Hi all,
Thanks Peter for sending this great story to us!
Since ACB has the agreement with Microsoft, and thus, having the ear of 
Microsoft, they must demand that Microsoft's Narrator be a fully 
functional screen reader. As Apple device users (whether computers or I 
devices, have a fully functional screen reader in Voice over, Narrator 
needs to be fully functioning, so windows devices can be fully 
functional, right out of the box!
Since Windows came out in 1990, the blind community has never had a 
fully functioning screen reader built into Windows devices, and we just 
put up with it.
I'm hopeful, that this new agreement between ACB and Microsoft, will see 
that, finally happen, for all of us.
Harry
On 12/17/2015 10:09 AM, peter altschul wrote:
> Microsoft, American Council of the Blind Partner to Advance Accessibility
>
> REDMOND, Wash and ARLINGTON, Va - Dec.  17, 2015 - Microsoft Corp.  
> and the
> American Council of the Blind (ACB) on Thursday announced they will 
> partner
> on efforts to advance the accessibility of information technologies.  
> Through
> the partnership, the ACB and Microsoft will work together to enable 
> planned
> updates to various Microsoft products to better meet the needs of persons
> with visual impairments.
>
> "To deliver great solutions for people with disabilities, 
> accessibility must
> be central to our culture and an integral part of how we design and build
> Microsoft products," said Rob Sinclair, chief accessibility officer at
> Microsoft.  "By working with the ACB, we will gain valuable user insights
> about our experiences.  This will help us deliver more powerful assistive
> technology as well as more inclusive and empowering experiences to help
> every person on the planet achieve more."
>
> The partnership will provide a more consistent flow of information and
> dialogue between Microsoft and the ACB.  It better enables Microsoft to
> deliver on its mission of empowering every person on the planet to do 
> more,
> and responds to customer requests.  The response from all those involved
> about the renewed partnership and future work has been incredibly 
> positive.
>
> "Having access to information through accessible technology is 
> critical for
> our members as they pursue education, employment and perform everyday
> tasks," said Eric Bridges, Executive Director of the ACB.  "We are 
> pleased to
> build on the previous engagements we've had with Microsoft, and we look
> forward to working more closely with the teams to review and test new
> features and upgrades.  We encourage interested parties to follow the
> progress of these efforts at  <http://acb.org/> ACB.org."
>
> About Microsoft
> Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) is the leading platform and
> productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its
> mission is to empower every person and every organization on the 
> planet to
> achieve more.
>
> About the American Council of the Blind
> The American Council of the Blind is the largest consumer-based 
> organization
> of blind and visually impaired individuals advocating for the rights 
> of all
> blind people.  Comprised of more than 70 affiliates across the United 
> States,
> the organization is dedicated to making it possible for blind and 
> visually
> impaired people to participate fully in all aspects of society. For more
> information, visit
> <http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.acb.org%2F&h=eAQF
> ZMmF_AQFmdN
> q2mNVw8VUiOALRTKYjIidgNOPtagtyzw&enc=AZOJ7VveKSuZD10WJIBVuspxOpqM
> dYOrfZff_dt
> zgLXwKHveKw_G2j5ecLexT3iY6VY5lEJjmkpfpPyAoRv2U74r9Srs6CiJ53Q29Hor
> 2nftGsZpbpV
> c-xNq51USbcp7wOBPWo0lyHJBfWY-KjVvjIBLd3ZM0SzGJdnGYSMEUNKHepvPUBM1
> njKiJWlb4-F
> TZy4J-2un-L36pzKYeZ3xT9Nr&s=1> www.acb.org (link is external); write to
> American Council of the Blind, 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 650, 
> Arlington, VA
> 22201; phone (202) 467-5081; or visit us on Twitter @acbnational, or
> Facebook at <https://www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial
> www.facebook.com/AmericanCounciloftheBlindOfficial (link is external).
>
> For more information, press only:
> Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications, (425) 638-7777,
> [log in to unmask] (link sends e-mail)
> Eric Bridges, Executive Director, American Council of the Blind, (202)
> 559-2040
>
>
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