As Microsoft Gold Partners and managed services experts, Core have a deep understanding of the accessibility features embedded in Microsoft, and the brand’s pedigree in this vital area — along with the essential changes they have added this year, in Office 365 and Teams.
I spoke with Microsoft Solutions Specialist, Kat Greenan, who explained that while accessibility has always been central to Microsoft’s philosophy, a major catalyst this year was the adoption of Teams by public sector organisations — for whom it became overnight the essential means of delivering content in the world of lockdown.
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Kat Greenan[/caption]
“In the UK, Microsoft teamed up with the Department for Education, and there was funding available for partners [like Core] to go into schools to help them get Teams up and running. They’ve also been supporting the NHS and health care organisations around the world, with healthcare bots, and investing in AI technology for research into the virus and vaccines.
“They’re committed to helping people with digital skills, and now we’re all going to be working from home for a while longer, they’re providing lots of free training and learning paths for people to cope in the world that we now live in.”
When Core are working with clients to deploy software, they always stress the need to explore accessibility features, and build an accessibility-based culture at the outset, rather than retrofit it afterwards. “If you’re committed to building an accessible culture, training for your team is essential,” she explained. Many of the accessibility features native to Microsoft tools are invisible and out of the way for those who don’t need them. “The awareness is critical, because we all want to have an organisation that’s inclusive, but if you don’t know what the software can do, you can’t take that into account when building workflows or hiring,” Greenan continued.
Engaging with text
For example, immersive reading features, which work across the Office 365 suite: This includes features like text read aloud to the user (in over 60 languages), as well as options to customise spacing between lines and letters, highlight certain word types such as nouns or adjectives and change text or background colour — there’s even a picture dictionary, in which images are available on hover to help define and associate keys words.
These are exceptionally important tools for people with a range of visual impairments or specific learning difficulties, and there are also accessibility checking functions, to help anyone creating content make sure it’s clear and unambiguous for all audiences to engage with.
