New this month
There was a number of accessibility information this month together with International Accessibility Consciousness Day (GAAD), an annual occasion that encourages everybody to study and share finest practices for digital accessibility and inclusion. And to assume it began with a weblog submit and a telephone name. I had the privilege of speaking with the co-founders of GAAD, Joe Devon and Jennison Asuncion, in regards to the origin of GAAD and the potential of AI for accessibility and the incapacity group.
Developments in {hardware}
There have been a number of developments in {hardware} this month. The Designed for Xbox workforce with our accomplice Byowave, launched the Proteus Controller (obtainable for preorder), a modular adaptive package with revolutionary “snap and play” components that join to be used in Xbox and PC video games proper out of the field, giving disabled players the instruments to construct their very own method to play.
Floor shared its newest developments in {hardware}, together with adaptive contact mode and inclusive keyboards. With adaptive contact mode, you should use the touchpad with totally different components of your limbs. The touchpad gives tactile suggestions that simulates the sensation of bodily clicks. Adaptive contact is offered in Floor Professional Flex Keyboard, a removable keyboard that means that you can place your keyboard in probably the most comfy location. The workforce additionally demonstrated how Cephable’s AI-powered platform can use adaptive management inputs to work together along with your Floor. Cephable’s platform takes benefit of the NPU on the brand new Floor gadgets.
AI accelerating accessibility
AI can assist determine new methods to help independence, inclusion, and accessibility. This month, we launched our up to date Accessibility Fundamentals studying path, free for all, and obtainable now on MS Be taught, with an choice to obtain and use the course inside a company’s studying setting, for the primary time. This new course consists of matters akin to AI fundamentals and constructing inclusive AI experiences.
We’re additionally leveraging AI to higher help you along with your technical wants. Our new Ask Microsoft Accessibility chatbot gives fast responses to questions in regards to the accessibility of Microsoft services.
At Microsoft Construct, we showcased the newest developer instruments, akin to utilizing a display screen reader throughout digital machines by means of Microsoft Dev Field, and the launch of Be My Eyes, now obtainable on Home windows. The app provides wealthy visible descriptions of images, graphs, and screenshots for the blind and low-vision group.
We additionally shared the newest developments in accessible media. Audio descriptions (AD) present auditory narration of visible content material akin to motion pictures and tv. Lower than 10% of worldwide digital content material has audio descriptions obtainable in the present day, not assembly the wants of the blind and low imaginative and prescient group. Register now for the preview. By means of co-creation with the incapacity group and AI, we will responsibly speed up the method of incorporating AD so extra content material is offered with significant audio descriptions.
Psychological well being and expertise
Psychological Well being Consciousness Month is a chance to emphasise the vital position expertise can play in an individual’s psychological well being journey. Roughly 970 million individuals all over the world dwell with psychological well being circumstances. We’re dedicated to making a tradition of help and offering instruments and sources to our workers and prospects that help psychological well being. We’ve additionally been elevating the dialog round psychological well being and leveraging expertise to help individuals with psychological well being circumstances.
Microsoft Analysis co-published “Rethinking expertise innovation for psychological well being: framework for multi-sectoral collaboration” to focus on methods to help better collaborations throughout sectors towards a future through which individuals have constantly constructive interactions between expertise use and their psychological well being.
One of many methods we leverage expertise to help psychological well being is by empowering individuals to inform their very own tales and share their experiences. Max and the Purple Monster is a kind of tales. On this father and son collaboration, 13-year-old Judah moved throughout the nation along with his household and felt one thing he’d by no means felt earlier than: nervousness. Judah wrote a narrative in regards to the expertise, and he and his dad introduced the story to life with watercolor illustrations, created utilizing AI.
Higher collectively
We all know we can not obtain our accessibility objectives alone. We have to collaborate with prospects, builders, companions, advocates, and the incapacity group. Microsoft works with its world accomplice ecosystem to create a extra accessible and inclusive future for all, utilizing the Accessibility Horizons Methodology, which provides a typical method to determine and handle accessibility wants, to create a long-term worth chain of inclusion with their workers and business. Companions, akin to WPP Satalia, are innovating with AI to make promoting extra accessible for individuals with disabilities. These are simply a few of the unimaginable methods we’re collaborating and innovating with builders, companions, prospects, and the incapacity group, however there may be nonetheless extra to do.
In Brussels, Microsoft took half within the annual European Accessibility Summit, hosted by the European Incapacity Discussion board (EDF). On the summit, we showcased how AI-powered instruments are creating new potentialities for individuals with disabilities. One instance is how the long-lasting Rijksmuseum is making artwork extra accessible. The Amsterdam museum is utilizing AI to create wealthy descriptions for a million artworks, making the expertise extra accessible for blind and low-vision guests.
These are simply a few of the methods we’re collaborating and innovating with builders, companions, prospects, and the incapacity group, however there may be nonetheless extra to do. Be a part of us on this journey and go to Microsoft Unlocked, the place you’ll discover further accessibility impression tales and sources. Collectively, we will make a distinction and create a extra accessible and inclusive world for each distinctive particular person.
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Microsoft accessibility sources and coaching
