Message from Microsoft
June 11, 1998 

Microsoft continues commitment to Windows accessibility with tools to help
visually impaired users 

Recent agreement with euroBRAILLE seeks to provide solutions for people who
are blind or have low vision 

Redmond, WA - Technology can make the impossible possible for people living
with disabilities. That's why Microsoft has teamed up with euroBRAILLE to
make the Microsoft Windows operating system more accessible for people with
disabilities, particularly those who are blind or have poor vision. The two
companies will work together to develop the Microsoft Screen Access Model
(MSAM), a set of technologies that helps software developers create
higher-quality accessibility utilities.  

The recent announcement is just one in a series of actions that reflect
Microsoft's ongoing commitment to make its products accessible for all.  

"This is about providing technology access to people who truly depend on
their computers in their personal and professional lives," said Microsoft
Chairman and CEO Bill Gates at a Microsoft accessibility conference held last
February. "We want to address accessibility issues at every stage of product
development, resulting in products that are easier to use and, ultimately,
more empowering for all customers." 

MSAM is designed to do just that.  

The technology will be compatible with the Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows
NT 4.0 and upcoming Windows NT 5.0 operating systems. It provides developers
with new ways of accessing and storing information from the graphical user
interface "something software developers have stumbled over in the past" as
well as new standard interfaces for using braille and speech output.
EuroBRAILLE, a French company that develops and manufactures adaptation
devices for visually impaired people, is already designing accessibility aids
with MSAM components that allow blind users to navigate Windows with a
braille device or with speech.  

It's what adaptive technology is all about.  

"For many people with disabilities, access to current computer technology
means the difference between working and not working, communicating and not
communicating," said Sam Jadallah, vice president of the organizational
customer unit at Microsoft at a Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources
hearing last spring. "Microsoft is committed to making accessible products
and encouraging and motivating accessibility innovation across the industry." 

Over the past 10 years, Microsoft has introduced a number of technologies
designed to help ISVs create accessible software more easily. The Microsoft
Active Accessibility tools, introduced last year, allow PCs and adaptive
hardware and software to communicate efficiently with each other, enabling
developers to innovate in their user interface without sacrificing
compatibility.  

Microsoft has also designed the Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange
(SAMI) format, which enables Webmasters and software developers to easily
provide closed-captioned viewing and audio descriptions in multimedia Web
pages and products.  

And they're all based on the Microsoft Windows platform, which is designed to
fill every personal and professional computing need.  

The Windows family of operating systems includes the intuitive interface and
integrated Internet capability of the Windows 98 desktop operating system.
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation offers businesses the same rich features
along with enhanced security and lower cost of ownership. From the convenient
Windows CE-based Palm-size PC to the BackOffice family's multipurpose
operating system, Windows NT Server, the Windows family is designed to be
scalable and easy to use and manage.  

And soon to come is Microsoft Windows Terminal Server, an add-on solution
designed for Windows NT Server 4.0 that provides thin-client support. This
new server, which will be released later this month, runs Windows-based
applications and displays them on desktop machines without any downloading.  

Key to the depth of the Windows platform is Windows Distributed interNet
Applications (DNA), a consistent, unifying architecture that defines the set
of services required for modern distributed enterprise applications.
Combining Internet and client-server computing, Windows DNA allows developers
to create programs that can be delivered over any network.  

All in all, Windows seeks to empower people with all kinds of different
needs.  
