Office Announces Two New Accessibility Add-ins

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Customers count on Microsoft Office to meet their productivity needs, including people with hearing or print disabilities. Today we are announcing the public betas of two Office add-ins that increase the accessibility of Office documents.

  • The Subtitling Add-In for Microsoft PowerPoint (STAMP) will help Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 users add captions to video and audio files included in presentations. This also enables users around the world to subtitle in foreign languages. 
  • Save as DAISY for Office 2010 will help Microsoft Word users convert Word Open XML files to the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) format, which powers digital talking books and compatible software and braille readers for those with print disabilities. For more information about Microsoft’s five-year partnership with DAISY Consortium, view this case study.

La Tonya Dyer is an instructional designer and trainer at the Center for Instructional Advancement and Technology at Towson University. She notes that “Towson University is working toward an accessibility model that will ensure equal instructional access to all students. The Subtitling Add-In for Microsoft PowerPoint (STAMP) has the potential to broaden access to videos and audio recordings that some faculty incorporate into their classrooms as instructional resources. With STAMP they now have the ability to easily caption video and audio in PowerPoint, allowing students with hearing disabilities to benefit from the same learning opportunities as their counterparts.”

Please visit Microsoft.com to download the add-in betas.  

Microsoft also announced the immediate availability of Microsoft Accessibility Tools & Training today. This online package contains free accessibility training courses for developers and an accessibility resource guide providing information about many types of disabilities and age-related difficulties and guidance regarding which accessible technology solutions can help to mitigate their effects. See the following press release for more information.

Microsoft has been investing in accessibility for more than 20 years and today’s announcements help further that commitment.