>> Hello world, and welcome to Microsoft Unboxed.
I'm one of your host Colleen O'Brien and this is my friend,
and colleague, and co-host Sonia Dara.
>> Thank you. So many titles, I feel like [inaudible] .
>> Every week we're bringing you stories of
Microsoft technology as well as the people behind that technology.
Today's topic is, drum roll please.
>> Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
>> But before we jump in just subscribe.
Subscribe right now to the channel,
if you haven't done already there's a button right there.
>> Hit the button.
>> So today is actually Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
We are totally committed to making our products accessible,
and to infusing inclusion
and accessibility throughout our culture here at the company.
>> Absolutely.
>> We know that keeping accessibility front and center is
not only responsible and ethical,
but it's also smart business,
because more people can use our technology.
So here at Microsoft there's then
a really big intersection between
this notion of accessibility and gaming.
How big of a gamer were you?
>> Yeah, I grew up on N64 and stuff like that.
That was very much my jam for Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers,
but I definitely was very into PC games.
Obviously, there was like Minesweeper which I still
didn't ever understand how to actually play.
Let's be real, it only took me till I was 15 to play.
The numbers actually have a meaning to
tell you what to mine. Do you know that?
>> I didn't know that.
>> If it says three that means that there's
three mines up in the back.
>> Growing up I played Frogger on my Gateway Astro PC.
It was really my first exposure to video games.
Yeah, I'm a pretty casual gamer now, crossword puzzles?
>> You sound nerdy.
>> So I'm going to make like Frogger and jump right in here.
>> Nice.
>> Today I'm going to be talking about a blog that was published
by our Chief Accessibility Officer,
Jenny Lay-Flurrie, which was entitled Better Together.
She reinforced that accessibility is a space
where we as Microsoft cannot innovate alone.
It requires a ton of partnership and
really infusion into all of the aspects of your company,
of your culture, of your products.
There are four pillars.
>> All right,count them. We've got four pillars
>> Pillar one, people.
The culture here at Microsoft has been to embrace
the notion of building for people with disabilities.
Really make space for them as employees at our company here.
The Autism Hiring Program is specifically dedicated
to hiring potential employees on the autism spectrum.
To bring them into our employee workforce and to really expand
the point of view that we have
on how to make our products more inclusive.
Pillar two.
>> Pillar two.
>> Systems for disability answer desk, have you heard of this?
>> Answer desk?
>> This is a free consumer service for
Microsoft's Customers with disabilities.
They can call in and get answers about
specific problems that they have interacting with our technology.
>> That's really great.
>> Pillar three.
>> Three.
>> Product. Here we get a list of
some very well-known Microsoft products
and the strides that they're
making when it comes to accessibility.
Windows is doubling down on
the narrator feature which
audibly narrates your Windows experience.
>> I know, on Surface we're taking it very seriously of how
to design hardware also to be more accessible.
>> Fantastic.
>> Working on that.
>> The last product deep dive that I think is really
interesting are Accessibility Insights.
This roll out is going to help Devs find and
fix accessibility issues in their code.
It really reinforces this notion that we can't do it alone.
We need to empower our developers to be
aware of accessibility needs as well.
Finally, pillar four, Innovation and Future.
What happens when these people who have unique needs,
who will experience technology in a specific way,
what if we start with them first?
How does that open up
specific products or technologies to the rest of us?
Solving for one extending to many,
Seeing AI, which we've talked about numerous times on this show.
It's an app that will narrate
the world to people who are blind or low vision.
She also calls out Codejumper.
Yeah, Codejumper is that physical programming language
for kids 7-11 that teaches kids who are blind
or low vision how to code.
>> I like pillar number 4.
>> Yeah. One of the products that I think really brings
Jenny's blog to life is the Xbox adaptive controller.
This is a gaming controller for gamers who have limited mobility.
The device lets you plug in all sorts of
different peripherals whether it's
a joystick or a different button,
will allow anyone and everyone to enjoy Xbox games.
Everything down to the packaging had their input in mind.
It's not encumbered by all of that typical plastic that you need,
extra scissors to cut through.
>> My topic is around Xbox and
Microsoft coming together with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
They are teaming up to really help empower veterans.
One particular gentleman, his name is Mike Monthervil,
he served in the US Army in the 11th Bravo Company.
Three days prior to coming home he
unfortunately suffered a pretty serious spinal injury,
where he lost the use of his legs
and he has now limited mobility of his hands.
That did not deter him though, strong-willed man,
he's so personal-able and he is
still really interested in gaining.
He originally tried the normal controller, and like you mentioned,
for someone who has limited
mobility in their hands it's very difficult,
it was falling off to his lap.
He wasn't able to use the new toggle functions.
With his recreational therapist they were able to
get him a Xbox adapters controller and he loved it.
He worked on some proper placements.
Like you mentioned there's some extra peripherals
you can add around some extra buttons.
He really is like kicking butt in all these different games.
So he loves fighter games,
adventure games, first-person shooter games.
One of his favorites is Dark Souls,
which is a notoriously very complicated and intense game.
He loves it.
It was nice to see that we were able to bring gaming back
into his life and it
wasn't something that was stripped away from him.
It helps them stay active as well.
He's a wheelchair rugby player and he's sixth.
His team is sixth in the nation.
He's so cool. He is very cool.
>> It sounds like this is an incredible success story.
How are they broadening this?
>> Yeah, the Veterans Hospital is
adopting this as a form of therapy.
They are saying that there is a lot of
therapeutic value to be added
when it comes to helping refine motor skills,
decision-making skills, visual processing, information processing,
cognitive processing, visual and spatial awareness.
It's just helping them become more social as well.
So they're using it as part of their treatment plan now.
It's helping soldiers really get back into playing
and doing what they love. Which is really great.
>> Awesome. So whether it's infusing
accessibility into our own products or working with
partners externally to bring this culture of
inclusion to their respective organizations,
we are fully committed to accessibility.
>> Yeah, I'm really happy that we got to celebrate this today.
>> I'm riding on this high of the day
and I'm ready to roll into Outside the Box.
>> As you can transition, Colleen.
>> I'm going to ask Sonia a question,
she'll have 30 seconds to answer and
then she will ask me a question,
and I will have two minutes to answer.
>> What?
>> Just kidding. If you created
your own country what would it be called?
>> Whoa.
>> Part of me wants to be selfish and call it Daratopia.
>> Are you the empress of this country?
>> That'd be great. Everyone lives in in harmony and peace,
and everyone has living wages and everyone's happy.
The flag would definitely have to have
a giraffe or something on it.
>> Because you're very tall.
>> Yeah. Sushi happy hour,
but every hour of the day.
>> Delicious happy Sushi.
>> Yeah.
>> Daratopia sounds like a great vacation destination.
>> What's the most embarrassing moment from your teen years?
>> Onetime I wore like every piece of silver jewelry that I owned.
I saw a friend who did it,
she looked really cool and I was
like I want to be part of that coolness.
Then someone called out you're wearing so much silver jewelry.
The shame of that moment is really embarrassing to me.
>> Two necklaces 10,
18 rings, what's up?
>> I'm pretty sure I had on five bracelets,
my silver earrings, a couple of necklaces, maybe who-ox.
I was just doing too much.
Thank you to those of you who have already
submitted questions and feel free to send
more to the e-mail address below or
submit a comment just down below the video.
>> Viewers remember to subscribe to
the channel if you haven't done so already.
Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
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