Skype

Skype and Jaws

Although Skype works well with Jaws, you can install some Jaws scripts to make it work even better.
If you want to install the Jaws scripts for Skype, please click here to download the script installation programme.
Please note that the following instructions assume that the Skype scripts are installed.

Making a Skype User Name

When Skype opens for the first time, you can either type your account name and password to log in, or create a new account name and password. We will now make a new Skype account:

  • Press tab until you reach the “Don’t have a Skype name?” button, and press space. You will now see the “Create account screen.” The cursor is located in the “Choose Skype name” edit box. Type a username here.
  • Press tab until you reach the “Password” edit box. Type a password for your Skype account. Note that the password should be more than 5 characters long.
  • Press tab again to move to the “Repeat password” edit box, and retype your password.
  • Press tab to move to the “Email” edit box, and type your email address. This is important, because if you ever forget your Skype password, a new password will be sent to you using the email address you type here.
  • Press tab to move to the “Contact me” checkbox. If you want to receive email from Skype about new products and services, press space to check it.
  • Press tab until you reach the “Yes, I have read and I accept” checkbox, and press space to check it. If you don’t check this checkbox, you won’t be able to create the account.
  • Press tab to move to the “Create account” button, and press space.
  • If all goes well, you will see the “Profile” screen. If the Skype account name you chose already exists, Skype will show you a list of account names that are similar to the one you typed. You can either choose one of these suggested account names by using up and down arrow and pressing enter on the one you like, or you can type a new account name and try again.
  • When the “Profile” screen appears, the cursor will be in the “Country” combo box. Choose your country by using up and down arrow, or type the first letter of its name.
  • Press tab to move to the “City” edit box, and type your city.
  • Press tab until you reach the “Next” button, and press space.
  • The “Getting started” wizzard will now appear. Press tab until you reach the “Do not show this wizzard at startup” checkbox, and press space to check it.
  • Press alt + f4 to close the wizzard, and you will be in Skype’s main window.

Adding a Contact

  • From the Skype main window, press alt + t to open the “Tools” menu, and use up and down arrow to find the “Add a contact” menu item, or press the letter a (“Add a contact” is the first menu item).
  • The “Add a contact” window will now open, and the cursor will be in an edit box. Here you can type a Skype account name, a person’s name, or a person’s email address. Type a friend’s account name, name or email address.
  • Press tab until you reach the “Search” button, and press space.
  • After the search has finished, the cursor will be in a list box containing the Skype contacts that were found.
  • Use up and down arrow to choose a contact, and press the application key.
  • Now use up and down arrow to find the “Add to contacts” menu item, and press enter.
  • The greeting screen will now appear, and the cursor will be in an edit box. If you want, you can type a message to introduce yourself, or use the default greeting that Skype suggests.
  • Press tab until you reach the “OK” button, and press space.
  • You will now be returned to the “Add a contact” window. You can search for another contact, or press alt + f4 to close it. You will then be returned to Skype’s main window.

Starting a Voice Chat

  • Press ctrl + 1 to go to the “Contacts” tab, and press tab until Jaws says “Contacts.”
  • Next use the up and down arrow keys to find the contact you want to talk with.
  • When you find the contact, press the application key, or click the right mouse button.
  • You will now see a context menu. Press up and down arrow again until Jaws says “Start call.”
  • Now press enter, and Skype will call the contact. Make sure your microphone is plugged in before trying to voice chat.

Note

If the contact you want to talk with has told Skype about his or her mobile telephone or land line, the “Start call” option will be a submenu that contains all of the contact’s numbers. Just use up and down arrow until Jaws says “Skype,” and press enter.

Text chatting

  • Press ctrl + 1 to go to the “Contacts” tab.
  • Use the up and down arrows to find the contact you want to chat with.
  • Press the application key, and press down arrow until you find the “start chat” menu item.
  • Press enter, and the chat window will appear.

When in the chat window, you can type a message and press enter to send it. You can also use the following keyboard commands:

  • Press alt + 1 to 9 to read previous chat messages.
  • Press alt + 1 to 9 twice quickly to put the chat message in the virtual buffer.

Go back to the Course Notes page.

One Comment (+add yours?)

  1. ericka
    Nov 05, 2008 @ 03:12:48

    thanks soooooo much, I was totally confused when I first installed the program

    Reply

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