Right after unveiling a range of new Adaptive Accessories to help disabled people use their PCs, Microsoft should have announced some new accessibility features for its OS.
And that’s exactly what the company has done.
Redmond outlined these new accessibility options that are now confirmed to arrive with the final version of Windows 11 22H2 in a blog post, revealing how these additions will help people with disabilities access the operating system.
Four noteworthy features are inbound, including a more immersive Focus experience, systemwide live captions, and more powerful voice access tools, to go with more natural voices for Narrator.
To start with, a more immersive Focus experience includes an option to turn on Do Not Disturb from the Action Center. This setting lets you prioritize which notifications you want to show up while it is turned on, thus simplifying the whole process.
Focus sessions is another new addition that will help you with productivity on Windows 11. Pushing it on, Windows 11 will turn on Do Not Disturb and turn off Taskbar badges while also launching a timer to remind you to take breaks between work.
As an added bonus, it also comes with integration with the Clock app and Spotify.
Systemwide live captions on audio content also finally make their way to Windows 11. As the name suggests, the operating system will automatically transcribe content from any audio clip. Better yet, the feature works without an internet connection as the captions are generated on the device.
This feature is already familiar to insiders, as it has been available to them for quite a while.
Windows 11 users can also open and switch between apps, browse the web, and read and author mail using their voices. Upon turning on Voice access for the first time, the OS will prompt you to download a speech model for the on-device speech recognition to help you get started.
Microsoft also heard customer feedback on the Narrator experience and has added more natural voices to enable people with visual impairments to enjoy scenarios like browsing the web, reading, authoring mail, and more.
All these additions will soon be part of the Windows 11 22H2 update, which the company is reportedly readying to hit RTM status this month.
All are excellent additions that should help both disabled and regular users alike.
