For those of you who are switching to #Thunderbird from #Outlook, do the following to ensure as seamless an experience as possible while using a #screenreader. Note, these do not have to be done in this order.
1. If preferred, add your account by filling in the form that is presented on the screen which appears for the first time you open Thunderbird. This will get your first Email account connected properly to TB.
2. Once you are presented with the main TB window and the various folders (inbox, sent, etc.), you know your account has successfully been added. Press F8 to disable the preview pane. This will reduce clutter and allow you to simply press Enter on a message to open it rather than having to navigate it in the main TB window.
3. Open the Tools menu with Alt+T, then press Uparrow until you get to Settings and press Enter. Note, this is not the same as Account Settings.
4. Once in Settings, find the following items and make sure they are set as shown below.
A. Under General heading. When Thunderbird launches, show the Start Page in the message area Alt+Shift+W check box not checked. This will prevent Thunderbird from showing its normal startup page and reduce the resulting clutter in the main TB window.
B. Under General heading, optional. When Thunderbird is minimized, move it to the tray Alt+Shift+m check box not checked. When this checkbox is checked, every time you minimize the application, Thunderbird moves to the system tray and consequently requires activation every time you want to quickly get back to it. I personally find this bothersome, so I have disabled this particular behavior.
C. Under General heading, optional. Hide system window titlebar Alt+Shift+H check box not checked. I personally like all the information I can get when reading my titlebar, so I prefer to have this disabled.
D. Under Incoming Mails heading, Optional. Show an alert Alt+Shift+S check box not checked. Note, do not disable this setting if you desire to change the setting below it. If desired, change the setting below first, then move back and change this one afterward if preferred. When this item is checked, the screenreader will automatically announce when each message arrives. This is a bit too chatty for my personal preference, so I have it disabled.
E. Under Incoming Mails heading, optional. Use the system notification check box not checked. Note, change this setting first if desired before changing the one above it, as this checkbox becomes unavailable when the setting above is disabled. This item allows Thunderbird to send a system notification to the Windows 10/11 Action Center. You get the system notification sound, as well as any accompanying speech and can view the notifications that way. I personally find this overkill, so I have disabled it.
F. Under Incoming Mails heading. Play a sound Alt+Shift+d check box checked. This will allow Thunderbird to play a sound whenever a new message arrives. You can either use the sound that has been set up for the default Windows notification sound for mail or choose your own by specifying the file you would prefer using the Browse option.
G. Under Reading and Display Heading. Set Open New Messages In to A New Message Window. This will exhibit the more familiar behavior of Outlook and open the message in its own window when you press Enter on it.
H. Under Reading and Display heading, optional. Close message window/tab on move or delete Alt+Shift+C check box checked. This tells Thunderbird to close the message window if you happen to move or delete it from the main TB window. I personally have this enabled for convenience.
I. Under Reading and Display heading, optional. Preferred Address Display Format set to Name Only. I prefer this because it cuts down on chatter. This way, as you arrow through messages, you will see only the name of the sender along with other header information, rather than both the name and Email address.
5. Once all the settings are to your liking, press Control+W to close Settings and return to the main TB window.
6. Open the View menu with Alt+V and press Rightarrow on the Toolbars menu. Uncheck all the items there except for Status Bar. This results in less clutter in the main TB window.
7. Return to the View menu with Alt+T and press Rightarrow on Layout. Press Enter on Classic View. This optimizes the view a little bit more for screenreader use.
8. From the main TB Window, Shift+Tab until you find the Message List Display Options button. Activating this will bring up a context menu. Once in this menu, make sure that Table View is checked. This will allow you access to message headers and the ability to order them how you would like.
9. Finally, from the message list in the main TB window, Shift+Tab once. You'll find a toolbar that consists of several buttons. These are your message headers. If you wish your screenreader to announce Read Status first, find the Sort By Read Status button, then press alt+leftarrow. This will move the header over. Note, this does not mean you will be sorting message by Read Status. Sort By is announced because if you click on these headers, you can sort the messages by the header that is selected. Use Alt+Leftarrow or Alt+Rightarrow to find the preferred position of the selected header. To check or confirm the order of your headers, press Tab and arrow through your message list. I have Read Status first, followed by attachments and so on. This makes the reader announce the read status of the message, then whether or not there are attachments, followed by whatever header (e.g. correspondents) comes next. Change the order of the message headers to match how you would like your reader to announce the associated items as you arrow through your message list. Press F6 and Shift+F6 to jump quickly between Email folders and message lists.
Hope this helps, and enjoy your shiny new Email client! #A11y #Blind #JAWS #NVDA
