Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Skype for Business

Skype for Business includes accessibility features that make it easier for people with disabilities like limited dexterity or low vision to use the meeting and messaging app. For more information about accessibility settings and features that are platform-specific, see Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365.

In this topic

• Get to know the Skype for Business layout
• Navigate using the keyboard
• Special considerations for Skype for Business

Get to know the Skype for Business layout

Using Skype for Business, you can schedule and conduct online meetings that include as many as 250 attendees. Plus, you can call colleagues and send messages to them. The elements included in the Skype for Business UI change based on the communication element you select: contacts, conversations, phone calls, or meetings.

If you’re a person with low vision or visual disabilities, or if you have limited mobility, build a mental model of the Skype for Business UI. The areas and specific elements of the UI are described in the table below.

Area	Elements you'll find in this area
First row: Menu bar or your personalized post	If you use the default view for the app, the What’s happening today? text box is in the first row. It shows your personalized post. If you change the default view to show the menu bar for the app, the menu bar is in the first row, followed by the What’s happening today? text box.
Second row: Information about you	User name Status menu. Shows your status, such as Available, Busy, or Do Not Disturb, among other options. Set Your Location text box and button. Shows your location or allows you to set your location.
Third row: A tab group that changes the information shown in the main area of the UI and options button	Contacts tab. Shows information about your contacts. Chat Rooms tab (if available for your account). Shows information about chat rooms you belong to or are following. Conversations tab. Shows information about your current and past conversations. Phone tab. Shows information about your voice mail and a dial pad to make phone calls (if available for your account). Meetings tab. Shows information about your upcoming meetings. Options button. Enables you to access settings for the app. Show Menu Bar button. Enables you to access the following buttons and menus: File menu Meet Now button Tools menu Help menu Show Menu Bar toggle. Shows or hides the menu bar for the app on the first row of the UI.
Variable number of rows: Information that corresponds to the tab you selected	If you select the Contacts tab, the following information is shown: Find someone search box. Searches for people in your organization or in the Skype for Business directory (if available in your organization). Contact view tabs: Groups tab. Groups and shows your contacts by your favorites, your custom groups, and other contacts. Status tab. Groups and shows your contacts by their status, such as Online or Away, and so forth. Relationships tab. Groups and shows your contacts by their privacy relationship with you, such as Colleagues, Friends and Family, or Workgroups, among others. New tab. Shows the people who have added you to their contact lists. Add a contact, create a group, and customize the Contacts list button. Adds contacts, creates groups, and sets display options. The contact details for each person include name, status, and device capabilities (such as Video Capable). If you select the Conversations tab, the following information is shown: All conversations tab. Shows all your current and past conversations. Missed conversations tab. Shows your missed conversations. Calls tab. Shows your call history. Each of your conversations or each call in your call history. If you select the Phone tab, the following information is shown (if enabled for your account): Find someone or a room, or dial a number search box. Searches for people in your organization or enter a phone number to dial. Dial pad buttons. Enables you to enter a phone number or redial the last phone number and make a phone call. See Voice Mail Options menu. Shows a menu that includes the following commands: Call Voice Mail, Change Greetings, and Set Up Voice Mail. Each of your voice mails. If you select the Meetings tab, the following information is shown: Meet Now button. Starts a meeting now. Each of your meetings grouped by the scheduled date.
Last row: Information about your primary device	Select Primary Device menu. Shows audio and video information about your primary device.

Navigate using the keyboard

You can use Skype for Business with keyboard shortcuts. For details, refer to Keyboard shortcuts in Skype for Business. The following are some frequently used keyboard shortcuts for Skype for Business:

• To move forward through the elements of the Skype for Business UI, press the Tab key, or to move back, press Shift+Tab key.

• To browse within the Menu Bar or move between tabs, press the Right or Left arrow keys.

• To move between items in a list pane, press Up or Down arrow keys.

• To select an item, press Enter. To close a dialog or move focus back, press Esc.

• To show or hide the menu bar in the top row of the Skype for Business main window, press Alt. There are four menus on the menu bar: File (Alt+F), Meet Now (Alt+M), Tools (Alt+T), and Help (Alt+H). You can open the items in the menu by first pressing the shortcut for the menu, and then the letter (underlined) for the menu item. For example, to open the Options menu item in the Tools menu, press Alt+T, O.

• To open each tab in the main window:

  • Press Ctrl+1 to open the Contacts tab.
  • Press Ctrl+2 to open the Chats Rooms tab.
  • Press Ctrl+3 to open the Conversations tab.
  • Press Ctrl+4 to open the Phone tab.
  • Press Ctrl+5 to open the Meetings tab.

• To start communicating with a contact, on the Contacts list, press the Up or Down arrow key repeatedly until you hear the contact, and then press Enter to open the options menu. Press the Tab key to navigate the menu. To select an option, press Enter.

Special considerations for Skype for Business

Change IM text size

If you want to change the size of text displayed in conversations, perform the following steps:

1. In a conversation window, press the Tab key until you hear "More options button," and then press Enter. The More Options menu opens.

2. To select the IM Text Display Size menu item, press T.

3. To select the text display size you want, use the Down arrow key until you hear the size you want, and then press Enter.

   Note

   This changes the text size on your screen but not the size of the text in the message that you send.

   Tip

   To quickly move the focus back to your IM input area, press Ctrl+Shift+M.

Adjust screen reader volume when you initiate or receive a call

If you have Dolby audio controls on your computer, you may notice that the volume of the audible feedback from your screen reader decreases when you initiate or receive a call with Skype for Business. This is a known issue and is being addressed in Windows 10 for all audio-device manufacturers. However, until the fix is implemented for all devices, you can eliminate this volume decrease by using either of the following two methods:

• Attach external USB speakers. Non-USB speakers use your device’s built-in audio with the Dolby driver. Attach external USB speakers to your device, instead of using your device’s built-in speakers or speakers plugged into the headphone jack.

• Disable the Dolby feature of the audio driver. To access the Dolby feature, perform the following steps:

  1. In Windows 10, press the Windows logo key+I to open Settings, and type sound. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Sound," and press Enter.
  2. In the Sound settings dialog box, press the Down arrow key until you hear your current audio device, and then press Alt+P to open the Properties.
  3. To open the Dolby tab, press the Tab key until you hear "Dolby," and then press the Right arrow key until you hear: "Selected, Dolby tab."

Turn on teletypewriter (TTY) mode in Skype for Business

If you use a teletypewriter (TTY) device, to turn on TTY mode in Skype for Business, take these steps:

1. In Skype for Business, to open the Options menu item on the Tools menu, press Alt+T+O. You hear: "Skype for Business, Options."
2. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Phones tab item,"and then press the Tab key until you hear: "Unchecked, Turn on TTY checkbox."
3. To turn on TTY mode, press Spacebar. You hear: "Checked."

Operate Skype for Business with speech recognition

Speech recognition tools are helpful for people who have limited mobility and who need to use voice commands (rather than the keyboard or mouse) to operate Microsoft products, including Skype for Business.

You can use third-party speech recognition tools or the functionality called Speech Recognition, which is included with the Windows operating system. To enable Speech Recognition on your computer, refer to Use speech recognition.

See also

Use a screen reader to make or receive a call in Skype for Business

Use a screen reader to share your screen in Skype for Business

Keyboard shortcuts in Skype for Business

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Skype for Business

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Make your meeting more accessible with Skype for Business