New Microsoft 365 assistant identifies inaccessible content

During Microsoft's Ability Summit, it was announced that new adaptive accessories for the Surface Pen, created using 3D printing, and automatic alternative text for LinkedIn posts are now available.

Microsoft has unveiled a new tool called the "Accessibility Assistant" for its Microsoft 365 office software. Unlike the current Accessibility Checker, which only checks for legibility for people with disabilities upon request, the Accessibility Assistant works in real time like a spellchecker, providing helpful suggestions to ensure content is accessible to the widest possible audience. A person-shaped icon will flag accessibility issues across your work, such as low contrast between text and background, the most frequent accessibility issue in Word documents, according to Microsoft. The Accessibility Assistant will roll out in the coming weeks and will eventually replace the current Accessibility Checker.

Microsoft also announced customizable 3D-printed attachments and grips for the Surface Pen, which will be available later this year. These accessories will make it easier for users with mobility issues to hold and control a pen stylus and are already available for the Microsoft Business Pen and Microsoft Classroom Pen 2.

In addition, Microsoft's Translate tool now supports 13 new African languages, including Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo. The tool allows users to communicate around language and accessibility barriers with text-to-speech and verbal translations. LinkedIn is also adding automatically generated alt text descriptions and captioning utilizing Azure Cognitive Services, Microsoft's collection of cloud-based AI features for developers. This will benefit the 40 percent of LinkedIn posts that contain at least one image.

While the Accessibility Assistant currently offers features similar to the Accessibility Checker, it has potential for future updates, which may reveal previously unknown accessibility issues. The tool's similarity to correctional tools like Grammarly is visually appealing, and it may offer users helpful suggestions to ensure their content is accessible to a wider audience.