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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