Creating inclusive learning environments with Microsoft Accessibility

Presented at 8:00am in Waverly on Wednesday, November 15, 2017.

Speaker(s)

• Malavika Rewari, Senior Product Manager, Office 365 Marketing, Microsoft
• Akshay Bakshi, Accessibility Program Manager, Office 365 Engineering, Microsoft
• Jiaxin Zheng, Product Manager, Windows 10 Marketing, Microsoft
• Sue Boyd, Assistant General Counsel Accessibility Policy and Compliance, Microsoft

Session Details

• Length of Session: 2-hr
• Format: Lecture
• Expertise Level: Beginner
• Type of session: General Conference

Summary

Meet the Microsoft Education and Accessibility Experts to learn how Microsoft’s products can help you create more inclusive learning environments that meet the needs of every learner and help you achieve compliance with changing accessibility laws. We will demonstrate how you can easily create accessible and engaging classroom content using Office 365, leverage free, built-in AT in Windows 10 to personalize learning, enhance productivity for blind/low vision students with new intelligent services, and introduce you to new reading and writing tools with proven outcomes for students with dyslexia. We will also discuss Microsoft’s approach to accessibility testing and customer conformance statements, and share tips for educators and procurement professionals based on our experience as both a supplier and purchaser.

Abstract

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We’re committed to creating and delivering technologies that empower students to do their best work, enable teachers to engage every learner and help ensure equity and inclusion in education institutions. In this session, we will introduce new, built-in assistive technologies in Office 365 and Windows 10, designed to enable productivity for all learners. We value your partnership as we strive to deliver experiences that truly enable access and improve learning for a diverse student body and staff, and welcome questions and feedback during this session. Attend this session to learn about: • Creating accessible and engaging classroom content with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Sway • Leveraging free, built-in AT in Windows 10 to personalize learning and create in new ways • Office 365 reading and writing tools with proven outcomes for students with dyslexia • New intelligent applications such as Seeing AI to enhance productivity for blind/low vision students • Using Microsoft Teams, OneNote and Office Lens for collaboration and data collection As both a supplier and purchaser of technology, Microsoft also keeps abreast of legal trends such as the recent updates to U.S. Section 508 Procurement Rules and increasing litigation under the American with Disabilities Act. We will share an overview of recent developments and discuss the role of accessibility testing and conformance reports in accessibility procurement. Using Office 365 as a case study, we will explain how a systematic engineering process to test products for accessibility standards conformance can be set up leveraging the US Department of Homeland Security’s Trusted Tester program.

Keypoints

1. How Office 365 can be leveraged to create accessible content and enhance productivity for students with print disabilities
2. How free, built-in assistive technologies in Windows 10 can help personalize learning
3. How Microsoft’s approach to accessibility testing and reporting can help organizations achieve compliance with accessibility laws

Disability Areas

Cognitive/Learning, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Mobility, Vision

Topic Areas

Accessible Course Design, Administrative/Campus Policy, Alternate Format, Assistive Technology, Legal

Speaker Bio(s)

Malavika Rewari

Ms. Rewari is a Senior Product Marketing Manager who shapes and evangelizes the work Microsoft is doing to enhance the accessibility of Office 365. She is passionate about enabling productivity and digital inclusion for people of all abilities, and shares details about technologies that can help with this on Microsoft.com/Accessibility/Office. With degrees in Engineering from National University of Singapore and Business and Design from Kellogg School of Management, she offers expertise to help the Microsoft Office Product Group create feasible, viable and desirable technologies. Connect with Malavika to learn about creating accessible classroom content and inclusive, engaging presentations with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Sway.

Akshay Bakshi

Mr. Bakshi is a Program Manager in the Microsoft Office Product Group, who focuses on enhancing the accessibility of Office for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Connect with Akshay to learn about using VoiceOver and other Apple accessibility settings with Office 365 applications.

Jiaxin Zheng

Ms. Zheng is a Product Marketing Manager who shapes and evangelizes the work Microsoft is doing to enhance the accessibility of Windows 10. She focuses on making Windows experiences more empowering for everyone, including teachers and students alike. Connect with Jiaxin to learn about accessibility capabilities built into Windows 10, including Narrator and Eye Control.

Sue Boyd

Ms. Boyd is an Assistant General Counsel in Microsoft’s Regulatory Affairs group and leads a legal and policy team focused on accessibility. She counsels Microsoft product teams on matters that arise under U.S. laws such as the American’s with Disabilities Act, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, as well as similar international laws, and oversees the creation of Microsoft’s accessibility conformance statements (Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates and international equivalents). She and her team also partner with regulators and advocacy groups to draft sensible accessibility policy and standards developments worldwide.