What is Microsoft Accessibility Suite features and how to use it?

Microsoft brings innovative and easy-to-access technology products like the Accessibility Suite. It allows everyone to thrive equally in educational, technological, and economic spheres, with its numerous features.

Let’s discuss this in detail to help you use the Windows OS like a normal being.

What are Microsoft accessibility tools?

Microsoft Accessibility tools are built-in features in Windows, Office, and other MS products that empower anyone with vision, hearing, neurodiversity, learning, and mobility disabilities to become more productive like a normal user.

How do I turn on accessibility on Windows?

To quickly access the accessibility features, press the Windows and the U key on the keyboard. From there, you can toggle tools for vision, hearing, and mobility on or off. Alternatively, open Settings from the desktop search and select Accessibility in the left pane.

How to use accessibility suite?

Let’s take a look at the list of tools and features you can use in the Microsoft accessibility suite.

1. Contrast Themes

Blue links or black backgrounds can be difficult to read for people suffering from poor vision. But the Contrast theme can make reading easier for them.

Follow these steps to turn on this option on Windows:

Click Start and then open Settings.
Select Accessibility > Contrast themes.
In the right, choose the theme from the drop-down menu, and then click Apply.
Now, wait till the screen color changes to default.

Note: You can immediately turn On/Off Contrast themes by pressing the Alt + Shift + Print Screen Keys on the PC keyboard.

2. Adjust font size and color

Adjustments in font size and color can make it easy for you to read the content on the Windows screen. Here’s how:

From the Accessibility menu in Settings, choose Text size.
Use the slider next to the Text Size option to make the text larger.
Click Apply.

3. Personalize text cursor and mouse pointer

You can also change the size and color of your cursor to see where the mouse is pointing on the screen. To do so:

Select Mouse pointer and touch under the Accessibility menu.
Use the slider next to adjust the mouse pointer style and size accordingly.
Click Apply.

4. Change screen color palette

Color filters can change the color palette for the items on the screen to become more visible. To activate this feature:

Click on Color filters in the Accessibility feature.
Turn on the toggle.
Now, select the one that suits you best from the list and apply it.

5. Customize captions

Using the predefined caption options in Windows, you can easily customize how they may appear.

Go to Captions from Settings > Accessibility.
Choose a style other than Default from the dropdown menu.
You can also toggle on Live captions to let Windows caption audio and video live on the screen.

Note: Select Edit to personalize any chosen caption style.

6. Visualize audio alerts

If you cannot hear any notifications or other sounds coming out of your Windows PC, you can get visual confirmation of these prompts this way:

Under the Accessibility menu, click Audio.
Next to Flash my screen during audio notifications, select from active window, entire screen, or title bar.

7. Start voice typing

You can start voice typing by pressing the Windows logo key + H key on your Keyboard. Say any command, such as Stop Listening, to turn it off. In the Microsoft accessibility suite, there is a Speech feature as well, which you can utilize to choose whether to start voice access before or after you log in to your PC.

Is Office 365 accessible?

Yes, Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is highly accessible, and it features built-in tools for vision, hearing, neurodiversity, and learning disabilities. You just need to open the app on your desktop or the Office Online version on your web browser, and sign in using your work, school, or personal Microsoft account.

Key Accessibility Features:

Accessibility Checker: Automatically scans Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for issues like missing alt-text or poor color contrast as you work.
Immersive Reader: Helps with focus, reading comprehension, and pronunciation by adjusting text spacing, highlighting syllables, and providing read-aloud features.
Dictation & Live Captions: Offers built-in voice-to-text and real-time captioning in PowerPoint and Teams for inclusive communication.
Screen Reader & Keyboard Support: The web and desktop apps are compatible with tools like NVDA and JAWS, featuring robust keyboard navigation.

What is the tell me box?

Tell Me is a text field to type in words or phrases for the actions you want to perform next on Microsoft 365 products like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or the browser version of the software (Office Online). For example, you can quickly find the text box on the Ribbon in MS Office. Here, enter the name of the features or the action, and it will pop right up.

TIP: You can also use the Smart Lookup option to define your search for any query.

What does the Microsoft accessibility checker check?

With the Accessibility Suite Checker, the OS verifies the Microsoft 365 files you wish to send to people with disabilities so that these are easy for them to read and edit.

To run the Microsoft Accessibility Checker:

Open Excel, PowerPoint, or Word, select Review, and click Check Accessibility.
Launch OneNote, choose View, and click Check Accessibility.
Open Outlook and select Check Accessibility while composing or replying to emails.

Final words

Microsoft has made it possible for more than 10 billion people suffering from different disabilities worldwide to perform tasks in their respective fields. Windows and Office both have these features so that you can stay on top of your game through AI support.