LinkedIn supports text-to-speech

LinkedIn is making its platform more accessible by integrating Microsoft’s immersive reader. “In honor of Dyslexia Awareness Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we are offering users a new tool to accommodate content in a way that suits them better through Microsoft’s immersive reader integration,” the platform said.

These features are especially useful as LinkedIn embraces longer content. With this update, the platform caters to a variety of reader preferences and needs by enabling the ability to read content aloud, translate content in real time, and change reading and text preferences.

This new accessibility feature is especially useful among members with dyslexia, making it easier for them to read and enjoy articles and long-form content.

Each article and newsletter has an immersive reader icon to provide access to several accessibility tools, and benefits include:

• Text-to-speech: The ability to read articles aloud and distinguish between words written in the same way – although they are pronounced differently – makes it easier for people with disabilities to consume content, and can also be enjoyed by those who want to listen to an article while doing something else. The immersive reader supports more than 60 text-to-speech languages.
• Content isolation: Isolating the main text of an article or newsletter from anything else on the screen helps focus on reading. The immersive reader also supports font focus, which helps focus on one or two lines at a time.
• Split syllable: Dividing complex words into sounds or smaller parts helps in understanding and pronouncing new terms easily.
  Real-time translations: Simultaneous translations into the preferred language – with support for over 100 languages – help remove language barriers and are a useful tool for anyone looking to learn a new language.

LinkedIn’s immersive reader inclusion reflects the platform’s ongoing commitment to accommodate users’ diverse preferences and accessibility needs, and helps advance its vision of equal access to content and create an inclusive digital experience for all its members regardless of their goals, ideas, or abilities.