If you’ve been following NVDA Coach for a while, you already know the deal — this project has always been about one thing: closing the gap between reading about a screen reader command and actually using one. And if you’re brand new here, welcome. You’re right on time.
I want to take a minute to talk about where NVDA Coach is, where it’s going, and — most importantly — the people who are making it happen.
What’s New
NVDA Coach just hit version 1.4, and it’s the biggest update yet. We’ve gone from 35 lessons to 41 lessons across six chapters. There’s a brand-new chapter dedicated to physical keyboard orientation — modifier keys, function keys, Fn key behavior, and NVDA layout selection. If you’ve ever worked with a student who’s still finding their way around the keyboard, you know how foundational that is. Every other lesson gets easier when you know where the keys live.
Object navigation got a full terminology overhaul. No more parent/child language — it’s now a levels and pyramid model. “One level above.” “One level below.” Same level. Clearer, simpler, and it clicks faster for new learners.
We also added table navigation to browse mode, clarified how focus mode actually works (your cursor goes into the edit box — that one tripped people up more than you’d think), and added a step for reporting highlighted text before you copy it. Little things that make a real difference in the learning experience.
And version 1.3.2 before it was quietly huge — that’s when localization actually came to life. Translation support was wired up but never switched on. Now it is. Every UI string, every dialog, every label — fully translatable. The first complete Russian translation shipped in that release, and Turkish followed in 1.4.
The People Behind It
Here’s the part that means the most to me.
NVDA Coach doesn’t grow in a vacuum. It grows because people show up, test it, break it, and tell me what needs to be better. Every piece of feedback — whether it’s a bug report, a suggestion, or a “hey, this part confused my student” — shapes what comes next.
Valentin Kupriyanov, head of the Russian-speaking NVDA community at nvda.ru, delivered the first full community translation of NVDA Coach — all five original chapters, all documentation, and every UI string. That was a massive effort and it opened the door for users across Russia and Russian-speaking communities worldwide.
Umut KORKMAZ from Turkey contributed the first Turkish localization in v1.4. Another language, another community reached. That matters more than I can say.
Chris, Mike, Kevin, Julie, Larry, Jim, McKayla, and Skyler — AT specialists with Pacific Northwest state agencies — put in hands-on time during training sessions in April 2026 that directly shaped this release. Their feedback drove real changes: the new keyboard chapter, terminology updates, and several UX improvements came straight from those sessions. When working professionals take time out of their day to test and critique a tool, that’s how you know it’s being built right.
And Mateo Quintela, who’s been leading outreach efforts across South America — connecting with blindness institutes, building relationships, and helping bring NVDA Coach to Spanish-speaking communities. That work is ongoing and it’s going to open doors I couldn’t open alone.
To every single person who has tested, translated, given feedback, shared NVDA Coach with a colleague or student, or simply told me what wasn’t working — thank you. You are the reason this project keeps moving.
Keep It Going
NVDA Coach is free and it’s staying free. No accounts, no subscriptions, no strings. But building and maintaining something like this takes real time and real work — development, accessibility research, curriculum writing, testing, and community coordination.
If NVDA Coach has made a difference for you, a student, or someone you know, you can help keep that momentum going. I recently launched a Contribute page where you can support the project through PayPal or reach out directly about other ways to help.
Every contribution — big or small — goes directly toward keeping this tool alive and improving.
What’s Ahead
Version 2.0 is in active development. The big feature: instructor-authored lesson capabilities. Imagine being able to build custom lesson sets for your students, your program, your organization — all using the same guided, step-by-step framework that makes NVDA Coach work. That’s coming.
More languages are on the way. More chapters. More outreach. And more collaboration with the people who use this tool every day.
If you haven’t tried NVDA Coach yet, grab it here. It’s one download, one keystroke (NVDA+Shift+C), and you’re learning.
Thank you for being part of this. Seriously.
Stay groovy.
— Tony
Tony Gebhard 