Accessibility is Good Design and Good Business

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 2, 2006 — At HP, we see accessibility as a critical component in meeting the needs of our customers. Yet, accessibility is a complex challenge, one that requires us not only to develop and manufacture accessible products and services, but also to forge strategic industry partnerships and to promote good public policy that encourages accessibility.

HP is one of the few information technology companies with products that span everything from desktop and notebook computers to handheld devices, from printers and scanners to photocopiers and fax machines, from the servers and storage products that run stock exchanges and ATMs, to the digital cameras and high-definition televisions you have in your home. Every day, I work to help encourage HP employees to develop products, programs, services, and information that are accessible to people with disabilities or age-related limitations. Partnerships throughout HP and across the industry are key to ensuring consumers have easy access to accessible technology and information.

Microsoft is an important partner for HP in many areas of our business—and particularly in the area accessibility. Both the Microsoft accessibility group and the HP Accessibility Program work to ensure that technology is easier to use and available to more people. Both companies are stronger because of our work together, but it is consumers who benefit most from this type of industry collaboration. An important focus of our mutual effort is working with assistive technology (AT) manufacturers whose product solutions and devices work with HP hardware and Microsoft software to help people with disabilities or limitations use technology, access information or entertainment, and communicate with others.

The collaboration between HP and Microsoft on accessibility started during the development of Windows XP. That was the first orchestrated effort by HP, Microsoft, and our mutual AT vendor partners to promote the availability of HP- and Windows-compatible assistive technology as soon as a new operating system was released.

Microsoft and HP continued to collaborate during the development of Windows Vista, with HP providing hardware, and engineering and developer support to help AT vendors make their products compatible with HP computers and devices running Windows Vista. The benefits of that collaboration will be realized when Windows Vista is available in 2007, and computer users who use assistive technology find that their AT solutions work well with both Microsoft Windows Vista and HP hardware.

To make it even easier for individuals who use assistive technology to find the best solution for their needs, we also collaborate with Microsoft by helping to support the 46 Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers (MARCs) located in communities throughout the United States. The MARCs offer outstanding opportunities to educate people with disabilities and age-related limitations-along with their families, teachers, caregivers and employers-about the many assistive technologies available to them. At the MARCs, people can see AT products demonstrated, or check them out and try using the products at home or work. Starting in 2007, you will be able to visit one of the MARCs to try out Windows Vista and assistive technology products on HP computers.

Such customer-oriented collaborations and strategic partnerships are increasingly important, because the demand for greater accessibility is growing for all of our customers -from our large corporate, government and education customers to small and medium-sized businesses and consumers. Disability and age-related limitations don't discriminate-100 percent of us are growing older every day, and we're living and working longer. As a result, there is a high likelihood that we will all experience one or more limitations during our lifetime.

The demographic and market changes that are driving increased demand for accessible technology and information in the United States are having the same effect in Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Japan. The attempts of governments worldwide to meet these growing demands are causing a proliferation of different standards and policies. As a result, there is a strong need for harmonized standards that enable companies like HP and Microsoft to design innovative products and to find creative ways to make technology and information accessible.

At the same time, technology is also changing rapidly, with the convergence of voice and data and greater mobility that enables our customers to access information at any time and from virtually any place. AT vendors are creating new solutions, such as screen readers for handheld devices, that make every type of technology available to people with a wide range of abilities or limitations. We are finding that by integrating accessibility into our design process and making technology accessible to people with disabilities or age-related limitations, we can also make our products more useful to all of our customers.

Designing for accessibility has even allowed us to reduce costs while providing a better product. For example, most laptop computers in the 1990s had two latches, one on either side, which made one-handed operation nearly impossible. We redesigned our laptop computers with a single latch, which made them more accessible not only for people with certain types of disabilities but for all of us. If you have a cup of coffee or a cell phone in one hand and you're trying to open your computer, that single latch is important. Yet, not only did we make our laptop computers more accessible and give our customers a better product, we also reduced our costs. With the new design, we needed fewer components and increased the reliability of the product.

At HP, our goal is to make every part of the customer experience fully accessible-from how our customers access the Web to purchase our products to the support they receive for the products they choose. We don't see accessibility as a destination; we see it as an evolution. There will always be new technologies and new challenges for us to improve the user experience for all of our customers.