[Nfbk] Fwd: FW: Ai Squared and GW Micro Join Forces - Assistive Technology Leaders Merge to Expand Opportunities for Computer Users Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Fri May 2 23:17:32 UTC 2014

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From: *Wright, Jennifer (OFB-FK)* <JenniferN.Wright at ky.gov>
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2014
Subject: FW: Ai Squared and GW Micro Join Forces - Assistive Technology
Leaders Merge to Expand Opportunities for Computer Users Who Are Blind or
Visually Impaired
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 FYI

*                    Ai Squared and GW Micro Join Forces - Assistive
Technology Leaders Merge to Expand Opportunities for Computer Users Who Are
Blind or Visually Impaired*

Manchester, Vermont and Fort Wayne, Indiana (May 1, 2014) - Ai
Squared<http://www.aisquared.com>,
the maker of ZoomText and sitecues <http://www.sitecues.com>; and GW
Micro<http://www.gwmicro.com>,
the creator of Window-Eyes, have merged into one company. With this merger,
the companies will combine their talents to better assist computer users
who are blind or visually impaired.

ZoomText is the world's number one screen magnifier and text-to-speech
software package that allows people who are visually impaired to use a
computer with ease. Window-Eyes is a popular screen reader that enables
people who are blind to be fully independent on the computer by translating
visual information into speech and/or Braille.

"Our mission is to provide a full family of computer accessibility
solutions for users who are low vision or blind, whether they access
digital information via their desktop, the web or their mobile device,"
said David Wu, CEO of Ai Squared. "Earlier this year, we commercially
launched sitecues, a product which enables website owners to build
accessibility tools right into their websites. Today's merger with GW Micro
rounds out our mantra of 'We've got accessibility covered' - with our
combined forces, we can now deliver an even wider range of computer access
solutions."

The need for assistive technology continues to grow. According to the World
Health Organization, over 285 million people in the world are considered
visually impaired; 39 million of those are blind, and 246 million have
moderate to severe visual impairments. "The merger of Ai Squared and GW
Micro brings together two companies that offer great solutions for the
millions of Microsoft customers around the world who are blind or visually
impaired," said Rob Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft.

"We are also delighted that Ai Squared will continue to develop and support
the Window-Eyes for Office Offer as many of our customers rely on this
screen reading solution to enable access to Windows, Office and other
Microsoft products," Sinclair said.

Dan Weirich, Co-founder of GW Micro and now Vice President at Ai Squared,
said he is thrilled to incorporate Window-Eyes into the Ai Squared product
family.

“It’s a natural fit,” Weirich said. “Combining our companies will
strengthen Ai Squared’s global presence in the assistive technology
industry, allowing us to serve even more customers.”

Weirich noted that many customers using web and computer accessibility
tools inevitably progress further along the visual impairment spectrum
during their lifetime.  As a result, they will require more advanced
assistive technology as their needs change. With the merger, Ai Squared
will be in a better position to assist those customers, developing products
that provide a seamless transition and user experience as customers adapt
to their changing vision.

Ai Squared will continue to offer Window-Eyes and its related products as
they were previously offered by GW Micro. In addition, a free and fully
featured version of Window-Eyes will continue to be available via the
Window-Eyes Offer for Users of Microsoft Office as part of the recently
announced partnership with Microsoft and GW Micro. The GW Micro team will
remain in Indiana as part of the Ai Squared team, which is headquartered in
Vermont.

Ai Squared: Ai Squared (www.aisquared.com) has been the worldwide leader in
assistive technology solutions for people who are visually impaired for
over 20 years. The product line is available in over 20 languages and sold
in 45 countries through a network of over 350 global distributors. Ai
Squared's screen magnification and screen-reading products dramatically
improve a computer's usability and friendliness for users who are blind or
low vision, raising their level of productivity, satisfaction, and
independence. The family of Ai Squared products includes ZoomText, ZoomText
Large-Print Keyboard, ZoomText ImageReader, ZoomText Mac, Window-Eyes,
sitecues, the ZoomReader iOS app, and the ZoomContacts iPad app.

GW Micro: GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com) has been a trusted pioneer in
the assistive technology industry since 1990; it has led with innovative,
customer-driven solutions, and the GW Micro team has always been proud of
its description as the Voice of Vision.

-- 
Jennifer Hall
P.O. Box 474
Salem, KY  42078
(270) 988-2816 Home
(270) 559-1780  Mobile
jbh_1926 at yahoo.com
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