Customizing the Screen Reader

Customize the screen reader settings in the Screen Reader Preferences window.

Oracle Linux provides Orca as its default on-screen reader. The orca package is installed on the Oracle Linux 10 system by default. When enabled, the Orca screen reader speaks text as you move the focus of the cursor on-screen. This topic describes how to customize the screen reader configuration.

Note:

You must perform the following steps as a non-root user.

1. Run the orca command with the setup option to open the preferences window.

   Run the following command:

   orca -s

   The -s option can also be typed as --setup. The command opens the Screen Reader Preferences window.

   Note:

   When you open the Screen Reader Preferences window, the screen reader is temporarily enabled so you can hear the effect each setting has. The temporary activation of the screen reader is disabled when you close the window and end the program by pressing Ctrl+C.

2. Customize the reader according to specific needs.

   Select each tab to configure the different options on those tabs. To see an overview of the available tabs see Configurable Settings of the Screen Reader

   For Braille configuration, see Using Braille.

3. Select Apply, then Select OK.
4. At the command line, press Ctrl+C to return to the command prompt.
   The temporary activation of the screen reader is disabled.
5. (Optional) Enable the screen reader.

   Access the Accessibility panel by using a preferred method. See Accessing Assistive Technologies

   Select Seeing, and then switch the Screen Reader toggle to ON to enable the screen reader.

Configurable Settings of the Screen Reader

The following table provides an overview of the different tabs of the Screen Reader Preferences and the types of settings each tab provides. For more details, view the Orca help pages by selecting the Help option on the Screen Reader Preferences window (viewing the help pages requires a web browser).

Table 3-1 Screen Reader Settings Tabs

Tab Name	Description
General	Contains settings for general preferences, for example: The keyboard layout to use: Desktop (default) or Laptop. Mouse settings to use, for example whether Orca should present tooltips that appear when the mouse hovers. Settings to configure how progress bar updates are reported.
Voice	Contains voice settings. For example: The Voice type list of options, such as Default, Uppercase and Hyperlink, to configure different voices for different types of text. Global Voice Settings such as and Speak multicase strings as words and Speak numbers as digits.
Speech	Contains settings to define what the reader reads aloud and the degree of verbosity. The tab also contains settings for punctuation levels.
Braille	Configures Orca Braille display support. See Configurable Braille Settings on the Screen Reader for an overview of available settings.
Echo	Defines what the reader reads aloud while you type.
Key Bindings	Defines keyboard shortcuts for Orca.
Pronunciation	Configures word pronunciation.
Text Attributes	Configures text formatting.