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Does Office 365 have accessibility features?


Office 365 Accessibility features

Microsoft Office 365 has been designed to include many accessibility features. Windows 10 users will also find many accessibility features which can be used system wide. 

Microsoft have a range of online services and information

Setup Office 365 Accessibility Features on your device.

Office apps work with the accessibility settings and features of most devices. These settings can help to make them easier to use. For example, you can invert or change the colour contrast to make the screen easier to see. Or, you can control the device with the keyboard instead of a mouse, and so on. See Microsoft Set up your device to Work with Accessibility in Office 365 for full information. 

Office 365 offers the dictate (speech to text) and either immersive reader or Read Aloud (text to speech) for most apps although functionality varies between the online and installed desktop versions. (Screen reader and keyboard shortcuts information).

There are also features such as PowerPoint design ideas and Tell Me that make it faster and easier to access commands. 

Windows 10 users should also visit the Windows 10 Accessibility Features page

Sussex Technology Enhanced Learning site has information on created accessible teaching resources

 

Word 365

Read aloud icon Read on screen text aloud:

Dictate Icon Convert spoken word to text:

Keyboard icon Word Keystroke equivalents 

Other information: 

 

PowerPoint 365

Read aloud icon Read on screen text aloud:

Dictate Icon Convert spoken word to text:

Keyboard icon PowerPoint Keystroke equivalents 

Other information

 

Excel 365

Read aloud icon Read on screen text aloud:

  • Excel 365 Online - Not available
  • Excel 365 Desktop - Learn how to configure Excel Converting text to speech in Excel by adding speak cells icons to the quick access toolbar  

Dictate Icon Convert spoken word to text:

Keyboard icon Excel Keystroke equivalents 

Other information

 

Teams

Read aloud icon Read on screen text aloud:

  • Teams 365 - Immersive reader in Channel messages, chat messages, or use your own screen reader  

Dictate Icon Convert spoken word to text:

  • Dictate is not available in Excel, instead try the Windows 10 built in speech recognition
  • Teams 365 desktop app - Live captions (all meeting attendees) is available and is turned on by the meeting attendee when the meeting is launced via Calendar or from a Channel. Not yet available when initiated via Chat

Keyboard icon Teams Keystroke equivalents 

Other information

  • Accessibility support for Teams (Overview of Teams accessibility)
  • Microsoft are also aiming to enable Cortana on iOS and Android devices with Teams to enable voice assistance in Teams - expected for release  summer 2020

 

Outlook 365

Read aloud icon Read on screen text aloud:

Dictate Icon Convert spoken word to text:

  • Outlook 365 Online - not available
  • Outlook 365 Desktop - Dictate is available in most areas on the Desktop App - Outlook spoken commands

Keyboard icon Outlook Keystroke equivalents 

Other information

 

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This is question number 2913, which appears in the following categories:

Created by Sam Elmer on 6 July 2020 and last updated by Sam Elmer on 16 February 2021