Hello Mary, Welcome to the list. Is this your first experience with a touch screen device? You might find it easier to read the iPad User's Guide on the web browser of your computer, first. You can find a copy at: http://help.apple.com/ipad/5/voiceover/en/ You can review the sections under Accessibility, and particularly under VoiceOver. I'll give you the direct link to the section on VoiceOver gestures: http://help.apple.com/ipad/5/voiceover/en/iPad74ec1238.html
One of the gestures that I found very useful when I got started with iOS devices is the two finger flick up to "read all" or the two finger flick down to "read all" starting from the present position. Then you can do a two finger tap on the screen to pause the reading and another two finger tap to resume it. If you go past the control that you want, you can simply pause the reading with a two finger tap and then flick left to move back a step or flick right to move forward. When focus is on a control, simply double tap any where on the screen to activate it. You can also move focus to any control by simply touching it on the screen. So on the iPad, in applications like Settings or Mail, where there are general categories on the left side of the screen, and specific items on the right side of the screen, if you have difficulty navigating between the two sets of controls, simply touch the screen on that side. This will save you from having to either listen to all the Sett ings or Mailboxes on the left side before getting to the right side items if you haven't mastered rotor gestures to move by containers. Are you holding your iPad in landscape mode (home button to the left or right) or portrait mode (home button at the bottom center)? (VoiceOver will announce which you are using if you change modes.) The other recommendation is to review your VoiceOver gestures using the VoiceOver Practice Gestures section of the Settings screen. 1. From the main home screen, locate "Settings" and activate it with a double tap. (You can do a two finger flick up to read the whole screen, then pause the reading with a two finger tap. If you've gone past "Settings", flick left until you get back to it and double tap to open.) 2. Under "Settings" do a two finger flick up and stop the reading at "General" with a two finger tap, Then double tap to select it 3. Use a four finger tap anywhere on the bottom half of the screen to go to the last element on the screen. Keep your finger separated when you tap VoiceOver should say "Reset button". If you flick left from this point you'll hear "Accessibility button". If you don't get results from that gesture, then just touch near the bottom of the right half of the screen and do a two finger flick down, stopping with a two finger tap when you hear "Accessibility". Then double tap. 4. VoiceOver should say "Settings, Vision heading". Flick right once to the "VoiceOver on button" and double tap. 5. VoiceOver should say "Settings VoiceOver on". Flick right through the information "VoiceOver speaks items on the screen. To select an item Touch it. To activate the selected item Double-tap. To scroll Flick three fingers." to "VoiceOver Practice button" and double tap. 6. VoiceOver should say "VoiceOver Practice heading". Flick right twice to navigate past the "Done" button in the top right corner to the "Practice VoiceOver gestures" area. 7. In this area you can perform gestures and have VoiceOver identify the gesture you made and tell you what it does. For example a tap on the screen will prompt VoiceOver to say "Touch, select item under your finger". A two finger flick will elicit "Two finger flick up, read page starting at the top". 8. When you are finished practicing, double tap the "Done" button in the top right corner of the screen. You can reach this button by moving your finger vertically up the page until you reach the "VoiceOver Practice heading" at the top, then flick right to the "Done button" and double tap. 9. To return to the home screen, click the "Home" button (at the bottom center when you hold the iPad in Portrait mode). HTH. As a general comment, most people use too much energy when they first start swiping and tapping on the touch screen. The touch is a very light flick, as though you were trying to brush off a gnat that landed on your arm. Use enough pressure so your finger doesn't shake, but not so much that you feel fatigued after a short session. If you have problems swiping in a straight line horizontally, you can rotate your iPad 90 degrees and try the gesture as a vertical swipe, where it's probably easier to get this "straight". But using the practice gestures area helps a lot, because VoiceOver will tell you the gesture it thinks you made without executing anything. Good luck. Write back if you have more questions Cheers, Esther On Aug 2, 2012, at 7:56 AM, Mary Stores wrote: > Hello, everyone. > > I am using an iPad 2 from work. I have the iPad users guide installed, and it > seems you would have to be a pretty good navigator just to read it. Even when > I find what I'm looking for in the table of contents, it doesn't read it > right away. Does anyone have suggestions how to make this happen? I am sure I > don't know all the gestures. > > I do have multiple disabilities. Typing is a very frustrating experience for > me. Even when I find a letter, it's hard to keep my finger still enough to > tap the key I want to type without accidently finding another key. I am > hoping the tactile covers sold by the A T guys might help me with this, but > if any of you have any suggestions for me regarding this, I would be open to > trying them. > > I will be practing a lot. I even find it hard to swipe in a straight line, > but as time goes by, I am improving in that area. > > Thanks, > > Mary > <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to mac-access@mac-access.net You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at either the list's own dedicated web archive: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> or at the public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-access@mac-access.net/>. 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