Accessibility is built into Office 365
At Microsoft, we envision a future where people with permanent disabilities or situational limitations have the technology they need to work efficiently and independently from any device. We’re committed to helping people of all abilities access information and have fulfilling interactions everywhere, both in person and virtually. Explore the resources below to learn how to leverage accessibility capabilities built right into Office 365 to make your digital environment more inclusive:
Overview of Office 365 accessibility capabilities
Office 365 is continually updated with accessible features that your organization can use to:
Boost productivity for everyone
Office 365 makes it easier for people with limited vision, hearing, speech, mobility, and learning abilities to create, communicate and collaborate on content. We enhance the usability of our experiences with assistive technologies, ease of access settings, and alternative input devices on an ongoing basis, based on insights from research studies and customer feedback. We also offer built-in settings to enhance your reading and writing experiences.
Read about recent accessibility enhancements in Office 365
Learn new ways to consume, create, collaborate and organize
See how Learning Tools in Office 365 aid comprehension with dyslexia
Foster inclusive interactions
Office 365 applications offer several built-in capabilities that make it easier for everyone to create content that can be accessed without barriers by people with disabilities, share content on accessible channels, and make virtual meetings more inclusive.
Create an accessible document with Microsoft Word
Create an accessible intranet site with SharePoint Online
Make your meetings more accessible with Skype for Business
Achieve compliance
Microsoft believes in transparency and ensuring that organizations have the information they need to understand how the products they use meet accessibility laws and standards. Office 365 applications on various platforms are designed with the requirements of EN 301 549, WCAG 2.0 AA and US Section 508 in mind, and we work with external suppliers under the U.S. Department of Homeland Services Trusted Tester Program to verify conformance to accessibility standards.
Learn about our conformance and usability testing process
Review how Office 365 products meet global accessibility standards
Additional resources
Explore what’s new
Check out the latest monthly updates for Office 365 subscribers
Shape the future
Get early access to monthly Office 365 updates and give feedback.
Learn more about Office 365 accessibility
Tune into this Ignite 2016 presentation on Office 365 Accessibility: Plans and Progress.
