Microsoft announced its Teams app is getting a so-called Sign Language View soon.
In a blog post published on Thursday, Microsoft announced a new feature for its popular Teams videoconferencing software called Sign Language View.
The addition is another step on the road to creating a “best-in-class experience” for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people using Teams, according to post author “csano,” who is deaf. Sign Language View is meant to give prominence to interpreters and other signers in one consistent location. When enabled, the feature automatically streams the appropriate video(s) in the highest possible quality. Sign Language View can be on persistently or used on a whim, depending upon one’s needs and tolerances. Notably, Microsoft says the feature is personal to the user; Sign Language View is invisible to the other participants of the call.
“These features are just the beginning—one step along a much longer road,” csano wrote in the post. “We are committed to creating a Teams meeting experience that is not just accessible, but delightful, for Deaf and hard of hearing participants.”
According to Microsoft, Sign Language View accomplishes four things:
- Keeps video of interpreters and that of other signers in a fixed space
- Ensures the feed retains an appropriate size and shape for readability
- Enables participants to have up to two other signers in constant view
- Reduces friction associated with pinning video and setting captions
In addition to Sign Language View, Microsoft also announced an all-new Accessibility preferences pane in Teams. People can use this new bit of UI to globally set Sign Language View and captions ahead of time and at once, as well as set preferred signers such as an interpreter with whom you work with regularly.
Sign Language View and the Accessibility settings are currently in public preview.
