In 2017, I was invited to participate in the Microsoft Inclusion in Action project, which highlights how six people from around the world use Microsoft products with assistive technology across a variety of contexts. This non-sponsored opportunity provided a platform to share how I use various Microsoft accessibility features to access materials for my classes as a student with low vision and how built-in accessibility features have helped my instructors and I with making information easier to see.
Almost ten years later, I still use a lot of the same accessibility features and assistive technology strategies I show off in my original video, but I wanted to update this post to provide more practical resources for how students with visual impairments can use these technologies in their own lives. Here is an overview of my Microsoft feature and the resources I mention during Inclusion in Action.
Disclaimer
I was contacted by Microsoft to be part of Inclusion in Action via my website after I had posted about using Microsoft Sway in 2017. Microsoft did not provide me with any payment for participation in Inclusion in Action or sponsor this post (or any post on my website). Filming for Inclusion in Action took place in Fall 2017 on my college campus; at the time I was studying for a degree in Information Technology, but graduated with a Bachelor’s in Computational and Data Sciences with a minor in assistive technology. Microsoft did not and does not provide me with any free or discounted items or subscriptions.
Additionally. I was a program management intern for Microsoft in Summer 2019, where I worked on the Excel team. I did not work on any of the products I mention in this presentation or work on any accessibility-related projects or teams. The information I share in this post is my own opinion and does not reflect any of my current or past employers.
Inclusion in Action content
Here are the links to the Inclusion in Action project, including my video, corresponding article, and an additional article from Satya Nadella that recognized my participation in the project!
Related links
- Inclusion in Action: Veronica | YouTube
- Inclusion in action: Veronica scores 100% with Sway magnified to 225% – Microsoft Accessibility Blog
- The people and projects that inspired me in 2017 | Satya Nadella
Windows computers for low vision
I have used both a desktop and a laptop computer in college, though I prefer my desktop since I can use display scaling and display content with large print more easily on a wide desktop monitor. The Surface computer that appears in my 2017 video was super helpful for me as I could adjust the display angle under the lined bifocal in my glasses, and I could also use touch gestures instead of having to visually track a mouse cursor. I also had an HP Sprout, which could be converted into a desktop video magnifier with the second display.
Many years later, I have a Surface laptop with an accompanying Surface Dock, which connects to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse so I can use it with the same tools as a desktop computer. Instead of using a touch screen frequently, I now prefer to use keyboard shortcuts when possible so that I don’t have to visually scan for icons.
Related links
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Computers
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Keyboards
- Questions To Ask When Choosing A Desktop Computer For College
- High School Laptops and Low Vision
- Questions To Ask When Choosing A Laptop For College
- Eight Things You Need To Know About Your Disability Accommodations
Using Microsoft products in high school
I started bringing a laptop to school when I was in high school, after I had spent a semester struggling to access paper-based materials and trying to read the board. By having a laptop in the classroom, I could pull up copies of class presentations, type assignments, and increase the font size of documents instead of straining my eyes to read small print or having people attempt to decode my messy handwriting. For me, earning high grades after struggling to read and having the opportunity to access the same materials at the same time as other students went a long way in making my classes more inclusive and more accessible, and I was so grateful to be able to read my assignments without straining my eyes.
Both school districts I attended primarily used Microsoft products like Word, PowerPoint, and several Windows-specific applications, so I chose a Windows computer so it would be compatible with the technologies that were already being used at my school. I later participated in a Microsoft Office Specialist certification program at my high school to earn Microsoft certifications that I still use to this day— I am always very popular when it comes to formatting documents for group projects!
Related links
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- How To Make Things On The Board Easier To See
- How I Keep Track of Assignments With Low Vision
- Microsoft Office Specialist Certification and Low Vision
- Classes That Prepared Me For A Microsoft PM Internship
- Tips For Improving Confidence About Using Assistive Technology
- Implementing Shared Folders For Accessible Materials
- Learning to Self-Advocate With Low Vision
Windows accessibility features for low vision
I use several Windows accessibility features for low vision access, including Magnifier, display scaling, large text, keyboard shortcuts, and a large mouse cursor. To learn more about these settings, I recommend checking out the posts linked below for more in-depth explanations of how they work and how they can be useful for individuals with low vision.
Related links
- Low Vision Accessibility Settings For Windows 10 and 11
- Windows Magnifier and Low Vision
- How To Make Mouse Pointers Easier To See in Windows
- How To Make Text Cursors Easier To See In Windows
- How To Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows
- How To Customize Icons For Windows
- How To Use High Contrast in Windows 11
How I use Microsoft apps with low vision in my classes
I mention several Microsoft applications that I have used in various classes related to my information technology major and assistive technology minor throughout the Inclusion in Action video— I also used them in my computational and data sciences major and continue to use many of them today as a PhD student. Examples of applications I mention in the video include:
- Microsoft Sway, a free web application for creating one-page documents, presentations, newsletters, and simple webpages that incorporate multimedia content, with additional premium features available for Microsoft 365 subscribers. Users can access Sway content directly from the web browser with no downloads needed and view text with a responsive layout that supports large print and screen reader access. I was really excited that it could easily insert alt text, something that I had struggled with in other applications.
- Microsoft OneNote, a free Microsoft 365 (Office) application that provides a platform to create multimedia notebooks filled with text, images, videos, files, and more. Instead of saving content as a single Word document or having multiple documents in a folder, OneNote organizes multiple pages and types of content in one file so that users can read, annotate, and type content while automatically saving their process. I use this to organize notes for my classes.
- With Microsoft OneNote, I can use the Camera feature to scan a copy of the dry-erase board and extract text from the image, which makes it easier to search for notes or display information in large print with Optical Character Recognition. This also makes it easier for me to zoom in on the board, instead of requiring me to stand up and get close to something to see it.
- Microsoft Word offers several options for displaying content with large print in a responsive layout, which means that I don’t have to scroll horizontally to read an entire line of text in large print. Tools like Accessibility Checker have also made it easier for my instructors to create documents that I can access with large print— it takes less than a minute to alert them to potential accessibility issues so they can be fixed quickly. This has made a huge difference when it comes to providing copies of notes and assignments that I can read independently.
- Microsoft PowerPoint made a brief cameo in the video, but I actually prefer to use Sway for most class presentations. That said, I use PowerPoint to create large print sheet music for pep band and switch-adapted books for various assistive technology projects and assignments— the student who appears next to me with the zebra picture is also in the assistive technology program.
- Microsoft Lens was a scanner application that supported OCR recognition and several accessibility features, but it was shut down by Microsoft in 2025.
Also, it’s worth noting that I mentioned in the 2017 video that every Sway I have ever submitted for a class project or graded assignment has earned a 100%. All of these years later, I am still getting 100% or higher on my projects whenever I use Sway!
Related links
- How To Use Microsoft Sway With Assistive Technology
- Accessible Microsoft Sway Designs For Low Vision
- How I Access PowerPoints with Microsoft Sway
- How I Use Microsoft OneNote With Low Vision
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- My Most-Used Keyboard Shortcuts For Academic Writing
- Secret Microsoft Office Accessibility Features I Use Every Day
- How To Make Music Accessible With Microsoft PowerPoint
- How I Use Microsoft Lens With Low Vision
My thoughts on using AT with low vision in the classroom
One of my favorite quotes comes from a training manual from IBM that states “For people without disabilities, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible.” That said, I do not do things “in spite of” or “despite” low vision, nor do I “overcome” my low vision through the use of assistive technology or other accessibility strategies— in many cases, I do things because of low vision.
Throughout my Inclusion in Action video, I reiterated frequently that assistive technology and having access to materials in large print makes a profound difference for me as a student with low vision, especially since I did not have access to specialized technologies or instructors that were well-versed in using assistive technology or accessible design when I was in high school; I also didn’t have many opportunities to develop targeted visual impairment-related skills such as those listed in the Expanded Core Curriculum. I started Veroniiiica to share resources informed by my lived experiences with low vision and my “learned” experiences as an assistive technology professional, with the goal of providing information to help other students with visual impairments thrive in the classroom and making information about low vision assistive technology more widely accessible.
While I find mainstream technologies and built-in accessibility settings to be helpful for my own access needs and preferences, visual impairment is a spectrum, not a binary. These products do not replace or mitigate the need for specialized technologies, disability accommodations, modifications, professional training, or eliminate barriers related to access to information for people with low vision. There is no single technology solution that can address all of these things, and that is why it is important to advocate not just for inclusion, but for integration of people with disabilities in educational environments and beyond.
Related links
- Why I Study Assistive Technology
- Learning To Explain Usable Vision
- Learning to Self-Advocate With Low Vision
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- What I Want Congress Members To Know About Assistive Technology
- How To Explain Disability Accommodations To Professors
More links for Inclusion in Action and Veronica With Four Eyes
- Microsoft Archives | Veroniiiica
- Inclusion in Action: Veronica | YouTube
- Inclusion in action: Veronica scores 100% with Sway magnified to 225% – Microsoft Accessibility Blog
- The people and projects that inspired me in 2017 | Satya Nadella
Published November 9, 2017. Updated November 2025