Surface Adaptive Kit makes Microsoft laptops more accessible

We all know what to expect with new laptops: improved chips, often thinner designs, and jaw-dropping new features. But it’s easy to ignore how some of these changes may affect people with disabilities. Making a thinner notebook can too make opening more difficult, for example. So, to better equip its PCs so that they are more accessible, Microsoft has created the Surface Adaptive Kit, a collection of add-ons that can help you find specific keys, locate ports and open your PC or kickstand. .

While they may look like a simple collection of stickers, it still shows that Microsoft is actually thinking of people with disabilities. The Adaptive Kit comes from its Inclusive Tech Lab, the same people behind the revolutionary Xbox Adaptive Controller. The impetus for the Surface kit is also very similar: it’s about making Microsoft’s hardware easier for everyone to use.

Inside the box you’ll find a set of translucent key labels to highlight the keys you use often, a set of three-dimensional embossed labels for ports and buttons, and raised port indicators with a winding of corresponding cable. To give you more weight with the holsters and crutches, there is also a ring opener and a miter opener.

The company isn’t saying how much the Surface Adaptive Kit will cost when it arrives later this year, but hopefully it will be relatively inexpensive. After all, an accessibility-focused product should work for any budget.

Follow all the news from Microsoft’s Fall Surface event here.