Presented by Lokesh Mehra - Director -Education Advocacy, Microsoft India at Techshare India 2014 Microsoft is making a small contribution to young people with disabilities, by removing education barriers and promoting an inclusive learning environment that provides equal access to information technology. Objectives of presentation and benefits for the audience: • Indian education landscape • Govt. of India - policies example HEPSN/TEPSE • Current awareness of accessibility in educational institutions • Leveraging technology for empowering accessibility amongst trainers and experts • Gaming v/s Learning / influence on accessibility

1. Campus
Commitment for
Equal Access
Lokesh Mehra
mlokesh@microsoft.com

2. Some Disability Statistics
More than 1 billion people in the World and
Estimated 70 million in India
• 1 in 4 have a visual difficulty or impairment
• 1 in 4 have a dexterity difficulty or impairment
• 1 in 5 have a hearing difficulty or impairment
• 1 in 7 have a cognitive difficulty or impairment
and many more….
Research Study Commissioned by Microsoft & Conducted by Forester “The Wide Range of Abilities and Its Impact on Computer Technology”

3. What is Accessibility?
The ease with which one can reach a certain place,
access information, use technology
Civil right - Right to participate within a society on an equal
footing with everyone else
Products should be designed and developed such that
it can be used by people with or without disabilities

4. Is Let’s Think Beyond Ramps!
this only about Infrastructure?
Software
Websites
Mobile
Forms
Documents
Presentation
Kiosk
Books

5. Technology for Everyone
Traditional
Disability
Temporary
Condition
Customer
Preference
• Blindness
• Deafness or Hard
of Hearing
• Mobility
• Language &
Speech
• Learning
• Repetitive Stress
Injury
• Eye Fatigue
• Injury or Surgery
• Environmental
Factors
• Noise & Lighting
• Simpler User
Interface
• Color Adjustment
• Font Size
• Input Device
• Mouse vs. Stylus
• Keyboard vs.
Speech

6. What is accessible technology ?
Accessibility
features
Assistive
technology
Compatibility

7. Classrooms can benefit from
using accessible technology
Every classroom may have a student who:
• Has a hard time seeing the board and can
benefit from making the PC easier to see
• Has a hard time concentrating and can
benefit from making the PC less cluttered.
• Has difficulty hearing the teacher speak
and can benefit from making the PC
easier to hear
Accessibility empowers all students
with accessible technology that
enables personalized learning.

8. Impact in the classroom
Personalized Learning and Accessibility
• Personalized learning shifts the focus from what is
being taught to what is being learned—the
student’s needs and style become central to the
learning process.
• Accessibility in the classroom enables students of all
abilities, special needs, and disabilities, to have the
same educational opportunities.
Make it easier to
Personalize& use
see, hear the PC
more comfortably
Save teachers time
and effort
Support
learning style
differences
Assist special
needs students

9. Personalized Learning & Accessibility
• Every child learns in a unique way
• Technology is key
• There is a need for accessible technology in campuses
• The Challenge: Inclusive classrooms with equal access for all
students
• Providing accessible technology is an institute responsibility
– Enables all students to have the same educational opportunities

10. Winds of Change
New York State Information Technology Policy – 2010
Establishes minimum accessibility requirements for web based information and applications
developed.
The Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act (IITAA)
Ensures that their web sites, information systems, and information technologies are accessible
to people with disabilities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act & Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Requires the States to ensure accessibility
Guideline for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) (http://web.guidelines.gov.in) clearly states
that websites need to be citizen centric and include Universal Accessibility as a requirement
Close to 6,000 government websites
Problem faced
- the websites themselves;
- documents that are available on these websites.

11. Microsoft’s commitment to accessibility
Develop
Integrating
accessibility
into product
planning, R&D
and testing.
Innovate
Facilitating
industry to create
next generation
accessible
technology.
Collaborate
Building strong
relationships
with technology
partners,
governments
and NGOs.
Support
Promote
broader digital
inclusion
through
Global Policy
Agendas.
Our vision is to create
innovative technology that
is accessible to everyone
and that adapts to each
person's needs. Accessible
technology
eliminates
barriers for people with
disabilities and it enables
individuals to take full
advantage
of
their
capabilities."
—Bill Gates

12. Windows 8 Accessibility Features
• Touch
Ease of Access Center
• Keyboard shortcuts
Magnifier
• Sticky Keys
On-Screen Keyboard
• Mouse Keys
Narrator
• Filter Keys
Speech Recognition
• Visual Notifications
Change text size
• Captions
Personalization
Built-in support for USB peripherals
like head Mic, Joysticks,
headsets, & input switches
www.microsoft.com/education/enable

13. Accessibility Checker
Allows to create more accessible content
• By checking & reviewing to fix potential accessibility problems
•
Check list
Pictures
Tables
Shapes
Graphs
Video & audio
files
Hyperlinks
Headings
More………..
Office 2013 ribbon with access key numbers and letters displayed

14. Word Web App Accessibility At Its Core
Fundamentally, Office Web Apps provide a representation of
each document using native browser objects
•
•
Highly simplified view – just a conversion
Word <> Images, HTML, and JavaScriptCore accessibility
investments
•
•
•
•
•
•
Well-formed Strict XHTML with CSS for the layouts
HTML elements primarily used on their semantic value
WAI-ARIA markup so that browsers and assistive technologies can
provide a much clearer interpretation of the interface
Keyboard navigation with preserved familiar shortcuts from the Word
desktop application
CTRL+B, CTRL+S, CTR+C, CTRL+F6, etc.
Support of High Contrast and High DPI (zoom) modes
Office Word Web App screen with High Contrast setting

15. List of templates
(http://www.microsoft.com/india/msindia/template_library.aspx)
1.
2.
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5.
6.
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8.
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20.
Application for Scholarship
Application for continuation of award of
National Scholarship
Act Basic
Act Complex
ADIP Installment 1
ADIP Installment 2
Annual Report Basic
Annual Report Columnar
Budget
Census
Circular Basic
Circular Complex
Circular Extended
Citizen Charter Basic
Citizen Charter Complex
Demi-Official letter
Endorsement
Five Year Plan Basic
Five Year Plan Columnar
Form 6 - Application for Inclusion of
name in Electoral Roll
21.
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Gazette Notification Basic
Gazette Notification Complex
Gazette Notification with Table
Inter-departmental note
Law Template
Letter (with endorsement)
Notification
Notification Basic
Office Memorandum
Order
Order Basic
Order Complex
Order Extended
Policy Basic
Policy Complex
Press Communique note
Resolution
Schemes Basic
Schemes Complex
Scheme of National Scholarship for
PWD - Part A

17. Scenario #1:Student who has a visual impairment
and is colour blind
Student scenario: Jayanti has a visual
impairment and is colour blind. She needs to
have what she is reading on the computer
enlarged or magnified, and needs to rely on
text, rather than color, for information.
Accessibility solutions:
• Try a High Contrast color scheme in Windows to make
the PC easier to see
• Make text larger, change font
• Try Magnifier
• Run the Office 2013 Accessibility Checker on Word files
sent to Jayanti
• Audio descriptions, screen readers, speech recognition

18. #2:Student who is hard-of-hearing
Student scenario: Christina is hard-ofhearing so she needs to be able to adjust the
volume on her computer. She uses
headphones to block out background noise
and increases the volume without disrupting
other learners in the classroom. She also
may need to watch parts of videos more than
once to make sure she doesn’t miss
anything that is being said.
Accessibility solutions:
• Computer volume
• Change computer sounds
• Text and visual alternatives for sounds – such as
captions
• Headsets

19. #3: Student who has difficulty concentrating
Student scenario: Raghu has been diagnosed
with attention deficit disorder (ADD) which
makes it difficult for him to concentrate
sometimes. He would benefit from reducing
visual and auditory distractions while using the
computer. He needs the computer to assist him
in better focusing on reading and
typing tasks.
Accessibility solutions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clean up and simplify the desktop
Choose appropriate color schemes and themes
Use the whole screen to read
Review spelling, grammar, and word choices
Use Speech Recognition
Try Microsoft OneNote
SSA TN –Kinect as an
enhanced learning
tool for children with
cognitive disabilities.

20. The ABC’s of Selecting Accessible Technology
Selecting Accessible
Technology
Disability &
Impairment
A. Identifying the right mix of
accessibility solutions
• Needs assessments
• Accessibility consultants globally
• Online training
Vision
impairments
B. Assistive Technology product
starter guide
• Purchasing assistive
technology
C. Assistive technology decision
tree
• By impairment
Making the
device
easier
to see,
hear & use
Hearing
impairments &
Deafness &
Mobility &
dexterity
impairments
Learning
impairments
Language
impairments

21. GOING FORWARD PLEASE ACCOUNT FOR
• Accessible Websites
• Accessible Events – Sign interpreters (if required), Captions for webcasts
• Conducive Infrastructure including
– Reserved parking
– Readers in libraries
– Special placement opportunities
– Building maps outlining areas, etc.
• Alternate formats for Campus Publications
• Notify concerned faculty – maintain confidentiality
WE CAN

22. thank you and let’s
continue
our conversation
Twitter @lokesh_mehra
www.microsoft.com/enable/