Microsoft Office and Windows include features that make them more accessible for all users. Microsoft includes Narrator, a built-in screen reader, with Windows 7 and higher. Some of the features of the Narrator include reading things from the touch screen, reading Excel spreadsheet cells, and being compatible in Microsoft Outlook.
Microsoft Office 365 programs include the option to scan documents for accessibility. This feature is available on the ribbon by selecting the Review tab, then clicking the "Check Accessibility" button. (In Outlook, the Review tab is visible in the ribbon when writing or replying to messages.)
Adobe has a number of resources to help users make Adobe documents accessible. Under the Edit menu in Adobe Reader, there is an Accessibility Setup Assistant that leads users through the steps needed to make sure the PDF is accessible.
The Adobe Experience League offers a series of tutorials on how to ensure that Adobe documents are accessible to everyone.
This webinar recording explains how to ensure accessibility of PDF documents using Adobe Acrobat.
The Vance-Granville Community College library has a computer with the JAWS Screen Reader installed. The acronyn JAWS stands for Job Access With Speech. This screen reader is compatible with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Microsoft Office, and Windows 8. It also contains an OCR feature to make text in PDFs readable.
Need help? Contact the VGCC Library.