Reading time: 5 minutes.

Speak Keys

SuperNova includes 10 Speak Keys to read elements of the screen without the need to move the focus.

The Speak keys are also categorized as multikeys. This means the repeated pressing of the Speak Key will produce additional information about the object.

For example, in a document the pressing of the Speak Word keyboard command produces the following output:

1. Press one time and speech reads the current word, for example, "hello".
2. Press two times and speech spells the current word, for example, "h e l l o".
3. Press three times and speech spells the word using the phonetic alphabet, for example, "Hotel, Echo, Lima, Lima, Oscar".
4. Press four times and speech goes back to reading the word. And so on, until you press a different key, or you move the focus on the screen.

Below is a list of popular Speak Keys you may wish to use when working in an edit area such as a Microsoft Word document.

Reading documents aloud

As well as reading parts of the screen with Speak Keys, you can also read documents aloud using a continuous reading mode. This mode is called "Read from here".

In this mode you do not need to use the Arrow Keys to move through your text, instead you can sit back, relax, and just listen to the content of your email message, webpage or document being read aloud to you.

When you start "Read from here", reading will start at the current focus position and continue to the end of the text or until you pause or exit the reading mode.

When you choose to exit, SuperNova will position your focus at the last word spoken. This can be extremely helpful if you are proof-reading a document and you spot an error you need to correct or, you simply want to reread a passage of text at a slower pace to help you digest its content.

As referenced above, you can also start and stop "Read from here" by clicking the MIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON. This option, called Click and Read from here, allows you to start reading from your mouse pointer position with a simple click.

To enable this setting:

1. Open the SuperNova Control Panel.
2. Open the "Speech" menu and then open the "Read from here" submenu (ALT + S, R).
3. Select "Click and Read from here".

While you are listening to your text being read aloud, you can use some additional keyboard commands to control the reading experience. 

Please be aware that navigating by paragraph requires the document area to support navigation by defined units. Applications that support such a unit include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, and WordPad.

Enhanced Read from here

SuperNova also includes an "Enhanced Read from here" option. When you enable "Enhanced Read from here", the screen is split into two sections. One section shows the magnified window, which is proportional to your magnification size, and a second section shows an unmagnified screen.

In this reading environment, the magnified section shows the spoken text as moving text without line breaks while the unmagnified section of the screen provides an opportunity for you to check the visual layout of the document as the reading progresses through the text.

To enable this option:

1. Open the SuperNova Control Panel.
2. Open the "Speech" menu and then open the "Read from here" submenu (ALT + S, R).
3. Select "Enhanced Read from here".

Enhanced Read from here only works when you are using magnification. If you are not using magnification, then this reading mode will not initialize. This is because the magnified window at the top of the screen is proportional to the magnification size you are using.

Alternative reading modes

Besides Read from here, there are also two alternative reading modes. These are Doc Reader and Line View Mode.

Both reading modes enable you to create a custom reading environment, where you can choose amongst other things the font type, font size, background and foreground colours to be applied to the text.

Sample of Doc Reader:

Sample of Line View mode:

You can learn more about Doc Reader and Line View Mode in the SuperNova Manual.