THUNDER HELP SYSTEM
THUNDER SCREENREADER SETTINGS
You can change how the screenreader speaks, its volume and speed, whether it speaks letter by letter, word by word or both, whether punctuation is spoken and more. Experiment until you find what you like and you can always have it work that way, but you can change at any time, perhaps having a slower speed when reading unfamiliar web pages.
At the DESKTOP with the Thunder Message Box in focus at the top left corner, PRESS TAB until you hear Thunder say “Settings", then PRESS RETURN/ENTER. Alternatively, to get to SETTINGS from anywhere PRESS ALT + / (Forward Slash) and a list of available settings will be displayed. PRESS the TAB key to go down the list and then if you want to go back up the list hold down SHIFT and press TAB.
SAVE SETTINGS
to save your settings - PRESS ALT F then PRESS S and then PRESS enter. You will return to your open application.
VOICE, SPEED AND VOLUME
This can be changed by using the up and down cursor keys. When you go into "Settings" press TAB to go to Voice options.
OTHER SETTINGS have just two choices, on or off. The Screenreader will say “checked” and “unchecked” as you PRESS the SPACE BAR. Leave it "checked” if you want the feature or “unchecked” if you don’t. This is a toggle key.
SPEAK SPACE, ENTER AND TAB
Tab down until you hear this option. You can check and uncheck this option by using the space bar. The default is unchecked.
PUNCTUATION LEVEL
You have three choices "None"; "Some"; or "all". When listening to a book, you will not want to hear punctuation. But if you are checking a letter you have typed, you may well want to hear that your punctuation is as you intended it to be. The up or down cursor moves you between "None"; "Some"; or "All".
NOVICE MODE
speaks "promps" to remind you of what you can do which may be useful to a beginner, but it may become distracting. So turn it off in “Settings”; TAB until you reach “Novice Mode” or use SHORTCUT key ALT N and use SPACE BAR to“uncheck” it.
SPELL NUMBERS (DIGITS)
This can be very helpful; numbers can be spoken as either single digits or complete numbers. e.g. if checked the number 111 will be spoken as one one one, not one hundred and eleven. This helps when reading long numbers such as telephone numbers. The same applies to digits.
SPEAK SHORTCUT KEYS
These keys are used instead of the mouse for making something particular happen. It can help to have the shortcut underlined letter spoken, if you are a beginner. e.g. If it is checked in "Settings" when you PRESS ALT + F in MICROSOFT WORD" for the file menu you will hear “file shortcut ALT F” as confirmation. SHORTCUT KEYS - can be use to get to your option directly - These are shown below:-
ALT + S = Speed;
ALT + V = Volume;
ALT + T = Test;
ALT + C = Echo Characters;
ALT + W = Echo Words;
ALT + M = Speech modifiers;
ALT + H = Speak Home;
ALT + B = Beep for Capitals;
ALT + D = Spell numbers (digits);
ALT + K = Speak shortcut keys;
ALT + P = Punctuation;
ALT + N = Novice mode;
ALT + M = Music
If you have any questions about Thunder Settings an email link has been provided below. You will need to be connected to the Internet (Webbie) before the email is sent.
Return To The Thunder Help Menu
Thunder Hotkeys - Shortcut Keys
Send your Comments about Thunder Settings to the Thunder Manager
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