
Recent searches included.

Oxford Dictionaries. Learn definitions of words.

Ultimate Music Database. Search for a song to find its chart position or recall a UK or US chart from 1940 to the present.

Just Watch. Search for TV shows or movies available on a number of platforms.

Refinements have also been made to existing LeaseySearches, including the ability to bring into view most recent items you have searched for.

Other new features include:

LeaseyNotes, create a note from anywhere and file it under a category.

New radio stations added to LeaseyRadio.

Support for tinySpell.

A list of recently opened documents in Microsoft word.

Return to last visited page in Microsoft Word documents.

Leasey always unmutes audio of primary sound source at startup, or it can be achieved using a keystroke and the volume set to a moderate level if things go wrong.

Easy to find keystrokes exist to hear the time, hear the time including seconds, hear the date, insert the time or insert the date.

LeaseyBites can be downloaded or listened to via Hotkey Help menu item, controlled through an easy to use interface.

Optional announcement is given as to the latest LeaseyBite available, disabled by default.

Custom Web Text can be added to web pages or domains to create your own notes.

Compatibility now exists for StationPlaylist Studio scripts so they can be used at the same time as Leasey. Be sure to read the documentation on this point.

If you wish, the Skype scripts from Doug Lee can now be installed alongside Leasey.

Applying LeaseyTags to files in very long folder paths caused some problems. This is now resolved.

New Update facility included.

For those using Zoom conferencing, ALT+Windows+S enables and disables alerts from being spoken even if you are not in the app.

When backing up files to a folder, such as Dropbox, Leasey remembers the last one you used, thus ensuring you do not need to type the path again.

Hotkey Help for Leasey completely redesigned.

New sections in Hotkey Help include a list of new keystrokes for this version and a link to all keystrokes in HTML format.

Documentation now considerably expanded and revised.

If opening links from JAWS Research It or LeaseyNews within the Results Viewer, Leasey uses your default browser for viewing full stories, such as Google Chrome, rather than Internet Explorer.

These scripts for JAWS versions 16 onwards offer some functionality to support the Zoom conferencing software. They are not essential for using Zoom as the company have implemented accessibility to a high level. These scripts were developed for our own use and are delivered without any form of technical support. If they work for you, we very much hope you benefit from using them. If you have access to JAWS for Windows 2019 or 2020, you do not need to download these scripts as they are already included.

The scripts enhance the experience in a number of ways:

• Many dialog box controls are easier to comprehend using speech and Braille.
• When viewing a list of users, JAWS often "thought" it was in a menu when it was not. This was not specific to the scripts but even occurred with JAWS by default. We hope this is now corrected.
• When in a meeting, press ALT+Windows+s to enable or disable the announcement of Alerts, such as when someone has left the meeting room. Note that with the free scripts alerts are only suppressed from within the Zoom client at this time.
• Regardless of this, press ALT+Windows+A to hear the last alert, even if it was not spoken. This should enable you, for example, to ascertain whether someone has entered the room, but you are in control of that output. In July 2017, I wrote there is scope for refining which kind of alerts get spoken, but we're pretty sure the Zoom team will develop this functionality over time so these scripts will have a short shelf-life. Well, apparently they are still needed.
• Press Insert+Tab to verify whether alerts are enabled or disabled.
• ALT+R should report whether recording is enabled or not.
• ALT+P should report whether recording has been paused or is resuming.
• Regardless of the alert setting, ALT+A reports whether the audio is muted or unmuted. Note that this could take a couple of seconds.
• Press Control+1 through to Control+0 to hear the 10 most recent chat messages. Press twice quickly to virtualise. Now available in the primary Zoom interface and in a meeting.
• Press Control+F5 to enable or disable a special feature where only chat messages are output using Control+1 through to Control+0. If enabled, this will ensure that messages such as "You have muted the computer audio" are not spoken when using these keystrokes. Moreover people seem to drop in and out of meetings at an alarming rate, and if all you want to do is to flick through your chat messages then hearing other announcements is superfluous. Now available in the primary Zoom interface and in a meeting.
• Press Insert+H for Hotkey Help.

What are the differences between the free scripts and those which you pay for?

There are a set of scripts for Zoom which are priced £30 or $42.
As of April 2020, these are the differences between the free scripts and those which you pay for.

• Alerts sent by Zoom to the JAWS program can be suppressed globally, rather than just within the Zoom application itself.
• There is considerable control over text chat message alerts. Select between hearing them automatically when they arrive or no automatic reading.
• Keystrokes exist to place the content of the focused control into the JAWS Virtual Viewer for closer inspection and to display all messages in the current session.
• Enable or disable a setting which advises if a person has raised a hand.
• Press a keystroke to advise you who has raised a hand.
• Hear audio cues denoting people who have raised a hand in the Participants List.
• Press a keystroke to place a summary of your current settings into the JAWS virtual Viewer for closer inspection.
• Press a keystroke to place a summary of the window title into the JAWS virtual Viewer for closer inspection.
• Keystrokes exist to move to the text chat edit field and the history list.
• A keystroke is available to bring all the Zoom default keystrokes into a vertical list. Activate any one of them by pressing Enter.
• Support for Zoom Phone, for making and receiving telephone calls.
• Many accessibility improvements.
• Braille Mode, so you can read alerts on the Braille display but they are not spoken.
• Full documentation and technical support included.
• Updates will be made to the scripts as and when new features are requested.
• A support Email list is available to all users.

Read About the Professional Edition of the Zoom Scripts.

Hear an audio demonstration of the Zoom Scripts.

Security and Accessibility.

For an audio book on using the zoom client please visit this page.
This book is now free of charge. It was recorded some time ago but the majority of it is still very relevant.

Hear an audio presentation from Accessible World giving useful information concerning Zoom.

To download the script installer please activate this link.

Introduction.

During a recent American convention, it was suggested that in 3 or 4 years from now, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge would be the dominant internet browsers.

For years, many of us have been using Microsoft Internet Explorer to shop online, read the news, work with social media sites and much more besides. But we must look to the future. It seems like the right time for us to at least begin to understand what Google Chrome can do or even use it as our full-time browser and there are compelling reasons as to why you may want to do the latter.

That's just one of the aspects of our training course, Chrome Plated!

What Will I Learn?

The course is divided into four sessions, each of which will last 60 minutes. In addition to teaching you how to use the Google Chrome browser with JAWS for Windows, we address what we consider to be the most important and critical issue. Efficiency of use. How does the support for Google Chrome compare with Microsoft Internet Explorer in terms of usability? Google have implemented accessibility to excellent effect in Chrome, but can you carry out functions with the same degree of efficiency and ease of use with Google Chrome as you can with Internet Explorer? There are differences in the way you undertake some tasks with an alternative browser, (that is accepted), but once mastered, is it just as easy to get done what you need to do on a daily basis? Are there tasks where Chrome is superior to other browsers? We'll be going into all these issues in great detail.

The training course covers many topics including:

• An introduction to the advantages of using Chrome as opposed to other browsers.
• How to make Chrome the Default browser.
• Customising Chrome for ease of use with JAWS for Windows through browser Settings.
• Keyboard shortcuts for web browsing and getting to where you need to be.
• Working through relevant options in the JAWS Quick Settings.
• Working with the Address Bar/Omnibox.
• A brief overview of JAWS Quick Navigation Keys.
• Good web browsing and screen-reading strategies for getting the most from web pages.
• Creating and managing your Bookmarks.
• The five methods for accessing pages you've visited before including those you have Bookmarked.
• Downloading files: where they go and how to control them.
• Listening to audio content.
• Tabbed Browsing: what is it and getting the most from it.
• Opening pages in a new window.
• Tools within JAWS and other products, such as Placemarkers, LeaseyPoints, LeaseyAlerts and Smart Navigation.
• Settings not related to accessibility and optimisation.
• Synchronising items across computers and devices.
• Selecting Text ready for copying.
• Getting Help.
• Chrome Extensions.
• Using and Editing Search Engines.

Who is the Course For?

This course is suited to anyone who has a basic knowledge of how to undertake working with the web with JAWS for Windows using any browser and who wishes to learn how Google Chrome can be used. It would also be suitable for anyone who has an awareness of using Chrome but who wants to learn more to get the most from it.

If I Purchase the Course, What Will I Receive?

The course will give to you:

• An audio recording of each lesson in MP3 format.

Costing.

The cost of the course is £40 which is currently 52 US dollars.

Alternatively, anyone can purchase the course by sending an Email to jaws@hartgen.org, whereupon a fully accessible electronic invoice will be sent to you which can be paid through PayPal or any major credit or debit card. Orders can also be placed by telephone:

If you would like to read the views from participants of our previous courses, please Visit our Training area.

Summary.

Look to the future and learn some of the best ways of getting the most from the internet with Google Chrome and JAWS. It's a powerful combination!

Are you going across to Ireland,
Will you take me in your car,
And I'm sure you'll find my conversation sound.

That's how the song runs, and Ireland is the focus of the Virtual Technology Club from the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, this week held Thursday 20 July at 7 PM in the UK and Ireland.

Anyone is welcome to join in the Virtual Technology Club. Team Talk is used for the presentations and you can check how to use it here.

Brian from Hartgen Consultancy will be part of the event this time, primarily to talk about our Leasey product. You'll hear:

• An overview of Leasey, and how it helps the computer beginner through to the advanced user.
• About some of the features in Leasey Advanced, particularly version 3.3, which will soon be released. Hear about our fabulous new iTunes Search, Weather App, get the latest news, and more.
• Demonstrations of some features which people do not know about as yet.

This event will be the official launch-pad for Leasey version 3.3. Brian will also talk about the product sale which is still ongoing, and of course answer any questions about Leasey, or the other Hartgen Consultancy products.

It should be a fun evening! You bring the drinks, Brian will provide lots of chat, and between us all, the craic is guaranteed to be 90!

Hi to All

Sight and Sound Technology have some truly fantastic offers relating to products from VFO that we should draw your attention to.

In particular, a brand new JAWS Home user option costs just £115, a massive saving. Upgrades are also competitively priced as are Software Maintenance Agreements.

This means for the time of the sale, if you do not have JAWS already, you could obtain a brand new copy of JAWS 18, and Leasey Total Package for £190. Alternatively, get JAWS 18 and Leasey Advanced for £165. In that way, not only would you get a superb screen-reader, but also access to all of Leasey's functions for computer beginners, or to improve your productivity. We're currently working through many of these tools in our LeaseyBites series of audio and text tutorials.

If you take advantage of these offers, you might like to think about these training courses.

Over Easy, the Switch from Window-Eyes to JAWS. Despite its name, this is an ideal course for new users to JAWS.

Catching Up with JAWS, focuses on features you may not be familiar with, which were implemented within the screen-reader during the past few years.
Our Training Area has a number of other courses available, most of which are on sale at the moment.

Do bare in mind that these offers are only in place for a couple of weeks, so don't miss out!

Many people know that Leasey is a computer program working with JAWS for Windows which is ideal for the computer beginner. However, you may not know that there are lots of tools, utilities and services which are very beneficial to the intermediate or advanced JAWS user too.

Many of these features have been suggested by existing JAWS users. We often get comments like, "I wish JAWS could do X, Y or Z". Where possible, we make it happen.

We don't want to keep all these fantastic functions a secret. So, during July, we're going to tell you about the amazing things Leasey can do. We'll do this within short concise audio tutorials we call LeaseyBites. There will be a LeaseyBite for each day of July, so 31 in total.

There will be at least one LeaseyBite to highlight how a person who has never used a computer before can benefit from Leasey, together with lots of demonstrations of existing features. And if that's not enough, our new Leasey update for July contains many new features and improvements, and descriptions of those will be included in LeaseyBites as well.

Don't have Leasey yet? We hope the features we show you in LeaseyBites may encourage you to jump into the Leasey pool and benefit from the wonderful things Leasey can do for you. We want you to get bitten.

Hungry to know more? Keep checking our social media outlets or the Leasey email list for details of each new LeaseyBite!