Fwd: Collecting Information for Microsoft's New CAO

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Jim Allan

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Feb 22, 2016, 1:48:13 PM2/22/16

to Cliff Tyllick, ac...@googlegroups.com, PESO listserv, acces...@tamuc.edu, accessib...@knowbility.org, Mike Moore, Kathy Keller, Buddy Allison

thought some of you may have thoughts...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: McSorley, Jan <jan.mc...@pearson.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 12:40 PM
Subject: Collecting Information for Microsoft's New CAO
To: Richard Schwerdtfeger <sch...@us.ibm.com>, Sharron Rush <sr...@knowbility.org>, Anne Forrest <aforr...@yahoo.com>, Jim Allan <jima...@tsbvi.edu>, Susan Osterhaus <oster...@tsbvi.edu>

Hi Everyone,

I just got off a call with Anne Taylor who used to be the Director of Access Technology at the National Federation of the Blind. She now works for Microsoft and her boss is Microsoft's new Chief Accessibility Officer.

Anne asked me to compile a list of access barriers in Microsoft products that impede the work I am trying to accomplish at Pearson, but I would like to take this opportunity to get additional feedback from others in the field. I would love to add your insights and opinions on how Microsoft could help improve education, productivity, etc. of people with disabilities by making improvements in the accessibility of their products.

I will be working on a list of ideas for Anne, but if you have any thoughts or feedback on the following questions, I will be sure to share your name(s) as contributors to the list:

1. Are there any access barriers to using Microsoft products that make it difficult for you to serve students or adults with disabilities. For example:

Word
PowerPoint
Excel
Windows Operating Systems
Windows Browsers

2. Is there anything you wish Microsoft products would/could/should do that they are not doing?

3. In your opinion, what should Microsoft's accessibility priorities be?

Any help or input you could provide would be appreciated. This is a unique opportunity to get ideas and requests up the chain at Microsoft, so please don't underestimate the importance of your feedback.

Please share with others in your network as you see fit. I will be reviewing the list with Anne Taylor the week of March 22nd, so there is time to reach out to others.

_________________

For kids

Jan McSorley

Head of Accessibility

School Line of Business

Pearson Assessment Centre

M: (512) 673-9569
E: jan.mc...@pearson.com

Pearson

Always Learning

Learn more at www.pearsonk12.com

We put a man on the moon in the 1960's ... surely we can make information technology fully accessible to people with disabilities. It can be done ... it must be done ... it will be done!

Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315 fax: 512.206.9264 http://www.tsbvi.edu/