[NFBCS] Questions about using MS Teams

Wed Jul 13 02:40:27 UTC 2022

I'm not questioning the value of a Sound Blaster, but just to make sure you're using all of the features in JAWS you can, the following page will tell you about directing JAWS to a particular sound card, which could be different than the sound card your system is using, and how to send JAWS audio to one ear and your system audio to another. https://blog.freedomscientific.com/increase-productivity-with-new-sound-features-in-jaws-and-fusion-2022/#:~:text=Press%20INSERT%2BSPACEBAR%20to%20activate%20the%20command%20layer.%20Press,pressing%20your%20UP%20ARROW%20or%20DOWN%20ARROW%20keys.

For me, I use a headset for both JAWS and system audio and use the JAWS shortcuts to adjust the volume of each separately. To change the JAWS and system volumes using JAWS, do the following:
1. Hit JAWS-key+space-bar
2. Press 'j' for JAWS or 's' for system
3. Use the arrow keys to adjust your volumes
Once I get everything adjusted right, I can comfortably use my headset and listen to both JAWS and the audio on the Teams call.

--
Christopher (AKA CJ)
Chaltain at Outlook

-----Original Message-----
From: charles.vanek at gmail.com <charles.vanek at gmail.com> 
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 8:54 PM
To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>; 'Nfb-science' <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
Cc: 'Christopher Chaltain' <chaltain at outlook.com>
Subject: RE: [NFBCS] Questions about using MS Teams

Good day all.  I can not remember if I've posted this tidbit before.
Nonetheless I am in a lot of meetings per day, 4 to 12 is a typical day.
Thus efficiency in meetings is a must for me.  The following won't help with all 6 of your questions, but will help with the chat messages problem by allowing you to lower JAWS volume.  Furthermore it'll help your ability to navigate with JAWS and not be distracted by people when in a pinch navigating any application during a meeting.  Before I go into all that,
Ctrl+Shift+M for Mic or Ctrl+Shift+O for Video are the two Teams hot keys.
To tell if Mute is on the fast way is to press the M hotkey twice as JAWS tells you what it's changed to and nobody is likely to notice a quick on/off of your Mic.  Video, they might notice but quick at the beginning of the call you'll be fine.

Now for my sound card tip.  One of the best things I've ever purchased to use with JAWS is the Sound Blaster XG6.  Any additional sound card with volume control directly on it I think will be a delightful solution for many as the XG6 is over one hundred bucks.  The benefit of a separate sound card with volume control is now you can split the JAWS and meeting audio to two places with individual volume control with physical control of each.

Here's the setup in a nutshell.
1. Sound Blaster plugs into a USB port.
2. Plug a 3.5mm set of speakers into the back left port of the SoundBlaster.
NOTE: Back left if you are looking at the front.  The port closest to the USB connection that is.
4. Use Insert+J to access the JAWS menu, go to Utilities, Sound Card and select Sound Blaster XG6 as your output device

You'll now have JAWS on your Sound Blaster and unless Windows shifted the Default audio to the Sound Blaster you'll have everything else coming from your laptop or desktop speakers.

Step 5. Optionally if you put a 3.5mm headset into the front left port on the Sound Blaster the audio physically shifts from the speakers on the Sound Blaster to the headphones, the Computer doesn't even recognize the change as it is managed in the Sound Blaster hardware.  If you unplug the headphones it'll automatically go back to speakers.
6. Optionally, Now in MS Team or Zoom Meetings you'll be able to select the audio output device.  In Zoom this is really easy, tab to the Mute/Unmute and then tap 1 more time to the audio options.  Press space bar and you can arrow down to where you want the meeting Microphone and Speakers.  NOTE:
Microphone and speakers are separate in this list as you arrow down first you'll select microphone and 2nd you'll select speakers.  Assuming again if Windows has not changed your default you don't need to do this step in either Teams or Zoom.

Once you've done all this just 1 time, Zoom and Teams remember the Speakers and Mic you want.  JAWS remembers the sound card you want for it.  This makes it nice because if like me you are in a lot of meetings some back to back you don't want to have to listen to JAWS to find settings every time you join.  Instead you want to contribute to and focus on your meeting.

So why do I like the XG6?  It's sound quality is 2nd to none, but that's not the main driver.  It is actually a couple things.  First as mentioned above I can go from speakers to headset physically.  I can also adjust volume physically and the size of it is stable.  It's about 4 inches deep, 3 inches wide and an inch and half high.  The volume knob is large and right on the front plus the bottom is grippy making it easy to adjust up and down quickly.  With an ear bud in I also never need to worry about the microphone picking up JAWS messages like a Slack message from an employee complaining about the current speaker which would be embarrassing for all involved if anyone would understand my JAWS.  

There's also one other great thing about the XG6 as a bonus, it has microphone and line in ports.  So I've plugged in a 3.5mm cardioid microphone that's better than the laptop's.  

Again, any sound card will work if it has external physical volume control which most do.  I find this works way better, easier and faster in a meeting than the JAWS feature to shift audio to one ear and JAWS to the other because volume focus is much easier and uses the physical controls.

Hope that helps out everyone.  I think it's very important for blind people like ourselves to be as efficient and effective as possible.  I'm always seeking out the best gear and tips on saving even a small amount of time or easing the little annoyances in the day even if only by a fraction.

Here's a link to the Sound Blaster.  And No, I get no commission at all from amazon or anywhere for this suggestion.
https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCREATIVE-173295-Sound-BlasterX-Grey%2Fdp%2FB07NLRC3PN&data=05%7C01%7C%7Ccec14f30229e45eaacbf08da6472823a%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637932740226775503%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sGmiUJ1bsUvkzmyTFd%2B9uceYq1SWRNCQM%2F8GU8CE10Y%3D&reserved=0

All the best,
Charles Vanek
Sr. Director | Software Engineering, Global Distribution

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Christopher Chaltain via NFBCS
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2022 8:52 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>; Nfb-science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Christopher Chaltain <chaltain at outlook.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Questions about using MS Teams

Here are just a few tips.

After you hit control+4 to go to the calendar, you should be placed on the current event. You can use the tab key to jump from event to event just like you can in the Outlook calendar. I have a join meeting button after each event that I can hit enter on. Once I hit enter on the join meeting button, I get a dialog where I can select whether my video and mike are on or not. I usually just back tab once and press enter to take the defaults.

Depending on how many people are in the meeting your mike will be muted. To toggle the mute, I usually just hit control+shift+mute. Alternatively I can tab around to the action bar and arrow over to the mute button to find out the mute status and toggle it between on and off. This always works for me, as long as the meeting is in focus.

To mute the chat, you might try closing the conversation panel. This will be in your action bar, which you can get to if you hit the tab key enough times.

You might also want to try checking out the settings to change things a bit for you, but I'll warn you that the number of settings can be kind of daunting, like with most Microsoft products.

--
Christopher (AKA CJ)
Chaltain at Outlook

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of John via NFBCS
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2022 5:13 PM
To: Nfb-science <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>; nfbcs at nfbnet.org
Cc: John <johnmillerphd at hotmail.com>
Subject: [NFBCS] Questions about using MS Teams

Hello, Many companies and organizations are using Microsoft Teams for meetings.

I use Microsoft Teams on a Windows PC at work.

Microsoft and others offer YouTube tutorials.  On google I used keywords "microsoft teams accessibility blind tutorials YouTube shortcuts" and found
https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2
FQ0gO8BjKl2Y&data=05%7C01%7C%7C4bea9f5671a242b01c8a08da638ad4ce%7C84df9e
7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637931745173119852%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZs
b3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C300
0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=IPJJ5ol7%2FAMiEnGv%2Fuy1xgjXmSW8BGOb91H1mV7P06g%3D&
reserved=0 .

If you have suggestions on how to perform the following 6 actions, please email NFB-Science at nfbnet.org or email me personallyjohnmillerphd at hotmail.com

Built into Teams is the shortcut Ctrl-4 to go to the calendar. I do not have any questions about how to go to calendar, I just want to share how useful this shortcut is. It is important to have the discussion among blind users about effective methods to join a Teams meetings with proper settings. To go to calendar, press Ctrl-4, then you can down arrow to move time by the half hour.  You can press enter on an event and press tab to navigate to the join meeting button, then press enter on the join meeting button.  You can check and uncheck dialog box options such as video off, mic on, and select connect. You will now be placed in a meeting. You can give the command
Alt-F4 to leave a meeting, there are other ways to leave a meeting as well.
When Microsoft Teams went down, the IT department suggested a remedy of logging out and logging back into Teams. I got sighted assistance to do these actions but have not succeeded in doing them without sighted assistance.
This is a piece of advice about changing windows credentials in Teams.
I have noticed that when I change my Windows credentials, Teams is no longer working for me. IT steps in and does something to fix the situation. I have learned to change my Windows credentials early in the business day and to setup a test meeting with a colleague after my credentials have been changed to make sure that Teams will connect me to a meeting properly.
When I join a meeting using JAWS for Windows, I feel there are lots of steps to verify that video is off, and microphone is on.  It seems to me that, depending on who created the meeting, sometimes mic is on by default and sometimes it is off. I have encountered the experience that if the mic is off before I connect, that I often cannot toggle the mic on during the meeting. Instead, I need to leave the meeting, check the mic on checkbox and the enter the meeting.  This allows my colleagues to hear my audio just fine.
My sighted colleagues can see the visual indicator for background noise for a particular participant.  This allows them to suggest that a participant unmute themselves when they are speaking, and the group does not hear their audio. I would like to know the blindness technique for observing this indicator.
In some meetings, there is a high level of traffic in chat. The screen reader notifications from chat can interrupt the speech of participants.
There is an ellipsis symbol under conversation with a choice for mute conversation.  Without sighted assistance, I have not learned how to access this feature. I would like to learn how to do so.  Multiple blind people have asked how to do this solution.  It is quite disruptive when the mute feature is not applied.
Very Best,

John Miller

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