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Microsoft makes Windows more accessible in new preview build

The features are part of Windows 10 Build 16215, introduced by Microsoft yesterday. The release includes an extensive set of new features across Windows and its apps. Significantly for users of assistive technologies, it also comes with major improvements to its ease of access functions.
After launching a revamped Narrator with the Creators Update, Microsoft has further extended the tool by setting it to use scan mode by default. This change means that the narrator will “scan” over content and jump to the important sections, such as headers and form controls. It reduces the time required to navigate a page and can make content more usable.
Narrator’s hotkeys have been improved so they’re more obvious and discoverable. There’s new keyboard shortcuts for actions such as continue reading from the current point (Caps + R) and jump to the start or end of an app’s content (Caps + Home and Caps + End respectively). Additionally, the Ctrl + W “read window” command now reads out details of the controls in the app window and the accompanying text.
Microsoft has also added a hotkey learning mode. This helps users to learn their way around their keyboard. For people with severe vision impairments or blindness, this feature will make it significantly easier to start using a new device or keyboard layout. When Input Learning mode is on, Narrator will read out the key that has been pressed and the command associated it.
Besides Narrator, support for Braille input has been enhanced to include app shortcuts and modifier keys. Combinations of dots on Braille keyboards can be combined to enable keys like Tab, Escape and Windows to be pressed, as well as sequences like Ctrl + S to save and Ctrl + T to launch a new tab.
For people who may have vision impairments such as colour blindness and light sensitivity, Microsoft has introduced a set of system-level display colour filters. Accessed from the Display page of the Settings app, these let you adjust your display to use inverted colours, grayscale output or more specific modes designed for specific vision conditions.
The new features are accompanied by recent work by the Microsoft Edge team to increase the accessibility of content on the web. This includes enhanced webpage compatibility with screen readers and the ability for assistive technologies to work out the semantic meaning of on-page elements.
The changes make Windows more accessible to every user, including those who can’t access regular input methods. By improving Windows’ usability with text-to-speech technologies and Braille readers, Microsoft is better helping all computer users to access the power of their hardware and enjoy the best experiences that they can. The features should roll out publicly with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update later this year.

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