Microsoft makes its accessibility model freely available to help improve
access to technology for people with disabilities.
REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today
committed to contribute its UI Automation specification to the
Accessibility Interoperability Alliance (AIA), a new engineering working
group dedicated to making it easier for developers to create software,
hardware and Web-based products that are accessible to people with
disabilities. The UI Automation specification describes Microsoft's latest
accessibility framework technology, and will help developers include
advanced accessibility functionality into implementations designed for use
on any operating system.
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"We want to do all we can to help advance the development of assistive
technologies across all platforms and help a wider number of users access
technology in their daily lives," said Norm Hodne, Microsoft Windows
Accessibility lead. "By making Microsoft UI Automation freely available we
hope to increase the accessibility of many information and communication
technologies and to drive cross-platform interoperability. We welcome the
opportunity to work with other AIA members to extend the innovations we
have built into UI Automation."
Making Technology Accessible and Interoperable
The purpose of the AIA, formed recently by a coalition of the world's
leading information and assistive technology (AT) companies, is to foster
industrywide collaboration aimed at reducing many of the barriers that
people with disabilities frequently encounter when they try to access
information and communication technologies, including Web sites.
To create accessible technology products today, developers work across
multiple platforms, application models and types of hardware. To address
interoperability issues arising from this current environment, the AIA is
using a two-part strategy: First, the group is working to harmonize current
technologies to interoperate more easily, reducing costs for developers and
creating more usable products for customers. Second, it is working to
create a unified accessibility model that will serve the entire industry.
Microsoft UI Automation: An Innovative Accessibility Model
UI Automation, a next-generation accessibility programming model,
simplifies development and reduces costs for AT developers as well as IT
application developers who want to make their software compatible with AT
products, such as screen readers for people who are blind. UI Automation,
which is available today for Windows XP and Windows Vista and is built into
the Windows Presentation Foundation, offers developers a richer and more
efficient way to convey user interface commands and behaviors to a person
through their AT product.
"Microsoft UI Automation represents what the interface can do rather
than how it is presented visually, making it easier for both the
application developer and assistive technology developers to create rich
experiences for their users, including people who are blind," said Hodne,
whose team develops UI Automation for Windows. "AT products built using UI
Automation will require fewer updates and fewer customizations for specific
applications, because they can intelligently interact with user interfaces
and controls that have yet to be invented."
About the Community Promise
As a member of the AIA, Microsoft has agreed to grant a royalty-free
license for any Microsoft patents necessary to implement required portions
of the UI Automation Specification, as the specification may be modified
and eventually published by the AIA. Companies also can implement the
latest version of the UI Automation Specification, which is publicly
available from Microsoft. The Community Promise that accompanies the UI
Automation Specification permits royalty-free access to Microsoft patent
claims necessary to implement required portions of both mandatory and
optional parts of the UI Automation Specification. The UI Automation
Specification and Community Promise may be found at
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/bb892133.aspx.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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