Ultimate Screen Access

Introduction

Ultimate Screen Access (USA) combines the open source NVDA screen reader with the powerful magnification capabilities of Windows 10. This creates a very powerful package that can provide a good solution in various situations.

System Requirements

To successfully use USA, the following system requirements apply:

Installation

NVDA

If you do not have NVDA yet, you can download it from nvaccess.org. On the download page you will find the link to the latest version of NVDA. By running the downloaded file, a temporary copy of NVDA is started. You will then be asked whether you want to install NVDA, create a portable copy or continue using the temporary copy. Choose install and follow the further instructions on the screen.

USA Addon

USA is delivered as an NVDA add-on (expansion package). Installation is therefore done via the item “Manage Add-ons” under Extra in the NVDA menu.

In the “Manage Add-ons” dialog box you will find a list of all installed Add-ons that are currently in your user configuration folder. The package name, status, version and author of each Add-on are displayed. To install a previously obtained USA Add-on, press the “Install” button in this window. You then look for the USA installation file (a file with the extension “*.nvda-addon”). As soon as you press the “Open” button, the installation procedure will begin.

At the start of the installation, NVDA will ask if you really want to install Ultimate Screen Access. Since the functionality of Add-ons within NVDA is not restricted, which in theory means that access is gained to your personal data as well as the entire system, it is important to only install Add-ons that you trust with the installed version of NVDA. In other words, only install a version of Ultimate Screen Access that comes from Babbage. Once USA has been installed, NVDA must be restarted to activate the Add-on. Without a restart, the status “Installing” will be displayed for USA.

Usage

For the use of NVDA, we refer to the NVDA manual. This can be found in the NVDA menu, which can be opened by pressing NVDA+N or clicking the NVDA icon in the Windows system tray. Then, in the “Help” menu, you can select “User Manual”.

Enable USA

When the USA NVDA add-on is installed, USA can be enabled as follows.

  1. Open the NVDA menu
  2. Go to “Ultimate Screen Access”
  3. Select “Enable USA”

USA Settings

When USA is enabled, the following settings can be changed in USA’s “Quick Settings” or in the “Visual” tab of the NVDA settings.

Highlighter Plus

Highlighter Plus is an advanced version of the Visual Highlighter of NVDA.

Tracking settings

The following options decide which objects the USA magnification window will follow:

The tracking can be further customized:

Other settings

Other Features and Settings

Cam-Viewer

The Cam-Viewer is an application that allows to capture images from a webcam. It offers zoom as well as various color modification options. The Cam-Viewer is integrated into USA, allowing USA to configure its settings and start and stop it via USA shortcuts.

A4U ReadAble

The A4U ReadAble makes it easier to access and view visual content. Currently only webpages are supported. Its functionality include:

The A4U ReadAble can be started via a USA shortcut. If a webbrowser is the current foreground window, the currently displayed website is opened inside the A4U ReadAble.

The USA Rotor

Magnification Window Modification

USA license

To use USA you need a valid license code. It is possible to activate USA up to three times per license code.

If you have a valid license code, you can enter it by selecting the option Manage USA license... in the USA Settings, located in the Vision tab of the NVDA settings. In this window, simply enter the license code and select OK, after which the license will be activated. The license can also be deactivated using the same method, for example if it is desired to remove USA from the computer.

Offline Activation

USA also offers offline activation. This allows the user to request an activation code via support@babbage.com using the instance ID and the license code. This allows USA to be used without requiring an internet connection to check the license.n

Shortcuts

Within USA, specific shortcuts are assigned to adjust the functionality.

The shortcuts can be adjusted via the NVDA menu. Select “Options” and then “Input Gestures”. The USA shortcuts can then be found under the category “Ultimate Screen Access”. For more information about the operation of the “Input Gestures” dialog, please refer to the NVDA manual.

To get an always up-to-date shortcut list, use the NVDA-Menu -> Ultimate Screen Access -> Shortcut list functionality. This creates a HTML document containing a list of all supported shortcuts and opens it in your default webbrowser. This list also contains all NVDA shortcuts. If one functionality has more than 3 shortcuts, the list only displays the first three. Further, touch gestures are excluded, with the exception of the “Touchscreen” section.

USA shortcuts with more complex functionalities, e.g. the USA Rotor or Magnification Window Modification shortcuts, are explained in more detail in the “Other Features and Settings” section of this document.

Limitations and known issues

Ultimate Screen Access is a product that is continuously under development. As a result, some desired functionality may not (yet) be present in the product. When using USA, you should take the following known limitations into account: