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Image: Microsoft<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Microsoft will add an Accessibility Assistant to Microsoft 365, a boon for those who have trouble seeing, but also a feature you may see crop up while you\u2019re writing in Word or designing PowerPoint presentations.<\/p>\n

Keep an eye out for a small \u201cperson\u201d icon next to paragraphs or bullet points\u2014if you do, that\u2019s a signal that you should revise your content to make it more legible.<\/p>\n

Five years ago, Microsoft launched the Accessibility Checker, a small tool that helped creators ensure content was legible. The Accessibility Assistant will improve upon that, stealing design elements from Microsoft Editor<\/a>. In fact, you\u2019ll eventually see the Accessibility Assistant pane in Word and other Microsoft 365 apps, which looks like Editor\u2019s recommendations sidebar for identifying and remediating issues. It\u2019s due later this year, Microsoft said. Given that accessibility is becoming increasingly important in businesses, you\u2019ll likely see the feature as part of your business environment.<\/p>\n

Accessibility Assistant will begin with the features that Accessibility Checker already covers, making sure your copy is colored appropriately to provide high contrast and visibility. A related color picker will appear in Word, PowerPoint, and other apps, highlighting which colors will be highly visible in your current layout. You may also be prompted to review the alt-text in any images you provide. Those captions\/alt-text snippets are provided via AI, but reviewing them will help ensure an accurate description.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\tAuthor: Mark Hachman<\/a>, Senior Editor\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nAs PCWorld’s senior editor, Mark focuses on Microsoft news and chip technology, among other beats. He has formerly written for PCMag, BYTE, Slashdot, eWEEK, and ReadWrite.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n