Microsoft celebrating United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Microsoft is raising awareness and celebrating United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities, reminding us that there are over a billion people with disabilities around the world.

This year’s IDPD theme, “Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality,” is especially relevant to Microsoft’s efforts to weave accessibility into the fabric of what we design and build for every team, organization, classroom, and home.  

Maayan Ziv, Founder and CEO of AccessNow, a mobile app and website that collects and shares information about the accessibility status of places worldwide, sat down with Ricardo Wagner, Marketing and Operations Lead at Microsoft, to discuss creating a more accessible world.

Microsoft is driven by a mission that is inherently inclusive: empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Click here to watch two powerful videos highlighting Canadian employee success stories.

Accessibility isn’t a new thing for Microsoft’s it’s part of our DNA.

Here are just a few recent examples of how Microsoft is emphasizing commitment to accessible technology:

• Building on the success of the PowerPoint Presentation Translator add-in, today Microsoft announced plans to release live captions and subtitles for PowerPoint natively for Windows, Mac, and Online in early 2019 to make presentations more inclusive and engaging for all audiences. Read more on theMicrosoft 365 Blog.
• In addition, Skype is launching live captions and subtitles to provide a more inclusive experience for everyone in the Skype community, especially for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Read more on the Skype Blog.
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently shared video demonstrations of key accessibility features and products, including Xbox Adaptive Controller, Seeing AI, Eye Control, Soundscape, Learning Tools, andInclusive Presentations.
• Our Accessibility at a Glance training video series also showcase the latest and greatest in accessibility tech, and this month we’re covering Considering Keyboard Only Users, Reading View in Microsoft Edge, and Inclusive Interviewing.

Visit the Microsoft Accessibility Blog to learn more about our accessibility momentum, as told by our Chief Accessibility Officer Jenny Lay-Flurrie.