Did You Know Microsoft Word Offers Essential Accessibility Features?

Accessibility is a major topic in modern technology, as it benefits everyone involved. Not only does it allow a team member to participate productively in the workplace without obstacles, but it also gives an employer access to a wider talent pool.

One such tool (or toolkit, really) is built directly into Microsoft’s productivity software as the Word Accessibility Assistant. Much more than spellcheck, it helps ensure your documents can be absorbed by as many people as possible.

What is the Word Accessibility Assistant?

Much like the various other assistants that modern software incorporates, the Word Accessibility Assistant is a tool that helps a user format their document so that as many people as possible can read it easily by scanning for elements that would make it less legible… and therefore, less accessible.

When activated, the Accessibility Assistant returns its feedback divided into three separate categories:

1. Errors, such as missing descriptions, and things that must be corrected.
2. Warnings, which indicate recommended opportunities to improve the user experience.
3. Tips to boost the professionalism of a document.

What Does the Accessibility Assistant Help You Fix?

With the whole point of accessibility being to ensure as many people (with as many conditions and circumstances) as possible can adeptly use a toolset, these features are meant to address some of the challenges that some would encounter.

• For instance, the use of screen readers (software that converts visual content into audio or tactile formats for people who are visually impaired) can be disrupted by the presence of images. The Accessibility Assistant uses AI to generate a description of the image, helping everyone’s experience.
  
  
• On a similar note, the Assistant can also detect when there isn’t enough contrast between the text color and the background, giving you the opportunity to adjust this balance and make everything more legible. This helps users with colorblindness or other visual disabilities.
  
  
• The Assistant can even identify whether page elements, such as headings, are formatted properly. These inclusions can help make documents easier to navigate, speeding up comprehensive reading.

This is important information to know, especially given that the Americans with Disabilities Act's Title II updates are scheduled to take effect this year. Making these adjustments is becoming more and more of a prerogative, and less and less an option.

Furthermore, these adjustments are a game-changer for those who need them. So, how does one activate the Assistant and identify where these adjustments can be made?

All it takes is a few clicks:

Activating the Word Accessibility Assistant

Setting up the assistant to run as you work is a simple task: in the Review menu tab, click on Check Accessibility. A panel will open that lists the fixes you need to make and any adjustments to consider, as we went over above.

This is great for a final review, but if you’d rather correct any accessibility issues as you work, you can check the box at the bottom of the Check Accessibility panel labeled "Keep accessibility checker running while I work." With this active, you’ll see an update in the status bar the moment Word registers a potential issue.

Inclusion Can Be Easy to Accomplish

You just need to know how to use the tools at your disposal.

Texas Professional IT Services LLC is here to help make all of your business IT as easy to use as possible for everyone on your team. Reach out to us at (832) 514-6260 to learn more about our managed, proactive IT services.