Access all areas – Microsoft and Accessibility

I was talking with a colleague this week and we were discussing the topic of accessibility. We know this is a major requirement for all public sector organisations and local authorities that strive to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to providing online services to citizens.

The facts surrounding the level of disability in the UK are quite startling. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission around one in five people of working age are considered to be disabled. Other research sources indicate that 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some form of colour blindness and, overall, two million people in the UK have some form of sight problem.

It is almost in the category of one of Microsoft's best kept secrets but there is an excellent and highly informative part of the Microsoft website on accessibility. Here you will find lots of information on the accessibility features that are built into Microsoft products. It also provides more information on related assistive technologies and the tools available to help developers build more accessible applications.

Posted by Ian