FAQ: How do I navigate the library's Multi-Search using JAWS?

For further help visit the Accessibility – Navigation Guide This link opens in a new window page.

The Multi-Search tool (provided by the vendor EBSCO) provides a number of accessibility features to allow users to navigate and interact with the Web site:

• Landmarks – these define the page structure, like navigational areas and the main content
• Headings – these denote the beginning of sections of content
• Access Keys – these allow you to jump to different portions of the page
  • Access Key 0 – Jump to the Help link
  • Access Key 1 – Jump to the Search Results lists, when applicable
  • Access Key 2 – Jump to the Search tool

The following describes how to navigate different parts of the system.

Searching

On pages that contain the search tool, there are multiple ways to find the search tool.

• Browse for the heading level 2 which begins with “Searching”, or
• Browse for the landmark called “Search”, or
• If your browser supports access keys, press Alt + 2 to go to the search field

To use the search tool:

1. Begin typing your search term.
2. A list of suggested search results can be browsed by pressing the up and down arrow keys. Browsing through the list will announce the suggested search term. To select one of the suggested terms, press Enter when on the suggestion.
3. To continue typing your own search term, press up or down until you return to the text input where your text has been entered.
4. Press Enter to search for your terms.

To perform an Advanced Search:

1. Select the Advanced Search link
2. Follow the procedures for “To use the search tool” for entering your search term.
3. To change the search parameter, from within the text search input press Tab to reach the parameter button
4. When on the button press the Space key
5. Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate the list of options. The radio button will be listed first, then the label for the radio button.
6. When you are on the radio button you want, press the Space key.
7. Press Tab to go to the next search criteria, and repeat steps 1-6, or continue to press Tab to get to the Search button.
8. Note, on the subsequent search criteria there will be an additional button for selecting the Boolean operator to apply. This button functions the same as the parameter button.
9. For additional options, continue to read down through the page or search for the heading 3 called “Search Options”. In this section there are additional search parameters to apply. At the end of the section is another Search button to perform the selected search.

Browsing Search Results

There are multiple ways to find the search results:

• Browse for the heading level 2 which begins with “Search Results”, or
• Browse for the landmark called “main”
• If your browser supports access keys, press Alt + 1 to go to the first search result

To navigate the search results, each result is returned as a list item, so they can be browsed using standard list navigation techniques.