Our Accessibility Approach

A woman using a laptop signs to an on-screen colleague.

Bridging the Disability Divide

The ‘Disability Divide’ is the gap in societal inclusion for people with disabilities, including in education, employment, and access to technology. As the world begins recovering from the pandemic, we are committed to helping decrease the gap, starting with affordable and accessible technology.

Learn about our commitment

Accessibility at Microsoft

A man who is blind sits in a chair and smiles.

Inclusive hiring

Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. One of the ways we fulfill this ambition is through an unwavering commitment to a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.

A man who has low vision looks closely at the screen on a laptop.

Recruiting

Our inclusive hiring career site provides details on hot jobs, up-coming events, employee stories, and frequently asked questions for candidates with disabilities, as well as a disability hiring toolkit for recruiters, information about the Microsoft Autism Hiring Program, and other resources.

A woman who uses a wheelchair sits in front of her desk.

Onboarding

Successful onboarding is vital to all new Microsoft employees. We offer an accessible new employee orientation program, an assigned mentor to assist with the transition, assistive technologies for your office, plus services such as building orientation, team training, and campus tours.

A man who uses a wheelchair works on a laptop while outside.

Accommodations

Our employees have access to support navigating their Microsoft benefits, health and wellness programs, ASL interpreters, and reasonable accommodations for medical needs or disabilities—which may include modified work schedules, assistive technology, and assistance when travelling.

Two people talk while one of them writes on a whiteboard.

Training

Team-centric and company-wide training is offered to all employees. Topics such as disability education, etiquette, and inclusive best practices are just part of our training efforts.

A panel of four people sit on a stage at an event.

Employee community

We strive to build and enable the future of disability inclusion with our annual employee conference, the Microsoft Ability Summit, and numerous Employee Resource Groups for people with disabilities and allies.

A close-up of a person's hand pushing a button.

Inclusive design

Designing for inclusivity opens our experiences and reflects how people adapt to the world around them. To help fulfill our mission of empowering everyone, we created a comprehensive toolkit to guide inclusive design.

Someone appears to use eye tracker while a woman writes on a whiteboard.

Innovation and research

Innovation requires intention. In our Xbox Inclusive Lab and the Microsoft Enable Lab, Microsoft researchers focus on creating technologies that empower everyone.

A man who uses a wheelchair wears a hacker t-shirt and looks to the side.

Hack culture

Each summer, Microsoft hosts global hackathons as a part of our annual one-week event. Since the first hackathon in 2014, we've formed "Ability Hacks" focused on solving unique challenges faced by people living with disabilities—150 hacks so far and counting.

Two people talking and smiling in an office.

Supplier Accessibility Toolkit

We're excited to share our updated Supplier Accessibility Toolkit. Use this resource to explore accessibility tools from Microsoft, find useful guides on accessibility etiquette, and much more.

Explore the toolkit

Working with others to make progress

Microsoft engages with policymakers, people with disabilities, and subject-matter experts to improve disability inclusion and accessibility.

Two coworkers talking while sitting in an office building

Public policy

Policymakers can help improve access to education, employment, and government services by supporting existing accessibility standards in their procurement and inclusion policies.

Read public policy guidance

A collage of attendees and speakers from the digital Ability Summit

Explore the Ability Summit 2022

Ability Summit is a free, virtual community event that brings together people with disabilities, allies, and industry professionals to Imagine, Build, and Include the future of disability inclusion and accessibility.

Explore 2022 sessions Explore 2021 sessions