Microsoft 365 Accessibility, a year in review: Building accessible experiences with support from AI

Microsoft 365 has significantly enhanced its accessibility features in 2025, driven by feedback from internal and external communities. AI-powered Copilot now simplifies document creation from voice, presentation of complex topics, and message summarization. Generative AI powers richer alt text for images, providing better context for screen readers. For individuals with vision disabilities, Narrator has been refined for seamlessness and intuition. Keyboard shortcuts, Braille device support, and verbosity have been improved across Microsoft 365 applications. Outlook now offers more consistent screen reader announcements for errors and formatting changes. Dark Mode in Excel and Screen Curtain in Narrator are among the updates catering to visual needs. The deaf and hard-of-hearing community benefits from Sign Language Mode in Teams, elevating signing participants. Real-time text, pop-out captions, and AI-powered recaps in Teams further boost communication accessibility. Workflows for creating accessible content have been streamlined with an improved Accessibility Assistant and a Reading Order Pane in PowerPoint. Video captioning is now easier with speech recognition and SRT file support. Microsoft emphasizes the importance of user feedback in their continuous accessibility innovation journey.