Some of the best product insights at Microsoft don't come from telemetry or dashboards. They come from lived experience. As new technology reshapes how we work, accessibility must move beyond compliance to support how different people actually process information. Our neurodivergent employees understand that firsthand. To bring their perspective into how we build, we turned Neurodiversity Celebration Week into an ongoing co-design program. In the first round, 150 neurodivergent employees evaluated 10 products across the company using real-world scenarios, sharing how those products hold up for everyday focus, memory, organization, and task completion. As software engineer Jordan Cowe puts it: "If something affects a neurodivergent employee, it likely also affects many people who don't identify as neurodiverse. Fixing these issues improves the products for everyone." Read the story: https://lnkd.in/gKbPEWtA #Accessibility #Neurodiversity #InclusiveDesign #DisabilityInclusion #AIforAccessibility Tarena Shanaberger
Microsoft Accessibility
التكنولوجيا والمعلومات والإنترنت
Redmond، WA ٢٬٧٥٣ متابع
Making accessibility easier for everyone. Responsible Innovation. Built-In Accountability. Collective Impact.
نبذة عنا
Our goal is to make accessibility easier for everyone. We are committed to driving responsible innovation and advancing shared progress so that accessible, trusted AI benefits everyone.
- الموقع الإلكتروني
-
https://microsoft.com/accessibility
رابط خارجي لـ Microsoft Accessibility
- المجال المهني
- التكنولوجيا والمعلومات والإنترنت
- حجم الشركة
- أكثر من ١٠٠٠١ موظف
- المقر الرئيسي
- Redmond, WA
- التخصصات
- Accessible Technology، Accessibility Training، و Inclusive Innovation
التحديثات
-
We're carrying the momentum from the Disability:IN conference straight to the American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention in St. Louis, Missouri. We're excited to continue the conversation with the blind and low vision community, learn from attendees, and explore how accessibility and AI can unlock new opportunities for everyone. If you’re able to attend, don’t miss the session with Ed Summers on July 25, follow by Neil Barnett on July 30. #Accessibility #DisabilityInclusion #ResponsibleAI #InclusiveInnovation #AIforAccessibility Jessica Rafuse https://acbconvention.org/
-
We're excited to be part of the Disability:IN Global Conference & Expo in Dallas next week. It's always an incredible opportunity to learn, connect, and collaborate with leaders across the disability community. If you're attending, be sure to say hello! This year, Microsoft will share perspectives on how AI, accessibility, and disability inclusion are shaping the future of work, driving innovation, and creating new opportunities for people and organizations alike. JULY 27 ➜Neurodiversity and AI at Work: Driving Innovation, Revealing Friction (Laurie Allen) JULY 28 ➜The Next Growth Platform: AI, Innovation, and the Future of Market Leadership (Neil Barnett and Jenny Lay-Flurrie) ➜How Innovation Enters the Enterprise (Jessica Rafuse) JULY 30 ➜Self-Configuring Workspaces and Agentic Tools as Next-Generation Accommodations (Laurie Allen) https://lnkd.in/gyfMPADz
-
Great experiences should be accessible to everyone. Discover how accessible technology can help more people connect with the moments and communities that bring sports fans together.
Matchday is more than what happens on the pitch. With Microsoft Seeing AI, Paralympian Anthony Ferraro explores Seattle and shows how accessible tech can help more people connect with the energy, excitement, and community that surrounds the game.
-
Accessibility is built through partnership, listening, and action. A great perspective from Neil Barnett on why working with the disability community is essential to building better technology. https://lnkd.in/gu4xSMaj
I had the privilege of speaking this week at the National Federation of the Blind conference in sunny Austin, joining more than 3,000 members of the blind community. I left energized, optimistic, and reminded why this work matters so much. A few things stood out: 🔹 Accessibility and AI must be built with the disability community, not for the disability community. The decisions being made today will shape who technology works for in the years ahead. Blind people and people with disabilities must be part of defining that future. 🔹 Community feedback is directly shaping Microsoft products. Improvements such as Copilot key remapping, Narrator enhancements, a movable taskbar, Natural Voices with Magnifier, and expanded braille support all reflect input from the disability community. When people share their experiences, products get better. 🔹 Narrator deserves a fresh look. Narrator has come a long way in recent years, with improvements across AI image descriptions, natural voices, braille support, screen curtain, speech recap, and Microsoft 365 experiences. It's evolving into a more personalized and productive experience for work and everyday life. 🔹 Partnerships accelerate progress. Organizations and partners like NFB, Be My Eyes, One Court, and the Disability Answer Desk demonstrate what's possible when lived experience, community expertise, data, AI, and engineering come together. That's how innovation becomes more useful in the real world. I'm also excited about the Copilot audio training we're developing with NFB, launching this fall. It's a great example of how partnership and community expertise can help more people build confidence with AI. Thank you to the NFB community for the conversations, feedback, and partnership. Your insights continue to shape our products and help ensure AI works for everyone. I'm excited to continue building that future together. National Federation of the Blind Matt Philipenko Crystal Jones Laurie Allen Jessie Lorenz Saqib Shaikh Jerred M. Michael Buckley #microsoft accessibility
-
-
Everyone learns differently, and now AI skilling meets you where you are. With customized learning paths, the AI Skills Navigator makes building AI skills more accessible and effective for everyone. Find the path that fits you: https://lnkd.in/g6aJKsyt #Accessibility #AISkills #InclusiveInnovation Watch the video: https://lnkd.in/gWP6TJzm
Skilling: One of the things that excites me about AI is its ability to personalize to individual needs. In this short clip from Ability Summit, Natalie Worden-Cowe explains how AI Skills Navigator is reimagining learning, using AI to customize the experience for each learner. Natalie summed it up perfectly: "Before AI Skills Navigator, the tools that I had, I needed to transform the way I learned in order to use them. Now the content is transformed to meet my needs." It's a powerful example of how AI can help make learning more accessible and effective. This 2-minute video is worth your time: https://lnkd.in/ge4D4BwC
Ability Summit 2026 | AI Skills Navigator with Natalie Worden-Cowe (excerpt)
https://www.youtube.com/
-
How do you write a Korean webtoon when Korean isn’t your first language? Meet Min-ji So, one of very few Deaf webtoon creators in Korea. For creators whose first language is sign language, writing can mean expressing ideas in a language that doesn’t come as naturally. Through Microsoft Elevate’s AI for Impact program, Min-ji used Microsoft Copilot to refine language, develop ideas, and shape her stories. She then applied that experience to create something that could help other Deaf creators navigate similar challenges in their own creative work. Min-ji’s work shows how one creator’s insight can help open new creative paths for others. Read her story: https://lnkd.in/gffwUHRa
-
What does it look like when accessibility becomes a growth strategy for partners? For Microsoft partners, accessibility is shifting from a compliance checklist to a true competitive edge. In this blog, we highlight how partners like Level Access and Inclusively are turning inclusive innovation into real customer impact. From new customer entry points to scaling through Microsoft Marketplace, these ISVs show how accessibility drives both business value and meaningful change. That momentum is expanding what’s possible across the ecosystem, bringing partners, customers, and communities together to make technology work for everyone. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gSfnEQ7i
-
What if a more inclusive workplace started simply by listening? That's where Scope began. They used Microsoft 365 Copilot to reduce the everyday barriers their employees were running into, so more people can do their best work. Read how Scope is building a more inclusive workplace here: https://lnkd.in/eqgwXkrp
What if the tools you relied on at work made your job harder, not easier? For Scope, it started with listening to employees who were being held back by the very tools meant to support them. By rethinking their digital environment and using Microsoft 365 Copilot, they’ve reduced barriers, streamlined everyday tasks, and created a workplace where more people can contribute fully, while spending less time navigating systems. It’s a reminder that the experience of work is shaped by the tools we use every day and when those tools don’t work for everyone, neither does the workplace. Read how Scope is building a more inclusive workplace here: https://lnkd.in/eqgwXkrp
-
-
Preparation isn’t one-size-fits-all. We’re working with Special Olympics to support more personalized, accessible coaching so athletes can build confidence and momentum. Fans are helping power that journey through messages of encouragement. Add yours: https://msft.it/6005vlmH3
Preparation looks different for every athlete. As Special Olympics Minnesota Flag Football athletes train for the USA Games, Microsoft is helping coaches deliver feedback in ways that work best for each individual, including visual learning experiences that help athletes build skills, confidence, and momentum. Alongside support from the Minnesota Vikings, fans are also playing a role by sharing Messages of Encouragement that help fuel athletes on and off the field. Click here to share a Message of Encouragement and help athletes feel the support of a community cheering them on every step of the way: https://msft.it/6005vlmH3