Accessibility Mission & Strategy

Mission

Accessibility makes it easier for anyone to see, hear, and use a computer, and to customize their computing environment according to their own preferences, needs, and abilities. For many people, accessibility is what makes computer use possible.

At Microsoft, our mission is to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. We consider our mission statement a promise to our customers. We deliver on that promise by striving to create technology that is accessible to everyone—including people who experience the world in different ways because of impairments and disabilities.

Microsoft takes a strategic approach to accessibility by:

• Continuing our longstanding commitment and leadership in accessibility research, awareness, and innovation.
• Making the computer easier to see, hear, and use by building accessibility features into Microsoft products.
• Ensuring that Windows is the best platform for accessibility innovation for assistive technology (AT) manufacturers; and, enabling our AT vendors to provide Windows users with a wide array of quality products.
• Building strong, collaborative relationships with key government agencies and organizations that advocate on behalf of people with disabilities.

Progress

At Microsoft, our commitment to developing innovative accessibility solutions started more than two decades ago. Today, we are committed to enabling our customers to achieve their goals, regardless of their abilities.

Leading our worldwide accessibility strategy is the Accessibility Business Unit, which is responsible for all product planning, engineering, regulatory issues, and marketing related to accessibility at Microsoft. The Accessibility Business Unit provides the guidance and direction needed to make Microsoft products more accessible, and to ensure that Microsoft Windows remains an outstanding platform that other companies can use to develop innovative accessible and assistive technologies.

Our accessibility efforts are concentrated in four key areas:

• Research and technology innovation
• Building accessibility into our products
• Raising awareness, and
• Collaboration and strategic alliances

Research and technology innovations

As a longtime leader in both the global software industry and the accessible technology market, we recognize our responsibility to raise the accessible technology standard for the entire industry through research and technology innovations.

• Accessibility Research Microsoft commissioned a two-year research study to better understand the demand for accessible technology and how it is being used. We shared the study results to help foster collaboration and innovation throughout the industry. In addition, we invest in many ongoing research and development projects aimed at making computers more accessible and easier to use. Microsoft conducts computer science and software engineering research with the goals of enhancing the computing experience and inventing new computing technologies.
• Innovative Accessibility Model—Microsoft® User Interface Automation   Microsoft User Interface Automation (UIA) exposes rich semantic information about an application's user interface (UI) and how developers can use that information to create assistive technology products or automated testing utilities. It is designed to provide a single reliable source of graphical UI information across applications and to allow test developers or assistive technology developers to write to a consistent model that works with any graphical user-interface application.
• Microsoft Accessibility Developer Center The Dev Center offers developers guidance, essential information, and tools for developing accessible applications and writing accessible code. Newly redesigned in 2007, it is the premier site for information about developing accessible software.
• More than 300 Specialty Assistive Technology Products Available for Windows Computers   Assistive technology products such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, and on-screen keyboards?offer innovative solutions that help people with impairments and disabilities successfully use computers. Microsoft works closely with members of the Microsoft Assistive Technology Vendor Program to ensure a wide range of assistive technology products are compatible with major new Microsoft product releases.

Building accessibility into our products

Accessibility is built into Microsoft products. Although many accessible technologies are designed to help people with disabilities optimize their abilities, the majority of computer users can benefit from adjusting their display, mouse, keyboard, and sound settings. These accessibility options are particularly useful for computer users with vision or hearing loss, discomfort in hands or arms, or some form of learning disability. Recent releases of new Microsoft products have further enhanced accessibility.

• Windows Vista was designed with accessibility in mind and includes significant accessibility enhancements:
• The Ease of Access Center is a centralized location where you can get quick access to accessibility settings and manage assistive technology programs. Explore categories of accessibility settings such as mouse, keyboard, sounds, and reasoning tasks. Personalized recommendations are provided through an optional questionnaire.
• Windows Speech Recognition empowers computer users to interact with their computers by voice, significantly reducing the use of a mouse and keyboard while maintaining or increasing overall productivity.
• Narrator in Windows Vista enables users to hear text read aloud and includes a new, natural sounding voice and allows Narrator menus to be read without leaving the active window.
• Magnifier in Windows Vista enlarges a portion of the screen for better visibility and now enables magnification of the computer screen up to sixteen times.
• Internet Explorer 7 provides the flexibility to use the browser in the way that best suits individual needs and preferences. Customize text, styles, and colors; use keyboard shortcuts; use the Zoom tool to zoom in on Web content, and more.
• 2007 Office system is more accessible than ever before, making it easier for everyone to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with rich content. Finding commands is easier with the new user interface. SmartArt™ graphics tools make it possible to create complex graphics and diagrams without a mouse. The Zoom tool makes resizing the work area faster and easier.

Raising awareness

Microsoft raises awareness of accessible technology every day by publishing in-depth information about accessible technology, empowering accessibility trainers and experts, and engaging in press activities. Our efforts include:

• Publishing the Microsoft Accessibility Web site and e-newsletter, which provide in-depth information about the accessibility of our products, including product demos, easy-to-use tutorials, and resource guides.
• Offering a Microsoft Accessibility Resource Demo CD set that includes videos, demos, and information to help anyone interested in using accessibility.
• Creating the Microsoft Accessibility Resource Center network in the United States. Forty-five centers in 39 states and Washington, D.C. provide low-cost accessibility consultation to businesses, schools, and individuals looking for empowering technology solutions.
• Helping educators develop inclusive classrooms by offering information and resources, including the guide "Using Accessible Technology: A Guide for Educators" free to schools worldwide.
• Publishing Accessible Technology in Today's Business content to raise awareness of accessible technology that is currently available to professionals with impairments and to show businesses how to integrate accessible technology into the workplace.
• Roundtable Discussions in Washington, D.C and in Brussels that highlight accessible technology innovations and trends of interest to accessible technology policymakers from governments as well as advocacy and consumer organizations.

Collaboration and strategic alliances

Microsoft strives to build strong relationships worldwide with key government agencies and nongovernmental organizations that advocate on behalf of people with disabilities. Contributions include:

• Microsoft and Novell Collaboration An expansion of technical collaboration to create a cross-platform accessibility framework to improve the way individuals with disabilities interact with computers.
• Participation in the MS Technology Collaborative This landmark alliance of organizations is passionate about helping people with multiple sclerosis (MS) maximize their abilities. The alliance brings together leaders from the pharmaceutical, technology, and patient advocacy sectors, including Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Microsoft's Accessibility Business Unit; and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
• Support for Digital Inclusion Through our Unlimited Potential program, Microsoft works with governments and NGOs to provide technology access and skills training to disadvantaged people—including many people with disabilities—in community-based technology learning centers worldwide.
• eSeniors Program in Miami, Florida Microsoft and the City of Miami—both leaders in digital inclusion—teamed up for eSeniors, a public-private partnership that provides free computer training and the opportunity to purchase customized technology packages to Miami seniors at learning hubs located in neighborhood senior centers throughout the city.
• Microsoft and DAISY Help Enhance Reading Experience for People with Print Disabilities Microsoft worked with The DAISY Consortium, a coalition of talking-book libraries and nonprofit organizations, to create a free, downloadable plug-in tool that makes audio files as easy for blind and print-disabled people to read and navigate as print documents are for sighted people.
• Working Closely with Advocacy Groups and Member Associations This work includes working closely with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). One outcome of this alliance is the federal internship program, designed and funded by Microsoft and managed by AAPD, which places talented young people with disabilities in competitive summer internships at government agencies in Washington, D.C.