Screen Readers and Text-to-Speech on Chromebooks
Students with approved accommodations can use ChromeVox and Select-to-speak when they use Bluebook on school-managed Chromebooks. Because Bluebook runs in kiosk mode, technology staff must enable kiosk accessibility features first, and students may be unfamiliar with the way they work.
Kiosk Accessibility Features
Students need the accessibility menu and accessibility shortcuts to use ChromeVox and Select-to-speak properly.
Both must be enabled in your school’s Google Admin console. Complete instructions for technology staff are available at Accessibility Features in Chromebook Kiosk Mode.
Accessibility Menu
- Students use the Accessibility menu to turn ChromeVox and Select-to-speak on and to personalize their settings.
- They need to take these steps every time they open Bluebook.
- In kiosk mode, the Accessibility menu is disabled unless technology staff change the setting for the kiosk floating accessibility menu in the Admin console.
Accessibility Shortcuts
- Students use accessibility shortcuts to navigate Bluebook and select the text they want to hear.
- If accessibility shortcuts are enabled, students can use Ctrl + Alt + Z to turn ChromeVox on even if the Accessibility menu is unavailable. But students can’t personalize their settings or use Select-to-speak without the menu.
- In kiosk mode, accessibility shortcuts are enabled by default and should work unless technology staff disabled them.
FAQ
What if I can’t use ChromeVox or Select-to-speak when I open Bluebook on a Chromebook?
If the Accessibility menu is available in the bottom right of the screen, take these steps:
Open the Accessibility menu.
Use the toggles to turn on ChromeVox or Select-to-speak.
Open settings to personalize verbosity, punctuation, navigation, and more.
Use the Toggle menu position button to move the Accessibility menu so it doesn’t block Bluebook navigation buttons during testing.
Repeat these steps every time you open Bluebook.
If you don’t find the Accessibility menu, ask school technology staff to change the setting for the kiosk floating accessibility menu in the Google Admin console. Complete instructions are available at Accessibility Features in Chromebook Kiosk Mode.
If that’s not possible and kiosk accessibility shortcuts are enabled, use Ctrl + Alt + Z to turn ChromeVox on. Note: Without the Accessibility menu, students can’t personalize their settings or use Select-to-speak.
If students can’t take the test, follow the guidance for reporting issues in one of these resources:
How do students turn on and personalize ChromeVox and Select-to-speak?
Students need to turn on and personalize ChromeVox and Select-to-speak each time they open Bluebook. Since students don’t sign in to Chromebook kiosk applications like Bluebook, personalized settings can’t be saved.
Complete these steps each time you open Bluebook:
Open the Accessibility menu. It appears in the bottom right of the screen if accessibility features are enabled.
Use the toggles to turn on ChromeVox or Select-to-speak.
Open settings to personalize verbosity, punctuation, navigation, and more.
Use the Toggle menu position button to move the Accessibility menu so it doesn’t block Bluebook navigation buttons during testing.
What if ChromeVox doesn’t read every part of the test?
If ChromeVox isn’t reading all content, use these kiosk accessibility shortcuts (if enabled), to navigate through text and control what’s read aloud:
Next item: Search + right arrow
Previous item: Search + left arrow
Next line: Search + down arrow
Previous line: Search + up arrow
Current location: Search + R
Stop or pause reading: Ctrl
How do I navigate Bluebook using ChromeVox and Select-to-speak?
Learn how to select text to read and get other tips for using ChromeVox and Select-to-speak when you take a test on Bluebook. Go to the Chromebook accommodations instructions for students.
How do I use MathJax with ChromeVox and Select-to-speak?
Students can learn how to use MathJax on Chromebooks and other device types on the MathJax page.