On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 12:32 PM, Steve Nutt wrote:

Neither JAWS nor NVDA really let the sighted person know where the focus is at any given moment.  So screen readers are really interpreters.

Neither does (or did, I can't recall right now if JAWS has changed this) by default.   The first thing I do if I'm working with someone using NVDA is to have them install the Focus Highlight add-on, which is absolutely fabulous in terms of not only keeping the screen and virtual cursor locations in sync, but letting you know what state NVDA is in for the object it currently has focus on (and I don't mean object navigation here - I mean appropriate to the thing it has got focus on).

JAWS added a similar feature, and I've used it, but it is not quite as sophisticated as the Focus Highlight add-on of NVDA.

As far as I'm concerned, this sort of feature should be configurable but the default configuration should be ON.   I have never noticed any difference in responsiveness when it is activated, and if an individual ever anticipates having a sighted assistant for any purpose having the screen and the screen reader track each other is absolutely, positively vital.
 
--

Brian - Windows 10 Home, 64-Bit, Version 1809, Build 17763  

A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.

          ~ Saul Bellow, To Jerusalem and Back