6 ways to use Microsoft Copilot to drive accessibility

With an estimated 15% of the UK population being neurodivergent and nearly one in four working-age adults disabled, creating inclusive and accessible workplaces has never been more important.  

Whether you're creating documents, hosting meetings, or sharing communications, it is essential to ensure that everyone across your organisation can engage, regardless of abilities. 

Microsoft Copilot, integrated across Microsoft 365, offers a range of capabilities that make accessibility at work easier to achieve. Let's take a look at 10 impactful ways you can use Microsoft Copilot to champion accessibility at work, along with some powerful prompts: 

 

 

1. Generate alt text for images  

Upload an image to Copilot Chat and ask it to write descriptive alt text, to make it easier for visually impaired users or people using screen readers to understand the content and context of your images.  

Just drag and drop your image, and use a prompt like: 

👉🏼 Analyse this image and suggest alt text to help explain it to someone who is visually impaired. 

Copilot will then generate a clear, concise description that you can copy and paste into the relevant place! 

 

 

2. Simplify complex language  

Copilot can rewrite technical or more complex content into plain language, making it easier to understand for people with cognitive disabilities or those who speak English as a second language.  

Either paste your copy into Copilot Chat or use Copilot in Word, and ask a prompt like: 

👉🏼 Simplify this, making it easier to understand. 

 

 

3. Get answers about your meetings, in real-time

One of the key benefits of Copilot is its power within Microsoft Teams. During a meeting, having Copilot switched on allows you to ask questions about discussions in real-time. While the meeting is still going on, without disrupting the flow. 

Open up the Copilot tab in your meeting and ask what you need, for example: 

👉🏼 What did [participant name] say about [topic]? 

This is especially valuable for neurodivergent individuals who may find it challenging to stay focused throughout a meeting, or for people with hearing impairments who might miss parts of the conversation.  

 

 

4. Create accessible presentations and documents

Ask Copilot to give you tips and tricks on designing presentations and creating documents in a more accessible way. It may suggest how you can change the contrast, update the fonts, or rearrange the structure.  

Your prompt might be: 

👉🏼 Give me suggestions on how to make this document more accessible 

Or 

👉🏼 Give me suggestions on how to make this presentation more accessible  

You can also use Accessibility Checker in Word and PowerPoint to get some of these suggestions!  

 

 

5. Translate your work instantly

It's important to ensure that your content is accessible to non-native speaker.  

Asking Copilot to translate your document or presentation can be a really quick and easy way to do this. Especially useful for global organisations or multilingual audiences. 

Just ask it: 

👉🏼 Translate this paragraph into [insert language] 

 

 

6. Summarise long pieces of content

For people who are neurodiverse, it can sometimes be overwhelming to digest large amounts of content at once. Using Copilot, you can get quick summaries of long documents, emails, or articles. Ask them to be summarised into digestible bullet points, one paragraph, or a certain number of words.  

This is a fantastic use case for people who have ADHD, dyslexia, or other neurodiverse conditions. 

Consider a prompt like: 

👉🏼 Summarise this document in 50 words or less 

 

 

How Copilot can drive accessibility - Final thoughts 

While Microsoft Copilot’s primary use might be productivity - it’s much more than that. It’s a powerful assistant in creating a more accessible and inclusive workplace.  

From generating alt text and simplifying language to supporting real-time transcriptions and accessible document design, Copilot helps remove barriers that can prevent people from fully participating at work.  Ensuring that every employee can contribute, collaborate, and thrive. Making the workplace more inclusive for everyone, every day.