Microsoft Backtracks on Accessibility in New Mobile Operating System,
Commits to Accessibility in Future Windows Phone Platform - AccessWorld® -
December
2010

Microsoft Backtracks on Accessibility in New Mobile Operating System,
Commits to Accessibility in Future Windows Phone Platform

Paul W. Schroeder and Darren Burton

Last month, senior Microsoft officials acknowledged to advocates for people
who are blind or visually impaired that its new mobile platform, Windows
Phone
7 (WP7), does not include the accessibility components that were part of
earlier Microsoft mobile operating systems. This means new cell phones that
run
on WP7 will not include any significant built-in accessibility for people
with vision loss, and it is not compatible with any third-party
screen-access
solutions.

During the day-long meeting at the Redmond, WA, campus, Microsoft officials
were candid in acknowledging the serious damage they had done to
accessibility
for people with vision loss. Andy Lees, president of Microsoft's Mobile
Communications Business, accepted responsibility, saying, "We were
incompetent
on this."

The Microsoft team also admitted they were late in engaging advocates and
assistive technology developers regarding the problems with WP7. In 
addition
to
the American Foundation for the Blind, other blindness organizations
represented at the meeting included the American Council of the Blind and
the National
Federation of the Blind from the United States; the Canadian National
Institute for the Blind; the Royal National Institute of Blind People in 
the
United
Kingdom; ONCE, Spain's National Organization of the Blind; and Vision
Australia.

Lees said Microsoft is committed to accessibility, but admitted that it 
will
be a multi-year process.

What Happened?

Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 does support Code Factory's Mobile Speak and
Mobile Magnifier screen-access programs, and can still be found in smart
phones
like the Samsung Jack and the HTC Touch Pro 2. So what happened?

The number of smart phones running Microsoft's mobile operating system has
slipped rapidly to less than 5 percent of the market. The company decided to
completely rework the platform in an effort to rebuild its market in mobile
communications. Chuck Bilow, who handles accessibility for WP7, stressed
that
it is an entirely new operating system and user interface. He noted that no
applications from earlier Microsoft mobile operating systems will run on WP7
and no handset that currently runs Windows Mobile 6.5 can run the WP7
operating system.

Lees said Microsoft did a "hard reset" with their WP7 efforts. Microsoft
will have more control over the specific features and functions that 
will be
built
into the phones, while leaving room for innovation by the manufacturers. He
described WP7 as falling between the very restrictive Apple iPhone model and
the wide-open Android model. Manufacturers currently building Windows 7
phones include Samsung, Dell, LG, and HTC. Although he is positive about 
the
future
of WP7, Lees admitted that Microsoft is not yet where it wants to be with
this new operating system. Accessibility is an obvious area where
improvement
is critical, but Lees also mentioned the need to add multitasking and
cut-and-paste capabilities. He also said WP7 currently works only on GSM
networks
used by carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, and that they need to develop
compatibility with CDMA networks such as those used by Verizon and Sprint.
Both
GSM and CDMA are common mobile telephony standards.

What Is the Road Map to Accessibility?

According to Bilow, Windows Phone 7 does include a few useful features for
people with low vision. For instance, there is a contrast control to help
accommodate
people with low vision, and it also has zoom capabilities within certain
HTML-based applications, but not yet in the general interface.

In a statement released after the meeting, Lees said, "Microsoft's goal is
to deliver platforms, products, and services that are accessible. We
recognize
that there is more we can do in this respect, and our goal is to develop
Windows Phone into a compelling option for people who are blind or visually
impaired."

Lees went on to say, "These plans include further expanding use of speech
functionality to create a better eyes-free phone experience, and 
building on
this
technology to enable screenreading functionality specifically tailored to
the one-of-a-kind Windows Phone interface." And, he added, "We hope to shape
and define this future in partnership with the blind and visually impaired
communities."

What Will Happen?

Although Microsoft officials did not make specific commitments regarding 
the
access features that would be added to future releases of the Windows Phone
platform or state when changes would take place, they did embrace the call
for built-in screen access. The iPhone solution was mentioned many times.

As representatives from the blindness community, we made it clear that we
want built-in accessibility at no extra cost, and Microsoft representatives
agreed
with that goal. We also agreed that we want to keep it open for third-party
developers to be able to enhance that access with additional applications.
We further urged Microsoft to make it easy for all third-party application
developers to make their apps accessible. Microsoft agreed with our
suggestions
to incorporate more users who are blind or visually impaired into the 
design
process, and they agreed to provide us with prototypes to gather our input.
Microsoft also agreed to bring back all of the represented organizations 
for
another roundtable discussion to discuss the company's progress a year from
now.

It is likely that the development of access solutions for the Windows Phone
platform could take as long as two years. As a short-term strategy,
Microsoft
is still supporting Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, which are compatible with
Code Factory's screen-access products.

Microsoft should have known better and there is no excuse for releasing WP7
without considering accessibility. That said, the advocates who gathered in
Redmond were cautiously optimistic that this misstep might lead 
Microsoft to
produce a more fully accessible platform for mobile phones. Phones are no
longer just phones. They are really small-but-powerful computers that 
fit in
your hand, and the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video
Accessibility
Act requires developers of advanced communications devices to make these
phones accessible for people with vision loss or other disabilities.

We expect that the blindness organizations across the globe will work to
hold Microsoft's feet to the fire. As Ronald Reagan used to say, "Trust but
verify."

Copyright © 2010 American Foundation for the Blind. All rights reserved.
AccessWorld is a trademark of the American Foundation for the Blind.

http://j.mp/hKIg5c


    VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
Archived on the World Wide Web at
    http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html
    Signoff: [log in to unmask]
    Subscribe: [log in to unmask]