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Right this moment we kick off the 14th Microsoft Capability Summit, an annual occasion to carry collectively thought leaders to debate how we speed up accessibility to assist bridge the Incapacity Divide.
There are three key themes to this yr’s summit: Construct, Think about, and Embody. “Construct” invitations us to discover the way to construct accessibly and inclusively by leaning on the insights of disabled expertise. “Think about” dives into finest practices for architecting accessible buildings, occasions, content material and merchandise. And “Embody” highlights the problems and alternatives AI presents for creators, builders and engineers.
Katy Jo Wright and Dave McCarthy talk about Katy Jo’s journey residing with the advanced incapacity, Power Lyme Illness. Get insights from deaf creator and performer Leila Hanaumi; worldwide accessibility leaders Sara Minkara, U.S. Particular Advisor on Worldwide Incapacity Rights, U.S. Division of State; and Stephanie Cadieux, Chief Accessibility Officer, Authorities of Canada. And we’ll be digging into psychological well being with singer, actor and psychological well being advocate, Michelle Williams.
We’ll even be launching just a few issues alongside the way in which.
Advancing accessible know-how
Accessible know-how is essential to empowering the 1.3 billion-plus individuals with disabilities globally. With this new chapter of AI, the probabilities are rising, as is the accountability to get it proper. We’re studying the place AI might be impactful, from the potential to shorten the hole between ideas and motion, to creating it simpler to code and create. However there’s extra to do, and we are going to proceed to leverage each software within the know-how toolbox to advance accessibility.
Right this moment we’ll be highlighting the most recent know-how and instruments from Microsoft to assist obtain this purpose together with:
Copilot for Home windows, making accessibility simpler. Starting late March 2024, new accessibility expertise are being enabled in Home windows. Ask Copilot for Home windows to launch Stay Captions, Narrator and different accessibility options. Extra: Home windows Weblog
M365 empowering creators to construct accessible content material. Together with Accessibility Assistant, a set of instruments to assist creators produce accessible content material obtainable immediately in Insider preview for Phrase and sharing that Outlook and PowerPoint are coming quickly! Ales Holecek will even be sharing some examples and early analysis on neurodiversity and M365 Copilot which reduces time to create content material and shortens the hole between ideas and motion.
Azure AI for Accessibility, immediately sharing six new examples together with:
Seeing AI is now obtainable in a further 14 languages (whole 33) and might be rolling out the most recent generative AI fashions, together with richer descriptions of photographs and chat functionality for photographs and paperwork.
Azure AI Audio Description answer accelerator, new upcoming answer accelerator that makes use of Azure GPT-4 Turbo with Imaginative and prescient to explain movies for people who find themselves blind or low imaginative and prescient. WPP might be demonstrating how this works, and the answer accelerator is now open for sign-ups.
Expertise may assist sort out lengthy enduring challenges, like discovering a treatment for ALS (Motor Neuron Illness). With Azure, we’re proudly supporting ALS Remedy Growth Institute (TDI) and Reply ALS to virtually double the scientific and genomic knowledge obtainable for analysis. In 2021, Reply ALS supplied open entry to its analysis by means of an Azure Information Portal, Neuromine. This knowledge has since enabled over 300 impartial analysis tasks all over the world. The addition of ALS TDI’s knowledge from the continuing ALS Analysis Collaborative (ARC) research will enable researchers to speed up the journey to discover a treatment.
We will even be previewing a few of our ongoing work to make use of Customized Neural Voice to empower individuals with ALS and different speech disabilities to have their voice. We now have been working with the group together with Crew Gleason for a while and are dedicated to creating positive this know-how is used for good and plan to launch later within the yr.
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Accessibility as a elementary proper
To construct inclusively in an more and more digital world, we have to shield elementary rights and might be sharing partnerships advancing this throughout the group all through the day.
This consists of:
A dialogue with Ilene Arenberg and Tanya Harris on entry to aggressive built-in employment and financial fairness, speaking in regards to the office and truthful compensation.
The British Affiliation for Supported Employment (BASE) will share their work to assist disabled, neurodivergent and deprived individuals within the U.Okay. to seek out and preserve careers. They’ve been rising digital expertise utilizing Microsoft Groups and group coaching to modernize the supported employment sector.
The Starvation Venture will speak in regards to the significance of connectivity as a basis to accessibility. It’s working with group companions in Malawi and all over the world to offer entry to connectivity and assist for accessible areas, coaching supplies and digital accessibility.
Rijksmuseum will talk about their partnership with the blind and low imaginative and prescient group to carry detailed textual content descriptions to over 1 million items of artwork utilizing Azure AI Pc Imaginative and prescient and Azure OpenAI. This video brings the expertise to life.
Subsequent steps, accelerating your accessibility journey
All by means of the Capability Summit, business leaders might be sharing their learnings and finest practices. Right this moment we’re posting 4 new Microsoft playbooks, sharing our learnings from engaged on our bodily, occasion and digital surroundings. This features a new Psychological Well being toolkit, with ideas for product makers to construct experiences that assist psychological well being situations, created in partnership with Psychological Well being America. And “Constructing Accessible Campus,” with finest practices from our World Office Providers workforce, chargeable for our world constructing footprint together with the brand new Redmond headquarters campus.
Please be part of us to observe content material on demand by way of www.aka.ms/AbilitySummit. Technical assist is at all times obtainable by way of Microsoft’s Incapacity Reply Desk. Thanks in your partnership and dedication to construct a extra accessible future for individuals with disabilities all over the world.
Dave Dame, senior director of Microsoft Accessibility Merchandise, prepping for the Capability Summit.
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