[nfbwatlk] {Disarmed} Fw: [blindusersVerizon] Microsoft Backtracks on Accessibility in New Mobile Operating System, Commits to Accessibility in Future Windows Phone Platform - AccessWorld® - December 2010

Wed Dec 15 00:49:05 UTC 2010

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From: Luis Guerra 
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Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 4:00 PM
Subject: [blindusersVerizon] Microsoft Backtracks on Accessibility in New Mobile Operating System, Commits to Accessibility in Future Windows Phone Platform - AccessWorld® - December 2010

Hi all,
Thought I'd send this along for anyone interested.

Microsoft Backtracks on Accessibility in New Mobile Operating System,
Commits to Accessibility in Future Windows Phone Platform - AccessWorld® -
December
2010

Microsoft Backtracks on Accessibility in New Mobile Operating System, 
Commits to Accessibility in Future Windows Phone Platform

Paul W. Schroeder and Darren Burton

Last month, senior Microsoft officials acknowledged to advocates for people 
who are blind or visually impaired that its new mobile platform, Windows 
Phone
7 (WP7), does not include the accessibility components that were part of 
earlier Microsoft mobile operating systems. This means new cell phones that 
run
on WP7 will not include any significant built-in accessibility for people 
with vision loss, and it is not compatible with any third-party 
screen-access
solutions.

During the day-long meeting at the Redmond, WA, campus, Microsoft officials 
were candid in acknowledging the serious damage they had done to 
accessibility
for people with vision loss. Andy Lees, president of Microsoft's Mobile 
Communications Business, accepted responsibility, saying, "We were 
incompetent
on this."

The Microsoft team also admitted they were late in engaging advocates and 
assistive technology developers regarding the problems with WP7. In addition 
to
the American Foundation for the Blind, other blindness organizations 
represented at the meeting included the American Council of the Blind and 
the National
Federation of the Blind from the United States; the Canadian National 
Institute for the Blind; the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the 
United
Kingdom; ONCE, Spain's National Organization of the Blind; and Vision 
Australia.

Lees said Microsoft is committed to accessibility, but admitted that it will 
be a multi-year process.

What Happened?

Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 does support Code Factory's Mobile Speak and 
Mobile Magnifier screen-access programs, and can still be found in smart 
phones
like the Samsung Jack and the HTC Touch Pro 2. So what happened?

The number of smart phones running Microsoft's mobile operating system has 
slipped rapidly to less than 5 percent of the market. The company decided to
completely rework the platform in an effort to rebuild its market in mobile 
communications. Chuck Bilow, who handles accessibility for WP7, stressed 
that
it is an entirely new operating system and user interface. He noted that no 
applications from earlier Microsoft mobile operating systems will run on WP7
and no handset that currently runs Windows Mobile 6.5 can run the WP7 
operating system.

Lees said Microsoft did a "hard reset" with their WP7 efforts. Microsoft 
will have more control over the specific features and functions that will be 
built
into the phones, while leaving room for innovation by the manufacturers. He 
described WP7 as falling between the very restrictive Apple iPhone model and
the wide-open Android model. Manufacturers currently building Windows 7 
phones include Samsung, Dell, LG, and HTC. Although he is positive about the 
future
of WP7, Lees admitted that Microsoft is not yet where it wants to be with 
this new operating system. Accessibility is an obvious area where 
improvement
is critical, but Lees also mentioned the need to add multitasking and 
cut-and-paste capabilities. He also said WP7 currently works only on GSM 
networks
used by carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, and that they need to develop 
compatibility with CDMA networks such as those used by Verizon and Sprint. 
Both
GSM and CDMA are common mobile telephony standards.

What Is the Road Map to Accessibility?

According to Bilow, Windows Phone 7 does include a few useful features for 
people with low vision. For instance, there is a contrast control to help 
accommodate
people with low vision, and it also has zoom capabilities within certain 
HTML-based applications, but not yet in the general interface.

In a statement released after the meeting, Lees said, "Microsoft's goal is 
to deliver platforms, products, and services that are accessible. We 
recognize
that there is more we can do in this respect, and our goal is to develop 
Windows Phone into a compelling option for people who are blind or visually 
impaired."

Lees went on to say, "These plans include further expanding use of speech 
functionality to create a better eyes-free phone experience, and building on 
this
technology to enable screenreading functionality specifically tailored to 
the one-of-a-kind Windows Phone interface." And, he added, "We hope to shape
and define this future in partnership with the blind and visually impaired 
communities."

What Will Happen?

Although Microsoft officials did not make specific commitments regarding the 
access features that would be added to future releases of the Windows Phone
platform or state when changes would take place, they did embrace the call 
for built-in screen access. The iPhone solution was mentioned many times.

As representatives from the blindness community, we made it clear that we 
want built-in accessibility at no extra cost, and Microsoft representatives 
agreed
with that goal. We also agreed that we want to keep it open for third-party 
developers to be able to enhance that access with additional applications.
We further urged Microsoft to make it easy for all third-party application 
developers to make their apps accessible. Microsoft agreed with our 
suggestions
to incorporate more users who are blind or visually impaired into the design 
process, and they agreed to provide us with prototypes to gather our input.
Microsoft also agreed to bring back all of the represented organizations for 
another roundtable discussion to discuss the company's progress a year from
now.

It is likely that the development of access solutions for the Windows Phone 
platform could take as long as two years. As a short-term strategy, 
Microsoft
is still supporting Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, which are compatible with 
Code Factory's screen-access products.

Microsoft should have known better and there is no excuse for releasing WP7 
without considering accessibility. That said, the advocates who gathered in
Redmond were cautiously optimistic that this misstep might lead Microsoft to 
produce a more fully accessible platform for mobile phones. Phones are no
longer just phones. They are really small-but-powerful computers that fit in 
your hand, and the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video 
Accessibility
Act requires developers of advanced communications devices to make these 
phones accessible for people with vision loss or other disabilities.

We expect that the blindness organizations across the globe will work to 
hold Microsoft's feet to the fire. As Ronald Reagan used to say, "Trust but 
verify."

http://j.mp/hKIg5c 

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