Blackboard is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities can fully engage and participate in the teaching and learning experience. Blackboard removes barriers to universal access by providing a rich set of accessibility features in Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing. One such feature is support for the JAWS screen reader.

Blackboard supports JAWS versions 13 and 14. Older versions of JAWS may work but Blackboard does not officially support them.


Enable the Java Access Bridge



The version of Java that comes bundled with the Blackboard Collaborate Launcher does not support the Java Access Bridge. You must install Java 7, update 6 or later because it sets up the necessary configurations in the Windows Control Panel for enabling the Java Access Bridge.


Get ready for a Blackboard Collaborate session

To make sure you have a smooth experience using JAWS with the Blackboard Collaborate interface, prepare for the session as follows:

  1. Start JAWS before you log in to the session.
  2. Verify that the Java Access Bridge is working.
  4. Enter the room early (before the session starts) so you can configure your Blackboard Collaborate interface to suit your needs.

Learn more

Keyboard Navigation in Blackboard Collaborate

System Requirements for Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing 12.6 accessibility features