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Microsoft Windows 11 and O365

Accessibility Features

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Updated July 2022

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What is Office 365 (O365) vs Microsoft Office 11

Office 365 is a suite of apps, which includes your email, and Office suite offered to you as a Cloud service through a subscription model. To use Office 365 you must be connected to the internet to access all the features. It is free to all employees, and some features are also available to students.
Microsoft Office 11 is the software that is on your computer and works offline.

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Microsoft O365

Office Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Publisher, Access)
Microsoft Teams
One Drive (file storage and sharing)
One Note- Digital note-taking app
Microsoft Outlook (Email, Calendar, Contacts) - not available to all students
Accessibility and Learning Tools to help struggling learners

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Accessibility Options vs Learning Tools

Accessibility Options

Allows people, regardless of disability type or severity of impairment, access to technology. Accessibility features are meant to make the use of technology less challenging for those with disabilities.

Microsoft Learning Tools

Free tools that implement techniques to improve reading, writing, math and communication for people, regardless of their age or ability.

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Opening up MSO365

Go to the Waffle in Outlook (upper left corner)

Open up your Outlook account(email)

List of available apps/programs

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Accessibility

Features

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Accessibility Options

Microsoft 365 provides apps and cloud services with accessibility built-in. Designed to meet the needs of people with different abilities, the features within the Microsoft 365 apps ensure everyone can create, communicate, and collaborate on any device.
Many options are available to allow for improved accessibility for people with:

Visual Disabilities
Physical disabilities
Hearing deficits
Learning and Literacy difficulties

Windows 11 Accessibility Overview Screencast

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How to Access Accessibility features

1. Open Windows Icon

2. Open Settings

3. Select Accessibility

Choose setting you wish to adapt

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Visual Settings for Easier Access

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Vision Accessibility Features

Text size
Visual effects
Mouse pointer and touch
Text cursor
Magnifier
Color filters
Contrast themes
Narrator

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Text size

Change size of text, icons (shortcuts), and brightness of your computer’s display to improve/ease visual display in all programs and on the desktop.

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Visual Effects

Option to always show scrollbars
Option to always show transparency effects- make some window backgrounds slightly transparent
Option to show animation effects

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Mouse Pointer and Touch

Change how the mouse pointer looks to find it easier on the page and change the thickness, size, and color of the cursor within the document or program.

Make your mouse pointer and cursor easier to see

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Text Cursor

Change appearance and thickness of text cursor indicator

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Magnifier

Magnifier makes part or all of the screen bigger so words and images are more easily viewed.
Adjust zoom level

How to use Magnifier

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Color Filters

Some students find it helpful to use a filter to reduce glare and ease eye fatigue. If it's hard for your student to see what's on the screen, try a color filter. Color filters also change the color palette on the screen and can help distinguish between things that differ only by color.

How to use Color Filters

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Contrast Themes

Text with low contrast can be difficult to read for people with low vision. Strongly contrasting colors can make it quicker and easier to read from the PC.
Turn on and off High Contrast mode

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Auditory Settings

for

Easier Access

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Windows: Accessibility for Hearing Impairment

Audio

Hear all sounds in one channel (Mono)
Use text or visual alternatives for sounds

Closed Captioning

Make your device easier to use without sound by displaying audio as text.
Turn on text captions for spoken dialogue (e.g. when a document starts or finishes printing)

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Mono

Combines left and right audio channels into one channel so that all audio content can be heard from either of the left or right speaker/headphone.

Hear all sounds in one channel

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Closed Captioning

Provides text interpretation of dialogue in a video viewed on the PC
Settings for the appearance of the text may be customized
New to Windows 11- redesigned Closed Caption themes that are easier to read and customize.

Change closed caption settings

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Use text or visual alternatives for sounds/Turn on text captions for spoken dialogue

You can get visual cues instead of sound alerts in Windows by changing your settings. For example, the screen will flash screen during audio notifications.

Here's how:

Use text or visual alternatives to sound

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Accessibility F eatures for Physical Disabilities

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Accessibility for Physical Impairment

Type and Navigate with your voice: (Speech Recognition)

Convert your speech to text with dictate
Speech Recognition Windows 11

On-screen Keyboard

Windows has a built-in tool called the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) that can be used instead of a physical keyboard.
No touchscreen, no problem. You can use your mouse or another pointing device to select keys, or use a physical single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen and use a switch.
Text Prediction

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Keyboard Shortcuts and Access Keys

Keyboard shortcuts are keys or a combination of keys that will provide an alternative way to do something that is typically done with a mouse.

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Keyboard Features for Access

Sticky Keys: The Sticky Keys feature enables you to press one key at a time when using keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl+Alt+Del) in Windows 11 computer. To turn it on or off: Press Shift five times
Filter Keys: The Filter Keys is a feature of Microsoft Windows. It is an accessibility function that tells the keyboard to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes, in order to make typing easier for users with hand tremors. Press and Hold Right Shift for 8 seconds to turn on

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Control Windows and Apps with your Eyes

Allows the user to control Windows and apps when used in conjunction with a variety of eye tracking enabled cameras (sold separately)

Eye tracker

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Neurodiversity and Learning

Making it easier to focus on tasks, attend, and comprehend

Minimize visual distractions (visual effects)
Declutter taskbar
Simplify start menu
Reduce notifications (Do not disturb setting)
Read a web page using a cleaner layout- Immersive reader (Fn + F9 in Microsoft Edge)

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Accessibility Checker- Microsoft 365

Discoverable next to Spelling Checker is the Accessibility Checker- helps you determine possible accessibility difficulties which may be within a document you created. It identifies an expanded range of issues within a document, includes a recommended action menu, and utilizes AI to make intelligent suggestions for improvements.
Recommended Actions—within the Accessibility Checker, makes it easier to fix flagged issues. It will recommend actions such as Add a description, Mark as decorative, and Suggest a description for me for a picture in a document that is missing alternative text.

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Accessibility Checker

How to use Accessibility Checker

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Cortana

Cortana is a voice-activated personal assistant similar to Siri, but for Windows.
You can use for a variety of purposes such as:

Finding weather forecasts
Setting up reminders
Opening up and sending out email
Finding files
Searching the Internet.

It is a great tool for individuals with visual, learning and physical difficulties who cannot access a computer in a typical fashion.

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How to “Talk to” Cortana

How to open and use Cortana

Use voice typing on your PC

In Windows 11, Cortana is hidden from the taskbar by default.

To pin Cortana to the taskbar, Go to the Search box > Type "Cortana" > Right-click the Cortana icon > Select "Pin to taskbar"

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O365

Learning

Tools

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Learning Tools

used for the inclusive classroom that span reading, writing, math and communication and are built into all of their products improve reading comprehension for Elementary, English Language Learner and Special Education students help students by providing multiple strategies for supporting learning assist with reading fluency and comprehension assist with struggling math learners

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Learning Tools

Learning Tools include:

Immersive Reader
Math Tools
Dictate
Transcribe
Editor
Translate

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Learning Tools Features

Enhanced dictation – improves authoring text
Focus mode – Sustains attention and improves reading speeds
Immersive reading – improves comprehension and sustains attention
Font spacing and short lines - improve reading speed by addressing “visual crowding”
Parts of speech – supports instruction and improves writing quality,
Syllabification – improves word recognition

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Immersive Reader

Provides users with the ability to have content read aloud
Allows for adjusting settings to break the words into syllables, adjust text size or background colors.
Reduces distraction and simplifies the user interface to allow the student to focus on the content.
Supports students with dyslexia and dysgraphia in the classroom, but can support anyone who wants to make reading on their device easier.

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Text Preferences Features

(modified for student preference)

Change Text Size or Increase Spacing

Change Font or background font color theme

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Grammar Options

(modified for student need)

Syllables

Parts of Speech

Syllable will break up the words into syllables, this helps for emergent readers, simplify decoding

Parts of speech enables the reader to determine which parts of speech with be color coded, which colors for each, and whether there will be labels

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Reading Preferences

Line Focus/Masking

Picture Dictionary

BoardMaker Symbols

Translate

by word
by document

Line Focus, also known as masking, can choose between 1, 3, or 5 lines.

Picture dictionary. - when the student selects a word, a definition will appear. If Picture dictionary is activated, a Boardmaker symbol will also appear.

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Immersive Reader Screencast Demo

How to use Immersive Reader

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Math Tools

The ability to write or type any math problem and have the Math Assistant solve it
Provides the solution and can also display step-by-step instructions
After solving the equation, there are options to continue exploring math learning with Math Assistant.

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Math Tools in OneNote

Using the Draw tab in OneNote, write Math equations on the pad

Covert written text to typed text or type text into the application (The Math window will open which converts written equation to text. Note that there’s an option to fix if the written text is not converted accurately.

You can use a stylus or your finger on a touch screen tablet or chrome book.

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Math Tools in OneNote

Instructional support demonstrating how to solve the equation

After solving your equation, there are options to continue exploring math learning with Math Assistant There are also higher order math functions available.

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Math Tools Demo

How to use Math Tools

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Dictate

Dictation lets you use speech-to-text to author content in Office with a microphone and reliable internet connection.

Use your voice to quickly create documents, emails, notes, presentations, or slide notes.

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Transcribe

Available for Office 365 subscribers who use Microsoft Word online
The feature allows you to transcribe pre- recorded audio and video files, as well as live meetings, in the web version of Word.

Transcribe Video

How to transcribe

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Editor

Microsoft Editor is similar to Grammarly. It helps compose and correct Word Documents, E:mail messages and anything written on the web.

Higher order editing for clarity, conciseness, formality, inclusiveness, and punctuation conventions.

How to use Editor

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Microsoft Translator

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Free translation and transcription service that lets you have translated conversations across multiple devices

Available on Outlook and other O365 products

Instantly translate foreign language web pages

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Resources

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Bookmark these sites:

Learning Tools help page
Get Immediate Support Help: Microsoft Disability Answer Desk – free support for Accessibility product issues, questions and more
Detailed list of all Microsoft Accessibility features and products
Microsoft Accessibility site
PPT Deck: Increasing Accessibility and Fostering Inclusive Classrooms with free tools from Microsoft Education
Learning Tools 1-page PDF showing all apps, platforms and features: https://aka.ms/Office365LearningTools
Learning Tools languages across apps and, platforms: http://aka.ms/LearningToolsLanguages
Education Help center: https://support.office.com/education
Microsoft EdTech blog: Products: http://aka.ms/EdTechBlog
Microsoft Education blog: Stories: http://aka.ms/EduBlog

This page pulls together lots of tools and resources to help you get the most out of Microsoft's inclusive tools for the classroom.

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Resources

For updates on Microsoft Windows accessibility features, visit:

www.microsoft.com/accessibility

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What is Office 365 (O365) vs Microsoft Office 10

Office 365 is a suite of apps, which includes your email, and Office suite offered to you as a Cloud service through a subscription model. To use Office 365 you must be connected to the internet to access all the features. It is free to all employees and some features are also available to students.
Microsoft Office 10 is the software that is on your computer and works offline.

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Microsoft O365

Office Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Publisher, Access)
Microsoft Teams
One Drive (file storage and sharing)
One Note
Microsoft Outlook (Email, Calendar, Contacts) - not available to all students
Accessibility and Learning Tools to help struggling learners

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Accessibility Options vs Learning Tools

Accessibility Options

Allows people, regardless of disability type or severity of impairment, access to technology. Accessibility features are meant to make the use of technology less challenging for those with disabilities.

Microsoft Learning Tools

Free tools that implement techniques to improve reading and writing for people regardless of their age or ability.

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Opening up MSO365

Go to the Waffle in Outlook (upper left corner)

Open up your Outlook account(email)

List of available apps/programs

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Accessibility

Features

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Accessibility Options

Microsoft 365 provides apps and cloud services with accessibility built-in. Designed to meet the needs of people with different abilities, the features within the Microsoft 365 apps ensure everyone can create, communicate, and collaborate on any device.
Many options are available to allow for improved accessibility for people with:

Visual Disabilities
Physical disabilities
Hearing deficits
Learning and Literacy difficulties

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How to Access Accessibility features

1. Open Windows Icon

2. Open Settings

3. Select Ease of Access

Choose setting you wish to adapt

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Visual Settings for Easier Access

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Vision Accessibility Features

Display
Mouse Pointers and Text Cursor
Magnifier (built in magnifier)
Color Filters
High Contrast
Screen Reader/Narrator

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Display

Change size of text, icons (shortcuts) and brightness of your computer’s display to improve/ease visual display in all programs and on the desktop.

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Cursor and Pointer Size

Change how the mouse pointer looks to find it easier on the page and change the cursor’s (within the document or program) thickness and color.

Make your mouse pointer and cursor easier to see

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Magnifier

Magnifier makes part or all of the screen bigger so words and images are more easily viewed.

How to use Magnifier

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Color Filters

Some students find it helpful to use a filter to reduce glare and ease eye fatgiue. If it's hard for your student to see what's on the screen, try a color filter. Additionally, color filters change the color palette on the screen and can help distinguish between things that differ only by color.

How to use Color Filters

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High Contrast Mode

Text with low contrast can be difficult to read for people with low vision. Strongly contrasting colors can make it quicker and easier to read from the PC.
Turn on and off High Contrast mode

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How to Screencast on Vision Accessibility

Windows Vision Accessibility

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Auditory Settings

for

Easier Access

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Windows: Accessibility for Hearing Impairment

Audio

Mono (as opposed to stereo for headphones for )
Use text or visual alternatives for sounds

Closed Captioning

Make your device easier to use without sound by displaying audio as text.
Turn on text captions for spoken dialogue (e.g. when a document starts or finishes printing)

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Mono

Combines left and right audio channels into one channel so that all audio content can be heard from either of the left or right speakers/headphones.

Hear all sounds in one channel

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Closed Captioning

Provides text interpretation of dialogue in a video viewed on the PC

Turn on closed captions

Settings for the appearance of the text may be customized

Change closed caption settings

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Use text or visual alternatives for sounds/Turn on text captions for spoken dialogue

You can get visual cues instead of sound alerts in Windows by changing your settings. Here's how.

Use text or visual alternatives to sound

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Accessibility features for Physical Disabilities

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Accessibility for Physical Impairment

Type and Navigate with your voice: (Speech Recognition)

Convert your speech to text with dictate

How to use Dictation

On-screen Keyboard

Windows has a built-in tool called the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) that can be used instead of a physical keyboard.
No touchscreen, no problem. You can use your mouse or another pointing device to select keys, or use a physical single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen and use a switch.
Text Prediction

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Keyboard Shortcuts and Access Keys

Keyboard shortcuts are keys or a combination of keys that will provide an alternative way to do something that is typically done with a mouse.

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Keyboard Features for Access

Sticky Keys: The Sticky Keys feature enables you to press one key at a time when using keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl+Alt+Del) in Windows 10 computer. To turn it on or off: Press Shift five times
Filter Keys: The Filter Keys is a feature of Microsoft Windows. It is an accessibility function that tells the keyboard to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes, in order to make typing easier for users with hand tremors. Press and Hold Right Shift for 8 seconds to turn on

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Accessibility Checker

Discoverable next to Spelling Checker is the Accessibility Checker- helps you determine possible accessibility difficulties which may be within a document you created. It identifies an expanded range of issues within a document, includes a recommended action menu, and utilizes AI to make intelligent suggestions for improvements.
Recommended Actions—within the Accessibility Checker, makes it easier to fix flagged issues. It will recommend actions such as Add a description, Mark as decorative, and Suggest a description for me for a picture in a document that is missing alternative text.

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Accessibility Checker

How to use Accessibility Checker

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Cortana

Cortana is a voice-activated personal assistant similar to Siri, but for Windows.
You can use for a variety of purposes such as:

Finding weather forecasts
Setting up reminders
Opening up and sending out email
Finding files
Searching the Internet.

It is a great tool for individuals with visual, learning and physical difficulties who cannot access a computer in a typical fashion.

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How to “Talk to” Cortana

How to open and use Cortana

How to manage Cortana Settings

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O365

Learning

Tools

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Learning Tools

used for the inclusive classroom that span reading, writing, math and communication and are built into all of their products improves reading comprehension for Elementary, English Language Learner and Special Education students helps students by providing multiple strategies for supporting learning assists with reading fluency and comprehension assists with struggling math learners

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Learning Tools

Learning Tools include:

Immersive Reader
Math Tools
Dictate
Transcribe
Editor
Translate

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Learning Tools Features

Enhanced dictation – improves authoring text
Focus mode – Sustains attention and improves reading speeds
Immersive reading – improves comprehension and sustains attention
Font spacing and short lines - improve reading speed by addressing “visual crowding”
Parts of speech – supports instruction and improves writing quality,
Syllabification – improves word recognition

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Immersive Reader

Provides users with the ability to have content read aloud
Allows for adjusting settings to break the words into syllables, adjust text size or background colors.
Reduces distraction and simplifies the user interface to allow the student to focus on the content.
Supports students with dyslexia and dysgraphia in the classroom, but can support anyone who wants to make reading on their device easier.

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Text Preferences Features

(modified for student preference)

Change Text Size or Increase Spacing

Change Font or background font color theme

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Grammar Options

(modified for student need)

Syllables

Parts of Speech

Syllable will break up the words into syllables, this helps for emergent readers, simplify decoding

Parts of speech enables the reader to determine which parts of speech with be color coded, which colors for each, and whether there will be labels

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Reading Preferences

Line Focus/Masking

Picture Dictionary

BoardMaker Symbols

Translate

by word
by document

Line Focus, also known as masking, can choose between 1, 3, or 5 lines.

Picture dictionary. - when the student selects a word, a definition will appear. If Picture dictionary is activated, a Boardmaker symbol will also appear.

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Immersive Reader Screencast Demo

How to use Immersive Reader

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Math Tools

The ability to write or type any math problem and have the Math Assistant solve it
Provides the solution and can also display step-by-step instructions
After solving the equation, there are options to continue exploring math learning with Math Assistant.

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Math Tools in OneNote

Using the Draw tab in OneNote, write Math equations on the pad

Covert written text to typed text or type text into the application (The Math window will open which converts written equation to text. Note that there’s an option to fix if the written text is not converted accurately.

You can use a stylus or your finger on a touch screen tablet or chrome book.

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Math Tools in OneNote

Instructional support demonstrating how to solve the equation

After solving your equation, there are options to continue exploring math learning with Math Assistant There are also higher order math functions available.

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Math Tools Demo

How to use Math Tools

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Dictate

Dictation lets you use speech-to-text to author content in Office with a microphone and reliable internet connection.

Use your voice to quickly create documents, emails, notes, presentations, or slide notes.

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Transcribe

Available for Office 365 subscribers who use Microsoft Word online
The feature allows you to transcribe pre- recorded audio and video files, as well as live meetings, in the web version of Word.

Transcribe Video

How to transcribe

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Editor

Microsoft Editor is similar to Grammarly. It helps compose and correct Word Documents, E:mail messages and anything written on the web.

Higher order editing for clarity, conciseness, formality, inclusiveness, and punctuation conventions.

How to use Editor

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Microsoft Translator

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Free translation and transcription service that lets you have translated conversations across multiple devices

Available on Outlook and other O365 products

Instantly translate foreign language web pages

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Resources

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Bookmark these sites:

Learning Tools help page
Get Immediate Support Help: Microsoft Disability Answer Desk – free support for Accessibility product issues, questions and more
Detailed list of all Microsoft Accessibility features and products
Microsoft Accessibility site
PPT Deck: Increasing Accessibility and Fostering Inclusive Classrooms with free tools from Microsoft Education
Learning Tools 1-page PDF showing all apps, platforms and features: https://aka.ms/Office365LearningTools
Learning Tools languages across apps and, platforms: http://aka.ms/LearningToolsLanguages
Education Help center: https://support.office.com/education
Microsoft EdTech blog: Products: http://aka.ms/EdTechBlog
Microsoft Education blog: Stories: http://aka.ms/EduBlog

This page pulls together lots of tools and resources to help you get the most out of Microsoft's inclusive tools for the classroom.

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Resources

For updates on Microsoft Windows accessibility features, visit:

www.microsoft.com/accessibility

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