The accessibility features in Office 2010 include:
- An inbuilt Accessibility Checker that tests common accessibility problems in Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, and assists the user to correct these issues.
- Rollout of the ‘ribbon’ feature that replaced menus, toolbars, etc. in many Office 2007 products to all Office 2010 products, plus enhanced keyboard shortcuts for navigating the ribbon.
Visit Microsoft’s official page that explains the accessibility features in Office 2010, or for a brief snapshot, listen to Program Manager Larry Waldman talk about accessibility and Office 2010 in this three and a half minute YouTube video.
Microsoft is also moving into ‘the cloud’ with Microsoft Office Web Apps. People have been accessing and editing their documents online (or in the cloud) for a while now through web applications such as Google Docs. The introduction of Microsoft Office Web Apps with Office 2010 is the first time that you will be able to access and work on your Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote documents from any computer with only a web browser and an internet connection.
Microsoft Office indicates that there is improved Web accessibility across a number of its products. The Microsoft Office official blog states that “[a]chieving WCAG 2.0 AA conformance has been a key tenet of the development of Office server products, including SharePoint Server, the Office Web Apps, InfoPath Forms Services, and other tools.” The Microsoft Office Web Apps team blog goes into more detail about Office Web Apps Accessibility, indicating support for screen readers, keyboard accessibility, and people who need high contrast and/or low resolution.
Microsoft has updated its Office 2010 accessibility tutorials that include tutorials that apply to multiple Office 2010 products as well as product-specific tutorials.
Top of page