[NABS-L] Presenting Solo with PowerPoint and Mixed Media using JAWS 18

Sarah Meyer sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com
Sun Apr 22 20:29:07 UTC 2018


Good afternoon,

I need suggestions for doing a solo PowerPoint presentation as I have
a big case presentation to give on Tuesday. This may sound silly, but
how does one present the slide show for an audience while also trying
to present the oral presentation? I usually emboss my slides in
Braille and have my group members move through slide by slide for me
so I can solely focus on trying to communicate the material. I've
somehow, until this point in my academic and professional career,
managed to avoid solo presentations requiring PowerPoints and other
mixed media. This is coming to a slightly terrifying end and I need
help. I'm nervous about having to listen to JAWS, speak, manipulate
the computer keyboard commands, and read my slides from a Braille
print-out or my Braille Note. It seems like a lot of switching back
and forth and I'm not great with multi-tasking; therefore, I am
reaching out for guidance.

Fortunately I know a bit about putting the PowerPoint together using
JAWS 18 on a Windows 7 computer,, although I'm still not confident
with that and can't do great visual effects, graphics, etc. I know
I'll need to use some inaccessible technologies in the room and this
part is also making me nervous. I think there is a big screen that can
hook up to my laptop that has JAWS on it, so in theory, I should still
be able to manipulate and control the presentation that way but I'm
not sure how to handle the hooking up to the speakers and screen or if
connecting to speakers for showing audio clips will interfere with my
listening to JAWS which I need in order to maneuver the presentation.
A part of the presentation includes utilizing some video clips from
client sessions in my clinic to demonstrate specific interventions
used.

I know people will use the Notes for Slides section on PowerPoints,
but to me, this has not seemed or felt practical as a JAWS user. If
anyone has found it helpful, can you explain how you have used it
successfully while giving a presentation?

Tips and tricks from more seasoned blind presenters would be greatly
appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help.

Best wishes,
Sarah
-- 
Sarah K. Meyer
Graduate Student, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Ball State University
sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com
(317)402-6632

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. You can live the life
you want; blindness is not what holds you back. Together with love,
hope, and determination, we transform dreams into reality.




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