Microsoft on the Topic: Accessibility

Overview

At Microsoft, we know that accessible computer technology is a powerful tool that empowers and enables people of all abilities to realize their full potential—including people who experience the world in different ways because of impairments or disabilities. Since 1988, we have been creating and evolving accessibility solutions that are integrated with our products—and we never stop working to make Windows an outstanding platform that other companies can use to develop their own accessible technology products.

Originally, accessible technology was viewed exclusively as a tool to assist people with disabilities, and that is still one of its most important functions. Today, however, the demand for accessible technology is expanding, as more people with mild or moderate impairments realize the many ways accessible technology can help them work more effectively. So while the benefits of accessible technology are no longer limited to people who experience physical or cognitive difficulties, addressing the needs of people with a wide range of abilities gives us deeper insights into the challenges we all face as we interact with technology.

The Microsoft Accessibility Business Unit (ABU) takes a strategic approach to accessibility, leading the company’s worldwide effort to develop software and tools that make it easier for people to see, hear and use their personal computers. ABU employees are responsible for all product planning, engineering, regulatory issues, and marketing related to accessibility at Microsoft. They also work closely with customers, partners, governments and NGOs around the world to help make technology more accessible and more widely available to everyone.

Key Issues and Solutions

Accessibility Helps Everyone Many technologies that were designed to assist people with disabilities have been widely adopted because of their value to everyone. Carbon paper was first developed for blind and partially sighted clerks who could not tell when their quill pens ran out of ink. The typewriter was invented for a countess who was blind. Curb cuts, first created for people in wheelchairs, are now used by everyone from children on bicycles to parents with strollers.

According to a 2003 Forrester Research study commissioned by Microsoft, 57 percent of U.S. computer users between 18 and 64 are likely or very likely to benefit from the use of accessible technology. Meanwhile, a growing number of people are taking advantage of the built-in accessibility settings and features in Windows Vista and other Microsoft products to customize their computers, increase their comfort, and boost their productivity.

Accessibility and the Aging Workforce Microsoft is helping aging workers, employers, and government officials understand how accessible technology could be used to help older workers and businesses stay productive keep their competitive edge as they age. The need for accessible technology is underscored by demographic trends forecasting a shrinking workforce and rapidly aging population in much of the developed world. People today are living and working longer, and lower birth rates in developed nations over the past few decades mean that there are fewer younger workers to replace those who do retire. Accessible technology can help businesses recruit and retain experienced employees and can help older workers remain at peak productivity for as long as they choose to work, despite age-related difficulties and impairments.

For more information about accessible technology and aging computer users, see www.microsoft.com/enable/aging/.

Accessibility for People with Disabilities Technology can make life easier for everyone. But for people with disabilities it can mean the difference between employment and unemployment, between staying home and venturing out, and between a life of exclusion and one of community.

For case studies and articles about people with disabilities using accessible technology, see www.microsoft.com/enable/news/.

1 MICROSOFT.COM/CITIZENSHIP Accessibility in Education In 2008, Microsoft created Accessible Technology: A Guide for Educators, which provides information about accessibility and accessible technology resources to help educators worldwide ensure that all students have equal access to learning with technology. For educators new to working with students with disabilities, accessibility can seem overwhelming. To help educators teach students with all types of abilities, this guide includes information about how to successfully and more simply bring accessibility into the classroom, and guidance for choosing technology solutions for every type of impairment. The guide is available in English and Spanish at www.microsoft.com/enable/education/.

Innovative Accessibility in Microsoft Products All Microsoft technology—from consumer products to developer tools—is built with accessibility in mind. Some of our leading products, such as Windows Vista®, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, and Microsoft Internet Explorer® 7 demonstrate that commitment.

 For Windows Vista, Microsoft invested in more than three years of research to better understand the needs of people with a wide range of impairments that can affect their computer use. Major accessibility improvements in Windows Vista include state-of-the-art speech recognition, enhanced magnification and text-to-speech capabilities, and the new Ease of Access Center. The Ease of Access Center helps computer users locate and turn on the built-in accessibility settings and programs in Windows Vista, and also provides personalized recommendations for settings that may improve their computing experience.  2007 Microsoft Office system has a completely redesigned user interface that enables greater accessibility by making it easier for people to find the tools, commands, and options they need. Office 2007 also provides improved keyboard access, makes full use of many familiar accessibility features, and is designed to work seamlessly with assistive technology from other companies as well as Windows Speech Recognition in Windows Vista.  Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 includes accessibility settings and features that make it easier for anyone to use the Internet. Using IE7, people can zoom in on Web pages, choose colors and fonts, change text sizes, format Web pages with a custom style sheet, or choose advanced settings that enable many other options.

For more information about accessibility in Windows Vista and other Microsoft products, see www.microsoft.com/enable/products/.

Accessibility and Public Policy Microsoft consults and works closely with many governments around the world to promote and support public policies that contribute to the development and widespread implementation of accessible technologies, and that make it easier for governments and employers that want to be more accessible to achieve their goals. As an example, in 2008 Microsoft signed an agreement with the Korean Agency for Digital Opportunity (KADO) to create the first Microsoft accessibility lab outside the United States, to share information and collaborate on assistive technology projects, and to integrate their accessibility outreach in Korea and across Asia. The new agreement is an extension of the “Innovative Korea” initiative that Microsoft and the Korean government announced in 2006, to partner in helping to solve global digital inclusion issues and in developing Korea’s knowledge economy.

We have adopted five principles that guide our public policy efforts worldwide: 1) harmonization of international standards and procurement approaches; 2) promoting effective conformance without undue regulatory burdens; 3) ensuring technology neutrality to encourage innovation and enhance competition; 4) promoting interoperability, and 5) promoting employability.

Accessibility and Interoperability Improving interoperability between assistive technology (AT) products and mainstream information technology (IT) solutions is good for both businesses and consumers. For AT vendors and developers, AT/IT interoperability simplifies the development process, reduces costs, shortens time-to-market, and increases opportunities for innovation. For IT developers, interoperability makes it easier to comply with accessibility requirements. AT/IT interoperability also increases consumer choice by making a broader array of AT products available.

 Microsoft has made AT/IT a priority. We work with nearly 200 AT vendors through the Microsoft Assistive Technology Vendor Program (MATvp), to improve our product designs and to help AT vendors design their products to be interoperable with ours right out of the box. We also Collaborate with customers, partners, and competitors to expand accessibility through standards-based development projects such as the ECMA Office Open XML–to–DAISY XML converter. Some of our other interoperability efforts include:

2 MICROSOFT.COM/CITIZENSHIP  Sharing Microsoft UI Automation, a new accessibility framework for the Windows operating system, as an open specification.

 Solving key accessibility and interoperability challenges by promoting global engineering collaborations, such as the Accessibility Interoperability Alliance (AIA), which unites the efforts of IT and AT companies and NGOs.

 Creating a new accessibility developer center on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site.

 Releasing Windows accessibility specifications with an Open Specification Promise that allows anyone to use them.

 Expanding the Microsoft and Novell interoperability collaboration with a new project to implement UI Automation technology on the Linux SUSE, Ubuntu, and RedHat distributions, and allowing other Linux distributions to implement the Novell UIA Implementations.

 Releasing new open source accessibility tools for developers and testers.

Accessible Technology and Training Before technology can empower people with disabilities, or anyone else, they have to know how to use it. Microsoft has created innovative partnerships and programs to provide the training and technology that people with disabilities need to transform their lives and realize their potential. For example, Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers throughout the United States are available to help people with disabilities find the accessibility settings and assistive technology products that are right for them. These centers offer low- or no-cost consultation and training to people with disabilities and their families.

For more information about the Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers, see www.microsoft.com/enable/centers/.

Additional Information  For more information about accessibility at Microsoft, see www.microsoft.com/enable/ .  For more information, press only: Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (503) 443-7070, [email protected]

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