Freedom Scientific Training Podcast

In this episode of the Freedom Scientific Training Podcast, Liz and Rachel explore Google NotebookLM and how screen reader users can leverage it with JAWS to organize, analyze, and interact with large sets of information more efficiently. They walk through what makes NotebookLM different from other AI tools, focusing on its source-driven approach to research, clear citations, and powerful summarization capabilities. Listeners learn how to create notebooks, add and manage sources such as documents, PDFs, audio files, web pages, and YouTube videos, and ask targeted questions across all uploaded materials. The episode also covers practical navigation tips for using NotebookLM's web interface with JAWS, including working with headings, tables, dialogs, and menus. The discussion expands into real-world use cases for students, professionals, and personal research, and highlights advanced features in the Studio tab—such as generating reports, study guides, meal plans, podcasts, videos, and other AI-created outputs based entirely on your own sources. The episode concludes with examples of how NotebookLM can transform research, training, and information management into a more accessible and efficient experience for screen reader users.

In this quick episode, you'll learn how layered commands in JAWS and Fusion can make complex tasks faster and easier by reducing the number of keys you need to press. The episode breaks down what layered commands are, how they work, and why they're especially useful for accessing advanced features efficiently. The training explains how to enter the command layer using JAWS key plus Space, and how single-layer commands allow you to trigger features like FSCompanion, Command Search, and other commonly used tools with just one additional keystroke. You'll also learn how commands are grouped by context—such as editing documents, messaging applications, and general system tasks. A major focus is on secondary layers, which let you access entire sets of related commands for features like Picture Smart AI, Convenient OCR, Face in View, table navigation, and volume controls. The session demonstrates how to use the question mark command to display available options within any layer, making it easier to discover and learn new commands on the fly. The episode also highlights how FSCompanion can be used alongside layered commands as a learning and reference tool, helping you explore features and commands directly within JAWS. This training is ideal for JAWS and Fusion users who want to work more efficiently, reduce keyboard complexity, and better understand the powerful layered command system built into their screen reader.

In this training session, Liz and Rachel walk through six practical tips to help JAWS users work more efficiently in Gmail. You'll learn accessible, keyboard-driven techniques for composing and sending email, managing attachments, and customizing your Gmail experience. The episode covers how to format email text, create numbered and bulleted lists, and remove unwanted formatting when pasting content from other documents. You'll also learn how to navigate spelling and grammar errors efficiently using JAWS commands, ensuring your messages are clear and professional before sending. Additional topics include working with attachments—both traditional file uploads and files from Google Drive—using Gmail's confidential mode to protect sensitive messages, and creating and managing email signatures. The training also introduces Gmail's "Help me write" feature, demonstrating how AI can assist with drafting and refining emails. This episode is ideal for JAWS users who want to improve productivity, accuracy, and confidence when using Gmail for everyday communication.

With the release of JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion 2026, users are now required to create a Vispero account in order to use the software. In this episode of the Freedom Scientific Training Podcast, Liz explains what the Vispero account is, why it's required, and what's been updated to make the account creation process faster and easier. Liz walks through the updated workflow step by step, including the new age confirmation options (instead of entering a full birthdate), the streamlined set of required fields, email verification, and completing sign-in for the first time. She also explains how a Vispero account supports future capabilities—such as syncing settings across devices—so your setup can follow you from home to work or school with less manual reconfiguration.

Convenient OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a feature in JAWS that allows you to recognize and read text that appears as part of an image or in places where text is not accessible to screen readers. This is useful for reading things like scanned documents, inaccessible PDFs, images with text, or application windows that only display text as graphics. In this training, we'll show you how to OCR text in an image or document, access the results, and provide important keyboard commands.