[Trainer-talk] FW: GW Micro Announces Global Window-Eyes Initiative for users of Microsoft Office

[David Goldfield]

Here is a modified copy of the message which I wrote on some LinkedIn 
forums, which summarizes my feelings about this development.
Here are my thoughts on this breaking story.  In no way am I trying to 
start a screen reader flame war, where I intend to talk about whether 
one screen reader is better than another.
First, this news caught me totally by surprise and I was quite 
speechless, which is ironic considering that this is all about a piece 
of software designed to make your computer talk.
This move from GW Micro is more than just a great idea or a clever 
marketing strategy.  In my opinion, it represents the end of an era and 
the beginning of a new one regarding the business model of screen reader 
distribution.  I've said for some time that our current model, where you 
pay hundreds of dollars for computer access, needs to go away.  With 
this decision, I predict that it soon will.  Yes, we've had NVDA 
offering users the same opportunity to download and use a completely 
free screen reader since 2009, unofficially since 2006.  However, until 
recently, it wasn't an ideal solution for many corporate environments, 
although it does actually contain scripting capabilities, allowing for 
some under-the-hood customization.  However, it really wasn't promoted 
as an access solution for the corporate world and it is likely that the 
majority of NVDA users are home users.  However, this is not the case 
for window-eyes, which GW Micro promotes not only for home use but also 
for use in corporate, educational and in government working environments.
Now that Window-eyes can be available at no cost for many more people, 
several questions come to mind.  First, how will Freedom Scientific 
respond?  They cannot ignore what GW Micro is doing, as doing so could 
hurt sales of JAWS rather badly.  This move won't just make Window-eyes 
freely available to many users who couldn't afford a commercial screen 
reader.  Once rehab agencies begin to hear about this, they may feel 
that forking out nearly a thousand dollars for JAWS won't be such a hot 
idea.  After all, why buy a JAWS license for a consumer if they can just 
ensure that some version of Office is on their computer, which will then 
allow the consumer to download a comparable screen reader at no cost.  
FS must respond to this move, if they hope to survive.  The same is true 
for Dolphin's HAL screen reader.
One might also wonder how GW Micro can make money off of this move. In 
other words, how will they survive this change, as well?  This is being 
addressed in several ways.  First, users of the free window-eyes program 
must pay to receive support, either by paying $25.00 per incident or 
$99.00 for what they call the 12/12 plan, which gives you twelve 
incidents to be resolved for a 12-month period of time.  The one 
exception is that they will provide free support for users who need help 
with installation issues.  This is how some open-source products are 
able to make money; give the product away for free but charge for 
quality support and other additional services, such as advanced software 
customization.  The free version also does not come with some of the 
more human-sounding voices, such as Nuance's Vocalizer, which can be 
purchased for a fee.  However, I am of the understanding that it 
supports the Microsoft voices, which can be very pleasant, particularly 
with the male voice found in Windows 8 and 8.1.
During the press conference held by GW Micro, someone asked how giving 
away their flagship product would affect GW Micro.  The questioner asked 
if they were getting something from Microsoft, which to me implied a 
monetary payment of some kind, or might this represent a shift to GW 
Micro heading toward being a nonprofit company.  GW's vice-president 
said that these were good questions and that they would be able to 
better know the answers in six months.  He also said that their 
partnership with Microsoft allowed them to do this.  That, in itself, is 
a telling response.  Here are my predictions.  First, this is going to 
shake up the industry and will bring about some major changes in the way 
access software is distributed.  Finally, I would bet a few pieces of 
rich chocolate that this isn't the last we're going to hear about this 
from GW Micro.  If they don't become a nonprofit access provider, I 
would not be at all surprised if they are either bought by Microsoft or 
at least become the official accessibility arm of Microsoft, which is 
something Microsoft could really use.  Trust me, this is assistive tech 
history in the making.  This is a major earthquake in the field, and 
we've not even begun to see how the aftershocks affect the industry.  I 
applaud GW Micro for what I think is a daring and revolutionary decision.


On 1/15/2014 10:16 AM, Angela Griffith wrote:
> Jan-14-2014
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> Fort Wayne, Indiana (January 14, 2014) - GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com) is proud to make a revolutionary announcement. GW Micro and Microsoft Corp. have partnered to make Window-Eyes available to users of Microsoft Office at no cost. Window-Eyes is a screen reader that enables people who are blind, visually impaired, or print disabled to have full access to Windows PCs and makes the computer accessible via speech and/or Braille.
>
> To better deliver Window-Eyes to the people who need it most, GW Micro and Microsoft have collaborated on this global initiative, available in over 15 languages, to enable anyone using Microsoft Office 2010 or later to also use Window-Eyes for free.  Access to technology is critical to people who are blind or visually impaired in order to have the same opportunity to compete in the workplace. As such, this initiative between GW Micro and Microsoft has the potential to reduce barriers for millions of people who are blind or visually impaired around the world.
>
> As the population ages, technologies like Window-Eyes will become more and more important as the number of people with age-related macular degeneration and other retinal degenerative diseases increases. "This significant change in the way we are doing business reflects the changing perception of accessibility and also technology in general.  Rather than wait for the world to change, Microsoft and GW Micro are leading the way," said Dan Weirich, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for GW Micro.  Weirich believes this technology can help millions of people gain access to their PC, and that providing it free of charge will open a whole new world of assistive technology to many people.
>
> In light of the rapidly changing face of technology and specifically, the changing face of assistive technology, the combined efforts of GW Micro and Microsoft have the goal of providing accessibility to people who are blind and visually impaired for the long term.
>
> Microsoft continues to take accessibility seriously.  “By partnering with GW Micro in this endeavor we are demonstrating Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to provide all of our customers with the technology and tools to help each person be productive in both their work and personal lives.” said Rob Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer for Microsoft.
>
> Eligible customers, using Microsoft Office 2010 or higher, will be able to download a full version of Window-Eyes starting today at www.WindowEyesForOffice.com.  The website provides download instructions as well as additional details about this offer.
>
> GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com) has been a trusted pioneer in the adaptive technology industry since 1990, and continues to lead with innovative, customer driven solutions.
>
>
>
> Contact:
>
> Dan Weirich, VP of Sales and Marketing
> dan at gwmicro.com
> (260) 489-3671
>
>
>
>
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