At Microsoft, the commitment is to bridge the disability divide by developing accessible products. With Disability Awareness Month upon us, the company is eager to showcase the range of solutions it has introduced over the years. These products address various barriers faced by the disability community in both daily life and the workplace.
Microsoft prioritizes placing people with disabilities at the forefront of their design process. Embracing the principle of “Nothing about us without us,” the company’s Inclusive Tech Lab on its campus is dedicated to collaborating with members of the disability community to identify barriers and develop joint solutions. This facility focuses on engaging people with disabilities directly, rather than designing for them.
The company guides its designers and engineers to actively involve people with disabilities in creating products and services. By partnering with individuals, organizations, and therapists from various sectors—including schools, rehab centers, and companies—Microsoft gains a deeper understanding of the needs and challenges faced by this community. Inclusive Design Sprints, Microsoft Hackathons, and Microsoft Garage events bring together designers, engineers, interns, and external partners to co-create innovative solutions. These hackathons generate diverse ideas and prototypes to address various access barriers, with the resulting products being showcased, tested, and refined by the broader community to achieve more inclusive and impactful results.
Adopting a “one size fits one” philosophy, Microsoft designs products that are customizable to meet individual user needs and preferences. The company values how design impacts users and has learned from individuals with disabilities that they prefer not to feel singled out by assistive devices, which can often seem clinical. Therefore, Microsoft integrates the same sleek, stylish, and thoughtful design principles into its accessible accessories as it does with its other devices, ensuring that accessibility and aesthetics go hand in hand.
The evolution of accessible products at Microsoft
Xbox Adaptive Controller
The Xbox Adaptive Controller, launched in 2018, enabled customers with limited mobility to enjoy gaming on Xbox and Surface devices. This adaptive controller allows users to personalize their gaming setup with external switches, mounts, and joysticks. For instance, a customer who faces challenges using their hands can utilize a foot pedal and a mouth-operated joystick to play their favorite games on a Surface Laptop Studio.
Surface Adaptive Kit
In 2021, the Surface Adaptive Kit was introduced to enhance accessibility for customers who are blind, have low vision, or experience limited mobility. This kit allows users with low vision to utilize tactile labels to identify keys on their Surface Keyboard and port indicators to locate ports on their Surface device. For those with limited mobility, the kit includes openers that assist in opening the lid and stand of the Surface Pro more easily, as well as keycap labels to help quickly find shortcut keys.
Microsoft Adaptive Accessories
Microsoft Adaptive Accessories, introduced in the fall of 2022, were designed to support individuals who have difficulty using traditional mice and keyboards, aiming to enhance PC productivity. These accessories include a wireless adaptive hub and buttons that can augment or replace a conventional keyboard, enabling users with limited mobility to more effectively access their favorite apps. Tasks such as sending emails, writing documents, gaming, and editing become easier with these tools. Additionally, users can personalize their adaptive mouse and buttons with 3D printing attachments available through Shapeways.
3D Printed Pen Grips for Microsoft Classroom and Business Pens
In 2022, Microsoft introduced 3D Printed Grips for the Microsoft Classroom Pen 2 and Microsoft Business Pen. These adaptive grips are designed to enhance user autonomy by allowing students to write and take notes independently in the classroom, without physical aid. For students with limited mobility or strength, the pen grips are tailored to their hand shape, reducing pain and discomfort. Professionals can also benefit from a pen grip that stabilizes involuntary hand movements, enabling them to take notes or sign documents with greater confidence.
3D Printed Pen Grips for Surface Pen
Customizable 3D attachments are now available for the Surface Pen, allowing customers with limited mobility to be more creative and productive on their Surface devices. Microsoft aimed to address the gap by creating solutions that enable people with disabilities to create, take notes, and be productive in ways that others might take for granted. Customers can select from various shapes and sizes, add textures, and choose a unique tail cap. Each design was carefully developed through collaborations with the disability community, reflecting an understanding that needs are constantly evolving. Microsoft encourages others to innovate and share their pen designs with the community.
Microsoft partnered with Shapeways to make these pen grips customizable, printable, and shippable. The designs are also available for free download on the Shapeways marketplace.
Surface Laptop Studio 2 – Adaptive Touchpad
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 features an adaptive touchpad, which is described as the most inclusive touchpad available on any laptop. Thanks to its adaptive touch mode, users with limited mobility can interact with the trackpad using various parts of their limbs, such as the palm, foot, edges of the hand, or residual limbs. This allows for precise mouse control even with imprecise contact. The touchpad employs software and haptic motors to deliver realistic feedback when tapped or clicked. The adaptive touchpad settings are accessible through the Surface app and can be activated with a simple toggle switch.
Accessibility features in Windows
Hardware plays a crucial role in personalizing and interacting with devices according to user preferences and needs. Surface hardware incorporates accessibility enhancements to improve both in-app and Windows OS accessibility experiences. Features such as high-quality microphones for dictation, video cameras for eye control, and intuitive multi-touch screens contribute to more tactile and natural UI interactions. Microsoft has consistently integrated accessibility features in Windows to enhance the Surface and Windows ecosystem.
Some of the accessibility tools and features available in Windows include:
Seeing AI: An app that narrates the environment for users who are blind or have low vision.
Learning Tools: Designed to enhance focus, comprehension, and learning across various applications, including immersive reading and writing assistants in Word, OneNote, and Outlook, as well as inclusive math and communication features.
Assistive Technologies in Windows 11: Features like Narrator, Magnifier, Live Captions, and Voice Access support users across the disability spectrum. Accessibility settings in Windows 11 include new contrast themes for better differentiation between text and backgrounds, and Voice Typing, which uses advanced AI to transcribe and punctuate text.
For Windows 10 users, accessibility options include:
Eye Control: Allows users to control an on-screen mouse, keyboard, and text-to-speech functions using their eyes.
Ease of Access: Enhances visibility with text size customization and integration with Magnifier.
Narrator: Improves navigation and efficiency.
Accessibility Features in Microsoft Edge: Includes Automatic Image Description for generating alt text, Immersive Reader and Read Aloud for improved focus, and Editor for text prediction and proofing. Accessibility Insights is also available as a free extension for Windows, Android, and web browsers, helping developers identify and resolve accessibility issues.
In conclusion, Microsoft is dedicated to creating products and services that are accessible to people with disabilities. By integrating accessibility into every design and build, Microsoft aims to drive transformative change, making products better for everyone.
Learn more here.