Accessibility in Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 for professionals and small businesses provides features that are accessible and usable for people who have special needs or disabilities.
In this article
Accessibility features in the Office 365 portal
Accessibility features in Lync, Exchange, and SharePoint
Accessibility features in Office Web Apps and Office desktop applications
Accessibility products and services from Microsoft
Accessibility features in the Office 365 portal
Keyboard shortcuts
By using the following keyboard shortcuts, you can navigate to links and controls in the Office 365 portal.
To do this | Use this keyboard shortcut |
---|---|
Select the next control or hyperlink |
TAB |
Select the previous control or hyperlink |
SHIFT+TAB |
Perform the action for the selected control or hyperlink |
ENTER |
Use alt text
Images on Office 365 pages contain alt text. When you use a screen reader and you select an image, the screen reader will read the alt text. Alt text might not be used if it provides no additional information or is redundant with other text.
Use accessibility features in your browser
Because the Office 365 portal is a service that you view in a web browser, some accessibility features are supplied by the browser itself. Windows Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Internet Explorer 8 offer features like zoom, customizable font sizes and colors, and compatibility with screen readers.
For example, you can view high-contrast mode in Internet Explorer to make text easier to read.
In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
On the General tab, click Accessibility.
Select the Ignore colors specified on webpages check box, the Ignore font styles specified on webpages check box, and the Ignore font sizes specified on webpages check box, and then click OK.
If you use a different browser, you can search the web for information on accessibility for your browser.
Accessibility features in Lync, Exchange, and SharePoint
Accessibility features in Office Web Apps and Office desktop applications
Accessibility features in Office Web Apps (applies to: Excel Web App, OneNote Web App, Word Web App, PowerPoint Web App)
Using the Speak text-to-speech feature (applies to: OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word)
Accessibility products and services from Microsoft
Microsoft is committed to making its products and services easier for everyone to use. The following topics provide information about the features, products, and services that make Microsoft Windows more accessible for people with disabilities:
Accessibility features of Windows
Documentation in alternative formats
Customer service for people with hearing impairments
For more information
Note
The information in this section may apply only to users who license Microsoft products in the United States. If you obtained this product outside of the United States, you can use the subsidiary information card that came with your software package or visit the Microsoft Accessibility website for a list of Microsoft support services telephone numbers and addresses. You can contact your subsidiary to find out whether the type of products and services described in this section are available in your area. Information about accessibility is available in other languages, including Japanese and French.
Accessibility features of Windows
The Windows operating system has many built-in accessibility features that are useful for individuals who have difficulty typing or using a mouse, are blind or have low vision, or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. The features are installed during Setup. For more information about these features, see Help in Windows and the Microsoft Accessibility website.
Free step-by-step tutorials
Microsoft offers a series of step-by-step tutorials that provide detailed procedures for adjusting the accessibility options and settings on your computer. This information is presented in a side-by-side format so that you can learn how to use the mouse, the keyboard, or a combination of both.
To find step-by-step tutorials for Microsoft products, see the Microsoft Accessibility website.
Assistive technology products for Windows
A wide variety of assistive technology products are available to make computers easier to use for people with disabilities. You can search a catalog of assistive technology products that run on Windows at the Microsoft Accessibility website.
If you use assistive technology, be sure to contact your assistive technology vendor before you upgrade your software or hardware to check for possible compatibility issues.
Documentation in alternative formats
If you have difficulty reading or handling printed materials, you can obtain the documentation for many Microsoft products in more accessible formats. You can view an index of accessible product documentation on the Microsoft Accessibility website.
In addition, you can obtain additional Microsoft publications from Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Inc.). Learning Ally distributes these documents to registered, eligible members of their distribution service. For information about the availability of Microsoft product documentation and books from Microsoft Press, go to https://learningally.org/ or contact:
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Learning Ally
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20 Roszel Road
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Princeton, NJ 08540
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Telephone number from within the United States: (800) 221-4792
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Telephone number from outside the United States and Canada: (609) 452-0606
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Fax: (609) 987-8116
Web addresses can change, so you might be unable to connect to the website or sites mentioned here.
Customer service for people with hearing impairments
If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing, complete access to Microsoft product and customer services is available through a text telephone (TTY/TDD) service
For customer service, contact Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 892-5234 between 6:30 A.M. and 5:30 P.M. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
For technical assistance in the United States, contact Microsoft Product Support Services at (800) 892-5234 between 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. In Canada, dial (905) 568-9641 between 8:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Microsoft Support Services are subject to the prices, terms, and conditions in place at the time the service is used.
For more information
For more information about how accessible technology for computers helps to improve the lives of people with disabilities, see the Microsoft Accessibility website.