Hi all,

I got this on another list and thought many of you would find it of 
interest.

Regards,
Sherry Wells

-----Original Message----- 

Press Release: Ai Squared and GW Micro Join Forces
Assistive Technology Leaders Merge to Expand Opportunities for
Computer Users Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Manchester, Vermont and Fort Wayne, Indiana (May 1, 2014) - Ai
Squared, the maker of ZoomText and sitecues; and GW Micro, the creator
of Window-Eyes, have merged into one company. With this merger, the
companies will combine their talents to better assist computer users
who are blind or visually impaired.
ZoomText is the world's number one screen magnifier and text-to-speech
software package that allows people who are visually impaired to use a
computer with ease. Window-Eyes is a popular screen reader that
enables people who are blind to be fully independent on the computer
by translating visual information into speech and/or Braille.
"Our mission is to provide a full family of computer accessibility
solutions for users who are low vision or blind, whether they access
digital information via their desktop, the web or their mobile
device," said David Wu, CEO of Ai Squared. "Earlier this year, we
commercially launched sitecues, a product which enables website owners
to build accessibility tools right into their websites. Today's merger
with GW Micro rounds out our mantra of 'We've got accessibility
covered' - with our combined forces, we can now deliver an even wider
range of computer access solutions."
The need for assistive technology continues to grow. According to the
World Health Organization, over 285 million people in the world are
considered visually impaired; 39 million of those are blind, and 246
million have moderate to severe visual impairments. "The merger of Ai
Squared and GW Micro brings together two companies that offer great
solutions for the millions of Microsoft customers around the world who
are blind or visually impaired," said Rob Sinclair, Chief
Accessibility Officer at Microsoft.
"We are also delighted that Ai Squared will continue to develop and
support the Window-Eyes for Office Offer as many of our customers rely
on this screen reading solution to enable access to Windows, Office
and other Microsoft products," Sinclair said.
Dan Weirich, Co-founder of GW Micro and now Vice President at Ai
Squared, said he is thrilled to incorporate Window-Eyes into the Ai
Squared product family.
"It's a natural fit," Weirich said. "Combining our companies will
strengthen Ai Squared's global presence in the assistive technology
industry, allowing us to serve even more customers."
Weirich noted that many customers using web and computer accessibility
tools inevitably progress further along the visual impairment spectrum
during their lifetime. As a result, they will require more advanced
assistive technology as their needs change. With the merger, Ai
Squared will be in a better position to assist those customers,
developing products that provide a seamless transition and user
experience as customers adapt to their changing vision.
Ai Squared will continue to offer Window-Eyes and its related products
as they were previously offered by GW Micro. In addition, a free and
fully featured version of Window-Eyes will continue to be available
via the Window-Eyes Offer for Users of Microsoft Office as part of the
recently announced partnership with Microsoft and GW Micro. The GW
Micro team will remain in Indiana as part of the Ai Squared team,
which is headquartered in Vermont.
About Ai Squared: Ai Squared (www.aisquared.com) has been the
worldwide leader in assistive technology solutions for people who are
visually impaired for over 20 years. The product line is available in
over 20 languages and sold in 45 countries through a network of over
350 global distributors. Ai Squared's screen magnification and
screen-reading products dramatically improve a computer's usability
and friendliness for users who are blind or low vision, raising their
level of productivity, satisfaction, and independence. The family of
Ai Squared products includes ZoomText, ZoomText Large-Print Keyboard,
ZoomText ImageReader, ZoomText Mac, Window-Eyes, sitecues, the
ZoomReader iOS app, and the ZoomContacts iPad app.
About GW Micro: GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com) has been a trusted
pioneer in the assistive technology industry since 1990; it has led
with innovative, customer-driven solutions, and the GW Micro team has
always been proud of its description as the Voice of Vision.



Ai Squared     Manchester Center, VT     (800) 859-0270 
www.aisquared.com

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