Inclusive Innovation Showroom Demonstrates Accessibility
The Microsoft Inclusive Innovation Showroom demonstrates how accessibility features in Microsoft products and assistive
technology solutions developed by Microsoft partners can make it easier for
anyone to see, hear, and use a computer at work or at home.
The Showroom uses real-world scenarios to illustrate how
people of all abilities—including those with vision, mobility, learning,
and hearing impairments—can use accessible and assistive technology to
customize their computing experience according to their own preferences and
needs.
[image: Photo of Microsoft's new Inclusive Innovation Showroom.]
Request a tour of the Inclusive Innovation Showroom, located on Microsoft's corporate campus in Redmond, Washington.
"There's such a tremendous need for assistive technology (AT) to meet
the needs of those with disabilities, and our partners play a critical role
in helping create solutions that are practical and easy to use," said
Daniel Hubbell, a technical evangelist at Microsoft. Hubbell works with many assistive technology companies worldwide to ensure that Microsoft products are
compatible with a wide variety of AT products that run on Windows.
According to Hubbell, the ultimate goal of his work is to enable people of
all abilities to have access to a computing experience that is both
comfortable and highly functional.
Accessibility Solutions for Home and Work
[image: Photo of Microsoft employee Greg Smith using an accessible workstation.]
Microsoft's Greg Smith demonstrates an accessible office configuration.
The scenarios on display in the Inclusive Innovation Showroom
illustrate home and work solutions for people with disabilities and for the
aging population. The workspace portion of the showroom is arranged in a
cubicle-style setup with three work spaces, each representing a separate
workplace persona with varying degrees of disability. The home space
highlights a retiree with age-related impairments and a student with
learning disabilities. The interior is divided into a living room, a
student dorm-style workspace, and a home office.
[image: Photo of a Bluetooth Braille display.]
This Bluetooth Braille display gives blind users access to business tools such as computers and mobile phones.
"The Inclusive Innovation Showroom allows us to demonstrate the
technology solutions in both home and work environments for professionals,
students, and aging baby boomers who have specific needs," Hubbell said.
"For example, by making the computer easier to see with bigger fonts, or
more comfortable to use with ergonomic mice and keyboards, people can more
easily lead a digital lifestyle: working, playing games online, creating
family photo albums, and communicating with colleagues, family and friends.
Our hope is that seeing these products in action will inspire more
individuals and companies to become a part of our collective accessibility
effort to develop new innovative technology solutions."
Real-World Scenarios Illustrate Different Needs and Solutions
The Showroom features four personas, each designed to illustrate a
different set of unique needs and technology solutions.
In addition to conducting research and overseeing Microsoft's overall
accessibility efforts, the accessibility group creates tools, such as the
User Interface
Automation platform, which help industry partners ensure that their accessibility applications and devices
work seamlessly with Microsoft products. The solutions on display in the Inclusive Innovation Showroom are a result of this ongoing work.
All technology products featured are available on the market today, including the latest personal computing products from HP, featuring the new
HP TouchSmart computer. Find out more about assistive technology products including what they are and how to find them.