(Logo: http://www.

Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers Empower People with Disabilities

PressPass: Why was the MARC program started? What do you hope to see it
accomplish?

Holland: If people with disabilities are to have the access they deserve,
then the single most critical factor we need to work on is awareness, and the
MARC program can play a significant role in that. Awareness is the first step
that is so often missing, and the primary goal of the MARC program is to help
increase awareness about what is possible with accessible technology and to
fill the gap between awareness and use.
Windows XP is the most accessible operating system we have ever released,
with a broad range of built-in accessibility options and a wide array of
compatible assistive technology products.

actualization alphabetical

"The proposed elimination of the Division for the Blind and Visually
Impaired is particularly troubling for the National Federation of the Blind,"
continued Marc Maurer . We need experienced and
knowledgeable people administering federal programs for the blind. Microsoft provides all of
these resources to the centers free of charge, and the centers can pass them
along at no cost to individuals, or educational and training organizations.
The CD set and the resources it contains have received wide acclaim from
computer users who have used them as well as rehabilitation and occupational
therapists. Centers
that participate in the MARC program are advertised on the Microsoft
Accessibility Web site and showcased in the Microsoft Accessibility Update
newsletter that reaches thousands of subscribers each month.

disability handi

NFB and Other Disability Groups Protest Cutbacks at Federal Rehab Agency

diagnoses adaptive

Isn't
this the outcome we want for all our blind and disabled citizens? "
Joining the NFB in protesting the planned changes are over thirty
professional and disability organizations including the National Council of
State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB), the American Association of People with
Disabilities (AAPD), the National Rehabilitation Association, the National
Association of the Deaf (NAD), and the Council of State Administrators of
Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR)., This week marks the 15th
anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark U."

Holland: Once someone with an impairment or disability is able to use
assistive technology and to realize its potential to level the playing field
for them, they have started down a path that can take them anywhere they want
to go in their personal and professional lives.

PressPass: How does the MARC program help ATA and ATAP staff and
volunteers do a better job of assisting and training the people that the
centers serve?

Holland: Publicity about the MARC program helps ATA and ATAP reach a
larger audience. But we want to go beyond that in the
future, and do even more. The next version of Windows, called Windows Vista and
scheduled for release in 2006, will include even more accessibility options
than Windows XP. Over the
years, I have been involved in many advocacy and problem-solving initiatives
with ATG staff as they have worked to increase accessibility awareness
throughout Microsoft and to ensure greater accessibility in each new version
of Windows and other Microsoft products.

empowerment planetamber

"
Joanne Wilson, a former commissioner of the RSA and one of the highest-
ranking disabled persons in the Bush administration, will be among the
protestors as will Fredric Schroeder, who was commissioner of the RSA during
the Clinton administration. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the
voice of the nation's blind.

PressPass: How are the MARC program, and the resources it provides,
helping people with disabilities?

Huyler: One center shared the story of a woman with Parkinson's disease
who came in for a technology consultation.

alphabetical handed

In addition, the Department wants
to downgrade the position of commissioner of the RSA, currently a presidential
appointment.

Huyler: Our research shows that the majority of computer users -- from
people with mild impairments to severe disabilities, and workers who are just
beginning to experience the effects of age-related impairments -- could
benefit from using the accessibility options, but many people simply don't
know those options are available on their computers. These technology
centers are wonderful resources in local communities, and Microsoft wanted to
support their work by providing resources to help the centers educate people
on how to adjust their computers immediately to make them easier to hear, see,
and use.95, are supplied at no charge to anyone
who wants one, and the centers can distribute them at their discretion to
local businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, and trainers.

adaptive empowerment

We are still learning
today .

Holland: I have had the opportunity to work with Microsoft and the
Accessible Technology Group [ATG] for many years.

empowerment handed

The Bush administration has laid out a plan that would close all of the
RSA regional offices responsible for assisting states with the implementation
of rehabilitation programs; reduce the RSA staff by approximately 50 percent,
with a disproportionate effect falling on people with disabilities employed by
RSA; offer states the option of receiving federal vocational rehabilitation
funds as part of a consolidated block grant under the Workforce Investment
Act; and eliminate the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired as part of
a reorganization of the RSA central office. "History has shown that the blind have unique needs
that are best met by separate agencies and services. PressPass caught up with Huyler and Holland as they were
preparing to attend the annual ATA Institute in Seekonk, Massachusetts, July
28-30.
Currently, there are many community technology centers nationwide that
train people with physical and cognitive disabilities and impairments to use
the wide variety of assistive technology products that are available on the
market, such as screen readers for people who are blind or specially designed
keyboards and mice for people with dexterity difficulties. Many trainers have integrated these materials into their training
presentations to enhance awareness of the capabilities built into the
operating system. After the consultation, she
immediately went home and adjusted her computer based on what she learned at
the center.
As with many advocacy efforts, that work is ongoing, but Microsoft is
fortunate to have people in the Accessible Technology Group who know the
field, know the company, and have a real vision and commitment to continually
increase accessibility for all people.

planetamber abled

newscom. For nearly 20 years,
Microsoft has been committed to increasing the accessibility of its own
products while providing a platform that enables other developers to create
assistive software and devices that are compatible with Microsoft Windows
operating systems and other Microsoft products.

codi actualization

Spearheaded by the National Federation of the Blind
(NFB) and supported by numerous other disability organizations, the protest
will challenge Department of Education plans to close ten regional RSA
offices, eliminate about half the agency's personnel, downgrade the position
of commissioner of the RSA, and block grant vocational rehabilitation funds. Thanks to good vocational rehabilitation when
I was young, I have been employed and paying taxes for forty years. In Windows XP, for example ,
there are many accessibility options and utilities available to anyone who
uses the operating system. Engaging and partnering with community technology
centers through the MARC program helps us to better understand the needs of
computer users, how well our products meet their needs, and where there are
gaps we need to address.

handed assistive

(Photo: NewsCom: http://www. This year, the ATA Institute will focus on "converging and emerging
technologies and their impact on people with disabilities , communities, and
our society.
The MARC materials offer a way for people to learn about the opportunities
and potential that accessible and assistive technology can provide, and to
take the first step toward making them a reality.

PressPass: What kind of resources and support do the centers receive
through the MARC program? How does each of those resources serve people with
physical or cognitive difficulties, impairments or disabilities?

Huyler: Microsoft supplies the centers with copies of the Microsoft
Accessibility Resources, which include:

-- Video demonstrations that provide an overview of what people can
accomplish with the accessibility options in Windows XP
-- Step-by-step tutorials to show users how to begin using accessibility
options in Windows, Office, and Internet Explorer
-- Guides on specialized assistive technology products for people with
various types of difficulties and impairments
-- Inspiring case studies that showcase knowledge workers using accessible
technology to overcome a wide variety of difficulties and impairments

The centers load these resources onto their computers so that visitors may
view and use them easily. That frees center staff members to focus on consumer needs beyond
initial training.

PressPass: What kind of feedback have you received about the MARC program
from businesses, trainers and nonprofit or educational organizations that have
been using the MARC resources?

Huyler: We've received many positive comments about the MARC resources,
and the rate at which they have been distributed and used is certainly
testimony to their popularity and effectiveness.
Microsoft is already working with many center directors to brainstorm
ideas for the future.

blindness lynda

Accessibility Options in Microsoft Windows, Office and Internet Explorer Make
It Easier for Anyone to Use a Computer

REDMOND , Wash.
The Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers (MARC) program is one of the
company's latest efforts to empower people with disabilities. The ATRC is now expanding its
reach by using the Microsoft Accessibility Resource CD in a project with the
Hawaii Department of Education, which includes short presentations for
Hawaii's public school special education departments.

alphabetical handed

newscom. Because of her condition, she had
difficulty seeing the computer screen and using the mouse and keyboard .

PressPass: What is the future potential of the MARC program?

Huyler: This program is still in its infancy, so it is hard to say how it
will blossom in the future.

hardin untangling

The MARC pilot program equips the centers with
resources designed to train people on the accessibility options in Windows ,
Office and Internet Explorer so that they can adjust their computers and make
them easier to use. If MARC helps people realize
that their disability need not be a barrier to access, education or
employment, then it will be a success.com/enable/cd/), so
that centers can offer the same resources for those who want to use them at
home.
According to the ATRC of Hawaii, the MARC resources enriched the training
that was already under way.

Organized lists of links and other resources about disabilities.

accessibility icdri

PressPass: Has the MARC program succeeded in increasing accessibility
awareness?

Huyler: Yes, since the program started in April more than 11,000 people
have used the training resources at local centers, businesses, nonprofit
organizations and schools, and more than 2,000 Microsoft Accessibility
Resource CD sets have been distributed through the program.

enablelink icdri

S.microsoft . Windows Vista was designed with accessibility in mind, and
Microsoft invested in more than three years of research and usability studies
to help ensure Vista would meet the needs of people with a variety of
difficulties, impairments, and disabilities.

differently planetamber

BALTIMORE, Over a thousand blind and disabled
people from all over the United States will gather in Washington next week to
protest cutbacks and other changes at the Rehabilitation Services
Administration (RSA).
civil-rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination,
ensures them equal access to public transportation and public buildings, and
requires employers to provide a "reasonable level of accommodation" to help
them do their jobs. They are not sufficient to meet the needs of every
person with a disability , nor are they meant to be, but they are a great
start. The CD sets, valued at (US) $3. This goes a long
way toward connecting people to local community technology centers where they
can see assistive technology in action and learn from assistive technology
experts.

lynda accessibility

The NFB improves blind people 's lives through advocacy,
education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and
self-confidence. For the MARC
program, Microsoft partnered with two nonprofit organizations -- the Alliance
for Technology Access (ATA) and the Association of Assistive Technology Act
Programs (ATAP) -- to select 26 centers in the United States that provide
technology training and assistance for people with a variety difficulties and
disabilities that affect computer use, such as low vision , hand and wrist
pain, and hearing loss. For example, a study
commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Forrester Research found that 57
percent of working-age computer users [74.
As a first step, we established a network of 26 centers to help increase
awareness of the accessibility options available in Windows, and we provided
each center with comprehensive training materials. After
viewing the videos about accessibility in Windows XP, she learned how to use
the Accessibility Wizard to activate several accessibility features that made
it easier for her to control the keyboard and mouse , and improved the
visibility of text and other screen graphics. Now she is able to use her computer with very little difficulty.
Also, because Microsoft provides centers with extensive training
resources, center staff can spend more time training people and less time
developing training materials. The work is being done through the Workforce Investment
Act; the one-stop centers provide a single location where people can go to get
all of the employment assistance they need. The goal of the ATRC training is
to educate all one-stop center staff about the different types of assistive
technology products that are available, how to install and use the technology,
and how to resolve user issues.

assistive abled

"The blind and disabled face a
disheartening unemployment rate of over 70 percent, yet the Department of
Education wants to dismantle the single most effective program for preparing
the blind to enter the workforce. The program also provides information and training resources
that people with impairments or disabilities can use independently to gain
awareness of accessible and assistive technology and a basic understanding of
the tools. By working closely with advocacy organizations and
assistive technology partners over the years, we learned a great deal about
how to make a better, more accessible operating system.

assistive adaptive

The protestors will gather in front of the
Department of Education on Thursday, May 26, 2005, at 10:00 a.
LaDeana Huyler, a marketing manager for the Accessible Technology Group at
Microsoft, and Russ Holland, program director at the Alliance for Technology
Access, are two of the people responsible for creating and implementing the
MARC program . The resources are also available on a CD set, called
the Microsoft Accessibility Resource CD Set (http://www. By the end of
2005, we expect to reach more than 50,000 people with information that
demonstrates how accessibility options and assistive technology products can
help them make their computers easier to use. I served on the Microsoft
Accessibility Advisory Committee that was formed to help the company determine
how its products could address the needs of people with disabilities .

abled disability

"I cannot stand by while the Bush Administration tries to tear down a
system that has helped so many blind and disabled people find employment,"
said Wilson."
With more than 50,000 members , the National Federation of the Blind is the
largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the
United States.
She told the center staff, "Just enlarging the type and changing the color
contrast was wonderful-and I would have done this years ago if I had known
about the Microsoft Accessibility features. Since April, more than 110 assistive technology
trainers have received the Microsoft resources to use in their training, and
CDs have been distributed to hundreds of businesses, nonprofits and
educational organizations. The one-stop centers focus on providing options,
so having information about the full spectrum of assistive technology
products, plus the many accessibility features in Windows, Office and Internet
Explorer, fit well with the centers ' mission.

disability untangling

In today's knowledge economy, reasonable accommodation
often includes accessible and assistive technologies that make it easier, and
in some cases possible, for people with disabilities to use computers and to
customize their work environments." Huyler and Holland also plan to use the ATA Institute as an
opportunity to meet with many of the MARC center directors and to brainstorm
ideas for the future of the program. As we travel and train people on assistive technology, however, we find
that many people are not even aware that these accessibility options exist. Over the past two decades , Microsoft has
increasingly integrated accessibility options and basic assistive technology
utilities (such as Magnifier, On-Screen Keyboard and Narrator) into each new
version of Windows.

disability differently

Wilson, who is blind, was appointed by President
Bush to be the commissioner of the RSA in 2001, but recently resigned her
position to protest the proposed changes at the agency.2 million people in the United
States] are likely or very likely to benefit from the use of accessible
technology because of mild-to-severe difficulties or impairments. Through the Microsoft Accessibility Web site, publications , and other
channels the MARC program encourages many people to investigate the
opportunities accessible and assistive technology can offer, and identifies
the MARC Centers as one place where people can pursue their search for
assistance.
One noteworthy story was shared by the Assistive Technology Resource
Centers (ATRC) of Hawaii in Honolulu, which has been training personnel for
the Hawaii Department of Labor and numerous "one-stop" community resource
centers statewide.

abled succeed

"Just look at me.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Even before passage of the ADA, Microsoft had started to develop software
that was designed to empower people with disabilities.
For example, we are currently exploring options for bringing new technology
partners into the program to see if we can expand its scope.

adaptive accessibility

com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050120/PHTH039LOGO )
"These proposals significantly weaken our nation's commitment to help the
blind become productive taxpayers rather than recipients of public benefits,"
said Marc Maurer, president of the NFB.m.

Holland: Just as important as the training resources is the publicity
that the MARC program brings to the issue of accessibility awareness .
As the MARC program progresses, we are exploring new ideas to increase
awareness about those features and to help the centers get ready to meet the
needs of people who are interested in using the new Windows Vista next year.

hardin accessibility

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