2024 – A year in recap – Windows Accessibility

December 3, 2024

By

• Shweta Gupta – Windows Accessibility Product Manager

The Windows Accessibility team is on a mission to make Windows 11 the most inclusive version yet and create a digital environment where everyone is empowered to achieve more. We remain committed to prioritizing feedback and insights from the disability community for our products as we continue to evolve Windows for the future. From performance improvements in Narrator and enhanced spelling and correction improvements in Voice Access, to a dedicated focus on improving reliability and core functionality across all assistive technologies, significant strides have been made in addressing the diverse needs of our customers. Today as we celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we are excited and humbled to look back at the year.

Nothing about us without us

Microsoft Inclusive Design principles put people at the center of the design process. Fresh, diverse perspectives are the key to true insight. Developing Windows with the disability community’s input is critical to creating meaningful and effective features. The Windows Accessibility team aligns with the disability community’s guiding principle, “nothing about us without us,” emphasizing the importance of co-creation with our advisory boards for the blind, mobility and hard of hearing communities, grounding us in the needs of our customers.

Improved performance for Narrator and Voice Access

Collaboration with advisory boards not only informs our understanding of customer needs but also drives meaningful updates and enhancement to reliable assistive technologies.

Recent improvements include:

• Narrator scan mode now turns off more quickly when typing in an edit field, reducing interruptions and allowing for a smoother, more efficient typing experience.
• Narrator users will not face slowdown in Narrator performance when using with a single application over extended period of use.
• Users can now use Voice Access in additional languages: French (France), French (Canada), German, Spanish (Spain) and Spanish (Mexico).
• Enhanced speech recognition accuracy for executing commands and text authoring will make Voice Access faster and more reliant while using.
• Voice Access now supports Multi Monitor setup, providing greater flexibility and control across multiple screens.
• Narrator and Voice Access can now be used together, allowing Narrator commands to be given through Voice Access, such as “Turn on Narrator,” “Read selection” or “Read next line.”

Voice shortcuts with Voice Access

Voice Access now allows customers to create custom commands and voice shortcuts (English only at this time), making it easier to tailor the experience to individual needs. These shortcuts can be used to perform specific actions, such as opening a URL or executing a series of tasks in sequence, providing greater personalization.

For example, a customer can create a shortcut to open their favorite news website by saying, “Go to my news,” or set up a sequence like launching a video conferencing app and muting the microphone with a single command. This feature enhances productivity by reducing repetitive steps and offering greater personalization.

For guidance on setting up and using custom voice shortcuts, visit the Voice Access support page.

Keyboard shortcuts and enhanced image descriptions in Narrator

We have introduced new Narrator shortcut keys to improve usability and provide quicker access to important information such as:

• Narrator key + Shift + B to hear battery and network status
• Narrator key + Control + X to copy the last Narrator speech to the clipboard

Additionally, the image description experience in Narrator has been enhanced to make visual content more accessible:

• Detailed AI-generated image descriptions
• Shortcut (Narrator key + Ctrl + D) to request descriptions of images on demand, enabling a more seamless navigation experience
• Quickly move between graphics or images in Scan mode (Narrator key + Spacebar) using “G” or “Shift + G”

Reliable experiences – a focus on fundamentals

Consistency and reliability are essential to creating a seamless experience for customers who rely on assistive technologies. That’s why we’ve prioritized addressing critical issues across tools like Voice Access and Narrator, ensuring they perform as expected in day-to-day use.

Recent updates have resolved issues that could disrupt workflows, allowing customers to focus on their tasks without interruptions. These improvements mean fewer frustrations, smoother navigation and increased confidence that assistive technologies will work when needed.

To learn more about specific fixes and improvements, refer to Appendix in Narrator guide.

Improvement to Spellings & Corrections

We now offer better suggestions for the Spellings & Corrections experience and support more dictation commands for selection, deletion and text navigation.

Join us on the journey 

Thank you to all our Windows customers for helping us improve the accessibility experiences, especially those who try out our Windows Insider builds to give feedback earlier in the release process. We will continue to keep you updated on new features on Windows and invite you to join us by trying Windows 11 and giving us your feedback (Windows logo key + F to launch the Feedback hub) to help create better experiences for each of us.

If you are a customer with a disability and need technical assistance with Windows or any other Microsoft product, please reach out to the Disability Answer Desk via phone, chat or American Sign Language (via videophone).