If you run through Web sites with screen readers like JAWS, the steps below that describe how to record JAWS output could save you time.

Notes:

• For simplicity sake, I’ll refer just to JAWS in this post. Window-Eyes and others work well also -  JAWS just happens to be what I learned and have used most often. The steps below will work for others too.
• Though I love my Mac, I don’t use screen readers on it and am not sure yet how to do this on a Mac. I suspect there’s a way, so if you know, feel free to share!

Background

I work with customers and project teams to see how accessible their products are to people with disabilities. I do some basic things first like check that anything that a user should be able to touch (navigation, forms, etc.) is keyboard accessible and that code is valid and well-formed, with no major issues that would hobble an assistive technology like a screen reader. If it passes those tests, it’s on to a screen reader to see how well an assistive technology can handle it.

Dunh dunh dunh dunh… Imagine the theme song from “Jaws” playing for a moment. That’s about how it feels when you’re trying to listen, process, and jot down what JAWS is reading and where it’s reading. Like you’re about to be attacked by a shark. And inevitably, or at least in about 95% of the times I was testing products, just as I was about to make the big breakthrough and figure out what JAWS was reading, the phone would ring, someone would stop in, or it’d be fire alarm testing day at work.

Every time I’d reload the page or try and dig up my cheat sheet of JAWS keyboard shortcuts and remember which one I needed to use, I’d think “there’s got to be a better way.”

There is.

Recording Screen Reader Output

What if you could record what JAWS says on its first run through and not need to have it repeat each time? That’d save time, wouldn’t it? I hear what you’re thinking – “you mean like put up an old-school tape recorder or new-school MP3 recorder next to the speaker and record it? That seems klugy.”

Nope. Even easier than that, and more elegant.

You can internally route the sound output as an input for the microphone. “What?” That’s right. No new cables, wires, or even external speakers required.

A big thank you to YouTube user ‘pbj746′ for cluing me into this one.

What You’ll Need

1. PC with Windows OS and a sound card
2. Sound recorder software (check Start > Programs > Accessories – there’s usually some basic movie maker or sound recorder tool that comes with the OS). If you don’t have one, try Audacity, an open source sound editing and recording tool.

Set Up to Record Audio Output

1. In Windows, go to your Sound control settings, either by going through Control Panel or by right-clicking on the sound icon in the lower right.
2. In the Sound settings window, go to Options > Properties.
3. Click on the Recording tab.
4. Check the checkbox next to “Sound Mix” (or “Wave Out” if you don’t see “Sound Mix”).
5. Uncheck the checkbox next to “Microphone.”

Record the JAWS Output

1. Now that you’ve set up the recording to use the internal sound mixer, launch your sound recording software.
2. Launch JAWS. (Note: for my sake, I usually began recording before I launched JAWS, just to be sure I captured everything and to avoid needing to restart JAWS once it started reading the Web page. It’s up to you how you want to handle it.)
3. When you’re ready to start recording JAWS’s output, go ahead and click “Record” in the sound recording software. When you’re done, click stop, save the file, and you’ll now have the output that lets you share how JAWS read the screen with others.

And better yet, you’ll have a referenceable file to replay if you get interrupted or can’t seem to repeat the same problem again! Have fun!