Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA), is a screen reader that is available on the computers in the Research Commons and the 24-hour lounge on the main floor of the Duke library, as well as the computers in the computer labs in Furman Hall 117, Johnson 203 and the Herring Center. Instructions for logging into one of these computers and accessing NVDA are below:
- Press the following key combination to start Narrator: Windows key + Control + Enter. This keyboard combination toggles Narrator on and off.
- Proceed through the Windows login process using your Furman network username and password. Note that when the Windows desktop loads, Narrator will be disabled. You will need to start Narrator again by pressing Windows key + Control + Enter.
- At some point following your login, Windows may announce a dialog asking you if you want to change your default web browser. To exit that dialog, use the Tab key to move to a button labelled “Got it”, then press Enter.
- If you want to use the web, you will probably prefer to use the NVDA screen reader, which is installed on all of the computers on the main level of the Duke Library. To start NVDA, open the Windows Start Menu by pressing the Windows key, then type nvda to search for the NVDA program. There should be one search result, which should be the NVDA program. At this point, you will need to turn off Narrator so that it won’t be running when you start NVDA. To turn off Narrator, press Windows key + Control + Enter. Now you can press Enter to start the NVDA program.
- When NVDA starts, it displays a dialog box with options. In order to run it with the default options, press the Tab key several times until you land on the OK button, then press Enter to exit the NVDA start up dialog.
For more information about using NVDA, see this brief guide to using NVDA.
If you would like to request that Furman install NVDA on any other computers, please submit a request to Melissa Nichols.