Office XP: New Accessibility Features
By Closing the Gap, Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 16Publication Date: June/July 2001
rticle describing a user interface that adds accessibility features for people with learning disabilities and repetitive stress injuries to Microsoft Office XP. The accessibility features include character reduction, speech support, and the Reveal Formatting Task Pane. Character reduction refers to a reduction of the number of characters and elements on a page; this leads to a reduction in competing elements, which could yield less confusing content. Speech support allows users to dictate text into Office XP and navigate through program menus by dictating commands into a microphone. This feature could assist someone with repetitive stress injures or anyone uncomfortable using a keyboard or mouse. The Reveal Formatting Task Pane can be used to determine the characteristics of a particular block of text, much like a screen reader. This feature could be helpful to people who are blind or have low vision.
Published by: Closing the Gap, Inc. (Website:http://www.closingthegap.com)
