[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Microsoft Comments & Letter
Dear EITAAC,
As I said today at our first meeting, I believe 508 has the potential of
creating the marketplace forces necessary to drive accessibility into the
mainstream. This is good for everyone. It is good for people with
disabilities, it is good for people who will have disabilities (most of us),
and it is good for industry since it takes accessibility out of the fringe
and unprofitable realm and makes it a competitive component of every federal
government procurement contract.
Microsoft has a Web site dedicated to our accessibility efforts. At this
site you will find the many guidelines that we use at Microsoft. Some may be
applicable to the EITAAC's efforts. http://www.microsoft.com/enable/
I thought many of you might be interested in the following letter sent to
Mr. Roffee from Microsoft's president, Steve Ballmer. Basically, it states
that Microsoft is dedicated to accessible design, is encouraged by the
potential of 508 to promote the market place forces needed to bring
accessible design to the forefront, and supports the efforts of the EITAAC:
October 12, 1998
Lawrence W. Roffee
Executive Director
Access Board
1331 F St., NW, Suite 1000
Washington, D.C. 20004-1111
Re: Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee
Appointment
Dear Mr. Roffee,
On behalf of Bill Gates, Chairman and CEO, and myself, Microsoft is honored
to
have been appointed as a member of the Electronic and Information Technology
Access Advisory Committee. We accept the appointment. We look forward to
assisting in the development of accessibility standards for electronic and
information technologies covered by the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of
1998.
I view our participation as instrumental in our own efforts to make our
products, programs, and services accessible and usable by individuals with
disabilities.
Congress and the Administration - and in particular the Department of
Education
and the Access Board - clearly worked hard to make the reauthorization of
Section 508 a reality. No doubt the Department of Education's and the Access
Board's vision and stick-to-itiveness have been instrumental in moving the
entire country forward in all areas affecting individuals with disabilities
-
education, employment, and independence. As you may know, we at Microsoft
believe that the government's participation in this area can contribute
significantly to fostering the marketplace competition and public awareness
needed to bring accessibility into the mainstream - sentiments echoed in our
Senate and House testimonies this year.
We are committed to being an industry leader in this area. Microsoft has
already
made significant progress toward this goal. Over the past several months we
have
more than tripled our resources earmarked for accessibility. We have
chartered
our Accessibility and Disabilities Group with a mission to energize our own
product teams as well as to raise awareness worldwide. In fact, in August of
this year, we held Accessibility Day at Microsoft, Japan. Currently,
Microsoft
has several programs to help us accomplish this goal and - we hope - model
good behavior for the entire PC industry:
* Electronic Curb Cuts - these are the built-in accessibility features as
well
as the technology that we have developed to make our products more
accessible
to people with disabilities.
* Internal Consulting - we have a team of product managers, program
managers,
developers, and testers who spend 100% of their time helping product teams
make their products more accessible from the ground up.
* Accessibility Awareness Program - we have underway a worldwide effort to
raise
the awareness of the need for accessible products and to enlighten the
general
public that people with disabilities can be as capable as anyone else (you
may
have already seen some of our new TV commercials with this focus).
Let me introduce David Bolnick who is a Program Manager in our Accessibility
&
Disabilities Group (ADG) and will represent Microsoft on the EITAAC (see
attached biography). Dr. Bolnick is a key member of the ADG and will be able
to
give greater detail and insights into Microsoft's accessibility program. He
also
represents our technical side of accessibility and will be able to give you
a
sense of where technology is today and where it is headed in the near
future.
Many on the council may already know him, as he represented Microsoft on
your
Section 255 TAAC. I trust he will represent Microsoft well and look forward
to
seeing his reports on the progress of the EITAAC.
In closing, thank you for providing Microsoft with the opportunity to serve
on
this advisory committee. Rest assured that Microsoft is committed to helping
you
lead the effort to create access to electronic and information technology
for
individuals with disabilities.
Sincerely,
Steven A. Ballmer
President
BOLNICK BIOGRAPHY:
David Bolnick, Ph.D.
Program Manager
Accessibility & Disabilities Group
Microsoft Corporation
David Bolnick is the Accessibility Program Manager for multimedia tools
and applications, and telecommunications. Dr. Bolnick joined Microsoft
in January of 1990. Before joining the Accessibility & Disabilities Group,
he
was a member of the User Interface Architecture and Windows Design teams
responsible for the new look and feel of Windows. Prior to coming to
Microsoft, Dr. Bolnick was a Research Fellow at the University of
California,
San Francisco. His main area of research was visual processing in the eye.
He
received his Ph.D. in Physiology in 1984 from the University of California,
Davis. He loves books and loves to learn. His wife is a Family Physician and
they have three loving boys.
Current key projects:
* Designer of SAMI (Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange) authoring
format
for closed captioning and audio description of multimedia and Web
presentations
* Co-producer of ENABLE - a video to raise awareness within the general
population of how the personal computer can empower individuals with
disabilities
Microsoft representative:
* SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) committee for
closed caption authoring
* TAAC (Telecommunication Act Advisory Council of the US Access Board)
committee for drafting guidelines for Section 255 of the
Telecommunications
Act of 1996
* HiP Magazine Advisory Council (for deaf and hard of hearing children and
teenagers)
* HIT Lab, University of Washington, research related to visual
accessibility
* EITAAC (Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee)
of
the US Access Board for drafting standards for the Rehabilitation Act
Amendments of 1998
Contact information:
* Tel: 425 936-8342
* Fax: 425 936-7329
* Page: 888 899-8041
* E-mail: davebo@microsoft.com
* Web: http://microsoft.com/enable/
<<MSLETTER.txt>>
David A. Bolnick
Accessibility Program Manager: Multimedia, Telecommunications
Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052
Tel: 425-936-8342 Page: 888-899-0841 Fax: 425-936-7329
E-mail: <mailto:davebo@microsoft.com> davebo@microsoft.com Web:
<http://microsoft.com/enable> http://microsoft.com/enable
begin 600 MSLETTER.txt
M3V-T;V)E<B`Q,BP@,3DY.`T*#0H-"DQA=W)E;F-E(%<N(%)O9F9E90T*17AE
M8W5T:79E($1I<F5C=&]R#0I!8V-E<W,@0F]A<F0-"C$S,S$@1B!3="XL($Y7
M+"!3=6ET92`Q,#`P#0I787-H:6YG=&]N+"!$+D,N(#(P,#`T+3$Q,3$-"B`-
M"@T*4F4Z($5L96-T<F]N:6,@86YD($EN9F]R;6%T:6]N(%1E8VAN;VQO9WD@
M06-C97-S($%D=FES;W)Y($-O;6UI='1E92!!<'!O:6YT;65N=`T*#0H-"D1E
M87(@37(N(%)O9F9E92P-"@T*3VX@8F5H86QF(&]F($)I;&P@1V%T97,L($-H
M86ER;6%N(&%N9"!#14\L(&%N9"!M>7-E;&8L($UI8W)O<V]F="!I<R!H;VYO
M<F5D('1O(`T*:&%V92!B965N(&%P<&]I;G1E9"!A<R!A(&UE;6)E<B!O9B!T
M:&4@16QE8W1R;VYI8R!A;F0@26YF;W)M871I;VX@5&5C:&YO;&]G>2`-"D%C
M8V5S<R!!9'9I<V]R>2!#;VUM:71T964N(%=E(&%C8V5P="!T:&4@87!P;VEN
M=&UE;G0N(%=E(&QO;VL@9F]R=V%R9"!T;R`-"F%S<VES=&EN9R!I;B!T:&4@
M9&5V96QO<&UE;G0@;V8@86-C97-S:6)I;&ET>2!S=&%N9&%R9',@9F]R(&5L
M96-T<F]N:6,@86YD(`T*:6YF;W)M871I;VX@=&5C:&YO;&]G:65S(&-O=F5R
M960@8GD@=&AE(%)E:&%B:6QI=&%T:6]N($%C="!!;65N9&UE;G1S(&]F(#$Y
M.3@N(`T*22!V:65W(&]U<B!P87)T:6-I<&%T:6]N(&%S(&EN<W1R=6UE;G1A
M;"!I;B!O=7(@;W=N(&5F9F]R=',@=&\@;6%K92!O=7(@#0IP<F]D=6-T<RP@
M<')O9W)A;7,L(&%N9"!S97)V:6-E<R!A8V-E<W-I8FQE(&%N9"!U<V%B;&4@
M8GD@:6YD:79I9'5A;',@=VET:"`-"F1I<V%B:6QI=&EE<RX-"@T*0V]N9W)E
M<W,@86YD('1H92!!9&UI;FES=')A=&EO;B`M(&%N9"!I;B!P87)T:6-U;&%R
M('1H92!$97!A<G1M96YT(&]F($5D=6-A=&EO;B`-"F%N9"!T:&4@06-C97-S
M($)O87)D("T@8VQE87)L>2!W;W)K960@:&%R9"!T;R!M86ME('1H92!R96%U
M=&AO<FEZ871I;VX@;V8@#0I396-T:6]N(#4P."!A(')E86QI='DN($YO(&1O
M=6)T('1H92!$97!A<G1M96YT(&]F($5D=6-A=&EO;B=S(&%N9"!T:&4@06-C
M97-S(`T*0F]A<F0G<R!V:7-I;VX@86YD('-T:6-K+71O+6ET:79E;F5S<R!H
M879E(&)E96X@:6YS=')U;65N=&%L(&EN(&UO=FEN9R!T:&4@#0IE;G1I<F4@
M8V]U;G1R>2!F;W)W87)D(&EN(&%L;"!A<F5A<R!A9F9E8W1I;F<@:6YD:79I
M9'5A;',@=VET:"!D:7-A8FEL:71I97,@+2`-"F5D=6-A=&EO;BP@96UP;&]Y
M;65N="P@86YD(&EN9&5P96YD96YC92X@07,@>6]U(&UA>2!K;F]W+"!W92!A
M="!-:6-R;W-O9G0@#0IB96QI979E('1H870@=&AE(&=O=F5R;FUE;G0G<R!P
M87)T:6-I<&%T:6]N(&EN('1H:7,@87)E82!C86X@8V]N=')I8G5T92`-"G-I
M9VYI9FEC86YT;'D@=&\@9F]S=&5R:6YG('1H92!M87)K971P;&%C92!C;VUP
M971I=&EO;B!A;F0@<'5B;&EC(&%W87)E;F5S<R`-"FYE961E9"!T;R!B<FEN
M9R!A8V-E<W-I8FEL:71Y(&EN=&\@=&AE(&UA:6YS=')E86T@+2!S96YT:6UE
M;G1S(&5C:&]E9"!I;B!O=7(@#0I396YA=&4@86YD($AO=7-E('1E<W1I;6]N
M:65S('1H:7,@>65A<BX@#0H@#0I792!A<F4@8V]M;6ET=&5D('1O(&)E:6YG
M(&%N(&EN9'5S=')Y(&QE861E<B!I;B!T:&ES(&%R96$N($UI8W)O<V]F="!H
M87,@86QR96%D>2`-"FUA9&4@<VEG;FEF:6-A;G0@<')O9W)E<W,@=&]W87)D
M('1H:7,@9V]A;"X@3W9E<B!T:&4@<&%S="!S979E<F%L(&UO;G1H<R!W92!H
M879E(`T*;6]R92!T:&%N('1R:7!L960@;W5R(')E<V]U<F-E<R!E87)M87)K
M960@9F]R(&%C8V5S<VEB:6QI='DN(%=E(&AA=F4@8VAA<G1E<F5D(`T*;W5R
M($%C8V5S<VEB:6QI='D@86YD($1I<V%B:6QI=&EE<R!'<F]U<"!W:71H(&$@
M;6ES<VEO;B!T;R!E;F5R9VEZ92!O=7(@;W=N(`T*<')O9'5C="!T96%M<R!A
M<R!W96QL(&%S('1O(')A:7-E(&%W87)E;F5S<R!W;W)L9'=I9&4N($EN(&9A
M8W0L(&EN($%U9W5S="!O9B`-"G1H:7,@>65A<BP@=V4@:&5L9"!!8V-E<W-I
M8FEL:71Y($1A>2!A="!-:6-R;W-O9G0L($IA<&%N+B!#=7)R96YT;'DL($UI
M8W)O<V]F="`-"FAA<R!S979E<F%L('!R;V=R86US('1O(&AE;'`@=7,@86-C
M;VUP;&ES:"!T:&ES(&=O86P@86YD("`M("!W92!H;W!E("T@;6]D96P@#0IG
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M+"`-"B`@9&5V96QO<&5R<RP@86YD('1E<W1E<G,@=VAO('-P96YD(#$P,"4@
M;V8@=&AE:7(@=&EM92!H96QP:6YG('!R;V1U8W0@=&5A;7,@#0H@(&UA:V4@
M=&AE:7(@<')O9'5C=',@;6]R92!A8V-E<W-I8FQE(&9R;VT@=&AE(&=R;W5N
M9"!U<"X-"BH@06-C97-S:6)I;&ET>2!!=V%R96YE<W,@4')O9W)A;2`M('=E
M(&AA=F4@=6YD97)W87D@82!W;W)L9'=I9&4@969F;W)T('1O(')A:7-E#0H@
M('1H92!A=V%R96YE<W,@;V8@=&AE(&YE960@9F]R(&%C8V5S<VEB;&4@<')O
M9'5C=',@86YD('1O(&5N;&EG:'1E;B!T:&4@9V5N97)A;`T*("!P=6)L:6,@
M=&AA="!P96]P;&4@=VET:"!D:7-A8FEL:71I97,@8V%N(&)E(&%S(&-A<&%B
M;&4@87,@86YY;VYE(&5L<V4@*'EO=2!M87D-"B`@:&%V92!A;')E861Y('-E
M96X@<V]M92!O9B!O=7(@;F5W(%16(&-O;6UE<F-I86QS('=I=&@@=&AI<R!F
M;V-U<RDN#0H-"DQE="!M92!I;G1R;V1U8V4@1&%V:60@0F]L;FEC:R!W:&\@
M:7,@82!0<F]G<F%M($UA;F%G97(@:6X@;W5R($%C8V5S<VEB:6QI='D@)B`-
M"D1I<V%B:6QI=&EE<R!'<F]U<"`H041'*2!A;F0@=VEL;"!R97!R97-E;G0@
M36EC<F]S;V9T(&]N('1H92!%251!04,@*'-E92`-"F%T=&%C:&5D(&)I;V=R
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M:&5R92!I="!I<R!H96%D960@:6X@=&AE(&YE87(@9G5T=7)E+B`@#0I-86YY
M(&]N('1H92!C;W5N8VEL(&UA>2!A;')E861Y(&MN;W<@:&EM+"!A<R!H92!R
M97!R97-E;G1E9"!-:6-R;W-O9G0@;VX@>6]U<B`-"E-E8W1I;VX@,C4U(%1!
M04,N($D@=')U<W0@:&4@=VEL;"!R97!R97-E;G0@36EC<F]S;V9T('=E;&P@
M86YD(&QO;VL@9F]R=V%R9"!T;R`-"G-E96EN9R!H:7,@<F5P;W)T<R!O;B!T
M:&4@<')O9W)E<W,@;V8@=&AE($5)5$%!0RX-"@T*26X@8VQO<VEN9RP@=&AA
M;FL@>6]U(&9O<B!P<F]V:61I;F<@36EC<F]S;V9T('=I=&@@=&AE(&]P<&]R
M='5N:71Y('1O('-E<G9E(&]N(`T*=&AI<R!A9'9I<V]R>2!C;VUM:71T964N
M(%)E<W0@87-S=7)E9"!T:&%T($UI8W)O<V]F="!I<R!C;VUM:71T960@=&\@
M:&5L<&EN9R!Y;W4-"FQE860@=&AE(&5F9F]R="!T;R!C<F5A=&4@86-C97-S
M('1O(&5L96-T<F]N:6,@86YD(&EN9F]R;6%T:6]N('1E8VAN;VQO9WD@9F]R
M(`T*:6YD:79I9'5A;',@=VET:"!D:7-A8FEL:71I97,N#0H-"E-I;F-E<F5L
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M;6UU;FEC871I;VYS+B`@1'(N($)O;&YI8VL@:F]I;F5D($UI8W)O<V]F="`-
M"FEN($IA;G5A<GD@;V8@,3DY,"X@0F5F;W)E(&IO:6YI;F<@=&AE($%C8V5S
M<VEB:6QI='D@)B!$:7-A8FEL:71I97,@1W)O=7`L(&AE(`T*=V%S(&$@;65M
M8F5R(&]F('1H92!5<V5R($EN=&5R9F%C92!!<F-H:71E8W1U<F4@86YD(%=I
M;F1O=W,@1&5S:6=N('1E86US(`T*<F5S<&]N<VEB;&4@9F]R('1H92!N97<@
M;&]O:R!A;F0@9F5E;"!O9B!7:6YD;W=S+B!0<FEO<B!T;R!C;VUI;F<@=&\@
M#0I-:6-R;W-O9G0L($1R+B!";VQN:6-K('=A<R!A(%)E<V5A<F-H($9E;&QO
M=R!A="!T:&4@56YI=F5R<VET>2!O9B!#86QI9F]R;FEA+"`-"E-A;B!&<F%N
M8VES8V\N($AI<R!M86EN(&%R96$@;V8@<F5S96%R8V@@=V%S('9I<W5A;"!P
M<F]C97-S:6YG(&EN('1H92!E>64N($AE(`T*<F5C96EV960@:&ES(%!H+D0N
M(&EN(%!H>7-I;VQO9WD@:6X@,3DX-"!F<F]M('1H92!5;FEV97)S:71Y(&]F
M($-A;&EF;W)N:6$L(`T*1&%V:7,N($AE(&QO=F5S(&)O;VMS(&%N9"!L;W9E
M<R!T;R!L96%R;BX@2&ES('=I9F4@:7,@82!&86UI;'D@4&AY<VEC:6%N(&%N
M9"`-"G1H97D@:&%V92!T:')E92!L;W9I;F<@8F]Y<RX-"@T*0W5R<F5N="!K
M97D@<')O:F5C=',Z#0HJ($1E<VEG;F5R(&]F(%-!34D@*%-Y;F-H<F]N:7IE
M9"!!8V-E<W-I8FQE($UE9&EA($EN=&5R8VAA;F=E*2!A=71H;W)I;F<@9F]R
M;6%T(`T*("!F;W(@8VQO<V5D(&-A<'1I;VYI;F<@86YD(&%U9&EO(&1E<V-R
M:7!T:6]N(&]F(&UU;'1I;65D:6$@86YD(%=E8B`-"B`@<')E<V5N=&%T:6]N
M<PT**B!#;RUP<F]D=6-E<B!O9B!%3D%"3$4@+2!A('9I9&5O('1O(')A:7-E
M(&%W87)E;F5S<R!W:71H:6X@=&AE(&=E;F5R86P@#0H@('!O<'5L871I;VX@
M;V8@:&]W('1H92!P97)S;VYA;"!C;VUP=71E<B!C86X@96UP;W=E<B!I;F1I
M=FED=6%L<R!W:71H(`T*("!D:7-A8FEL:71I97,-"@T*36EC<F]S;V9T(')E
M<')E<V5N=&%T:79E.@T**B!335!412`H4V]C:65T>2!O9B!-;W1I;VX@4&EC
M='5R92!A;F0@5&5L979I<VEO;B!%;F=I;F5E<G,I(&-O;6UI='1E92!F;W(@
M#0H@(&-L;W-E9"!C87!T:6]N(&%U=&AO<FEN9PT**B!404%#("A496QE8V]M
M;75N:6-A=&EO;B!!8W0@061V:7-O<GD@0V]U;F-I;"!O9B!T:&4@55,@06-C
M97-S($)O87)D*2`-"B`@8V]M;6ET=&5E(&9O<B!D<F%F=&EN9R!G=6ED96QI
M;F5S(&9O<B!396-T:6]N(#(U-2!O9B!T:&4@5&5L96-O;6UU;FEC871I;VYS
M(`T*("!!8W0@;V8@,3DY-@T**B!(:5`@36%G87II;F4@061V:7-O<GD@0V]U
M;F-I;"`H9F]R(&1E868@86YD(&AA<F0@;V8@:&5A<FEN9R!C:&EL9')E;B!A
M;F0@#0H@('1E96YA9V5R<RD-"BH@2$E4($QA8BP@56YI=F5R<VET>2!O9B!7
M87-H:6YG=&]N+"!R97-E87)C:"!R96QA=&5D('1O('9I<W5A;"!A8V-E<W-I
M8FEL:71Y#0HJ($5)5$%!0R`H16QE8W1R;VYI8R!A;F0@26YF;W)M871I;VX@
M5&5C:&YO;&]G>2!!8V-E<W,@061V:7-O<GD@0V]M;6ET=&5E*2!O9B`-"B`@
M=&AE(%53($%C8V5S<R!";V%R9"!F;W(@9')A9G1I;F<@<W1A;F1A<F1S(&9O
M<B!T:&4@4F5H86)I;&ET871I;VX@06-T(`T*("!!;65N9&UE;G1S(&]F(#$Y
M.3@-"@T*0V]N=&%C="!I;F9O<FUA=&EO;CH-"BH@5&5L.B`@("`T,C4@.3,V
M+3@S-#(-"BH@1F%X.B`@("`T,C4@.3,V+3<S,CD-"BH@4&%G93H@("`X.#@@
M.#DY+3@P-#$-"BH@12UM86EL.B!D879E8F]`;6EC<F]S;V9T+F-O;0T**B!7
E96(Z("`@(&AT='`Z+R]M:6-R;W-O9G0N8V]M+V5N86)L92\-"@==
`
end