Tag: Accessibility

Having a strong foundation in mathematics can impact higher education choices, careers and ultimately, opportunities in life. As a discipline, mathematics are a key component for a well-rounded education. While math is important for all students, those who are blind or low vision are significantly impacted by the inaccessibility of mathematics education – 75 percent of students who are blind or low vision are at least one grade behind their peers.  

Barriers to Access 

A number of access barriers contribute to the lack of accessible math education. Classroom material are not always adapted to formats such as braille, large print, materials suitable for a screen reader, auditory input, or a combination of these designs. Furthermore, developing mathematics materials in auditory or braille format can be a challenge to someone who is not familiar with Science, Tech, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) content but who is responsible for creating accessible formats. This can lead to accuracy issues and errors, resulting in 85 percent of students receiving materials late in the school year. 

Differences of contextualization exist as well. If a person with sight looked at a math equation briefly, they would be able to gather information on length, use of fractions and / or parentheses, complexity of the problem and so forth. However, someone interacting with the same math equation through a screen reader has a very different experience. The current technology would read the equation one bit at a time, not allowing for a full view of the equation easily. This can cause significant cognitive load issues, as a student would need to keep all the other information in mind while trying to resolve the math problem.  

A team at NWEA decided to tackle this important challenge, wanting to ensure students with visual disabilities benefit from accessible math and have equal opportunities in their studies.  

In a project awarded a grant by Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility program, NWEA aims to create an improved accessible math assessment for middle school students with visual disabilities. To do so, the team took multiple approaches to understanding the current barriers, especially for online assessments. 

Process-Driven Math as a Solution 

Existing research suggests that blindness or low vision do not affect a person’s ability to develop strong math skills and concepts. Rather, the difficulty in learning may have more to do with the way in which information is presented and its consistency. Students who are blind or low vision benefit most when a multi-sensory approach is provided and they have autonomy of interaction with materials and content. They are also more likely to answer test questions correctly when they are given auditory and tactile materials.  

Based on this information the NWEA team decided to integrate process-driven math (PDM) into their prototype. PDM is a learning support tool that uses chunking to simplify the landscape of complex algebraic expressions and reduce the cognitive load on working memory. It was developed by Auburn University at Montgomery to help Logan, a college student who became blind and was unable to read braille due to the insensitivity of feeling in his fingers, complete math coursework. These AI models can help can reduce labor intensity and maintain consistent classification of items in an assessment, decreasing the need for labor intensive testing of new items before they can be used.  

Two equation prototypes were developed to allow screen reader users to select various parts of a mathematics equation and drill into the parts they want to explore. When using a screen reader, a student would generally need to listen to the whole equation, read from left to right. With the prototypes, by applying the philosophy behind PDM, students have the independence on how and where to interact with a math problem. This decreases cognitive load since they do not have to listen to the entire equation all at once; they can skip the part they’ve already heard. The prototype gives a broad overview of an equation, akin to a glance from a person with sight, and then allows the student to dig in deeper to any part they wish. 

A prototype is available on NWEA prototypes, and there is also a demo video available: 

Editor’s Note: This blog was updated after publication. 

Today we honor the 11th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). GAAD is a day of awareness focused on digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities around the world. The pandemic has grown the disability demographic and widened the disability divide. Yet there are the seeds of positive change. As Caroline Casey, Founder & Creator of The Valuable 500 said at the Microsoft Ability Summit last week, “We’re seeing a move since the pandemic… recognition from businesses that accessibility is not a ‘niche’ issue for people with disabilities, it’s an issue that needs to be completely invested in for communication for consumers and employees.” We couldn’t agree more. We’re proud that accessibility is part of our culture here at Microsoft.

Here’s more on our journey to bridge the disability divide in partnership with disability community and accessibility experts around the world.

Technology

Technology has the power to empower. Our responsibility is to raise the bar for what is possible with technology for people with disabilities and deliver on the potential of inclusive design.

This month, Microsoft has introduced several new features and products that deliver on that potential, and many of those ideas came from you. Windows 11 is the most accessible Windows ever. You asked us to make accessibility features easy to find and use, so we flipped the name from ‘Ease of Use’ to ‘Accessibility’ and added a new accessibility pane and human icon to make it easier to use and find accessibility features. Those new features include Live Captions (available online and offline); new Natural voices for screen reader users; Voice Access; and (my new favorite) focus mode, which allows you to turn off notifications.

Accessibility can make content more inclusive, whether or not you know if someone has a disability. The great news is that you’re using those accessibility features more and more. Thanks to better placement and prompts, use of Office Accessibility Checker — our accessibility ‘spellcheck’ — has grown 14-fold in the last year, meaning more content is being checked for accessibility than ever before. And 163,000 people have joined the Xbox Accessibility Insider League (XAIL), an opportunity for anyone who self-identifies as a person with a disability or ally, to provide accessibility feedback directly to Xbox engineering or game development teams. This is powering a new wave of insight to support the more than 400 million players with disabilities across the globe, creating features for deaf gamers such as the inclusion of ASL and BSL on Forza, and a new ASL Twitch channel!

At the Microsoft Ability Summit last week, Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay revealed our new Adaptive Accessories line — a new mouse and keyboard experience on a PC or phone. Available later this year, the kit also includes a hub to connect these tools to other adaptive devices made by Microsoft or others.

There is far more ahead. Innovating for the future is top of our mind. It’s clearly top of yours. Our Microsoft partner ecosystem is working to build and deliver accessible technology at scale for customers, and partners are innovating solutions with accessibility at the forefront. For example, CityMaaS has developed the Mobility Map platform to provide localized accessibility information around the globe to enable disabled communities to visit businesses and places of interests. (You can find more #BuildFor2030 featured accessibility offerings by Microsoft partners.)

Talent Pipeline

To power that next wave of innovation, we need to empower the talent pipeline and tackle challenges impacting disabled talent. According to the National Council on Disability (NCD), students with disabilities who could not receive necessary services and support during the pandemic have experienced disruption and regression in their behavioral and educational goals. People with disabilities have historically been underrepresented in the workforce; the pandemic exacerbated the long-standing problem.

Youth and adults with mental health disabilities that predate the pandemic have experienced measurable deterioration over its course.

A new study from Microsoft EDU found that 84% of teachers say it’s impossible to achieve equity in education without accessible learning tools. And 87% agree that accessible technology can help not only level the playing field for students with disabilities but also generate insights that help teachers better understand and support all their students. Four in ten (41%) teachers have seen an increase in mental and/or emotional issues among their students.

Helping to empower students with disabilities is a top priority for us at Microsoft. We are working to support teachers with tools, from training through the new Microsoft Learn Educator Center for Resources and Professional Development to technology, including Immersive Reader and Microsoft Reflect, which helps teachers monitor student well-being and encourage feeling identification, and the new Minecraft: Education Edition.

Workplace

GAAD is a time to double down to open doors to disabled talent into employment. We support the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, legislation that addresses subminimum wage, an important step for wage equity for people with disabilities. This includes U.S. Department of Labor grants to states and eligible entities to help transform their business and program models to support people with disabilities.

Employment for people with disabilities takes partnership. With an unemployment/underemployment rate for neurodiverse talent estimated at 80% or higher, it’s crucial that we work together, not compete. Recently, we worked with 30 partners from Neurodiversity @ Work Roundtable, to launch the Neurodiversity Career Connector. This jobs marketplace supports large to small employers to “screen in” neurodivergent job candidates. This is the next chapter in our journey at Microsoft, which started in 2015 with a pilot program to hire autistic talent. We are proud to expand these efforts and partner with 30 companies to open doors to this talent pool and make a dent on those metrics.

Microsoft is also excited to announce the expansion of our relationship with The Valuable 500, an organization working with 500 major companies committed to making workplaces more accessible and inclusive of people with disabilities. This will expand on our partnership with impactful organizations such as Disability:IN and many others.

Microsoft continues to be powered by the insights from the disability community, and is proud to work with some of the best in the industry. This includes our accessibility team, who came together at the new Inclusive Tech Lab at Microsoft HQ this week. It is a journey and I encourage all to explore our Disability Answer Desk and https://blogs.microsoft.com/accessibility/ wherever you are in navigating your work towards a more accessible future for all.

I’m so very proud of Microsoft’s work in this field, working in partnership with so many focused on accelerating accessibility and disability inclusion around the world. Join me in celebrating their work today. And tomorrow, let’s get going on the next chapter. Onwards!

Tags: Accessibility, disability, equity, neurodiversity, partnerships

Each day, teachers and school leaders are faced with the challenge of meeting the needs of a growing audience of diverse learners to help them reach their full potential. Nearly half (46 percent) of teachers work one-on-one with students who require accommodations.¹ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four adults in the United States have a disability that impacts major life activities.² At Microsoft, we believe that technology can play an important role in addressing this evolving set of needs across students, teachers, and schools. 

Last week, we announced continued investments in accessible technology tools including the newly expanded Inclusive Tech Lab. Today, in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we’re building on that work to share new research that speaks to the accessibility needs of today’s classrooms. We surveyed K-12 teachers of different ages and years of experience across the United States to understand how teaching and learning is evolving in today’s education landscape. The data reveals interesting findings on the gaps between what teachers want and need for instruction versus what they have, the broadening of accessibility needs, the pandemic’s widespread impact on teaching, learning challenges and mental health, and how teachers think about accessibility.

Here are the key trends and findings that emerged from the Microsoft Teacher Survey and what we’re doing differently at Microsoft to better support this shift in K-12 education:  

Accessible technology allows for more inclusive classrooms for everyone  

Accessible technology in the classroom is no longer perceived as only supporting a specific group of students. The data shows that 84 percent of teachers say it’s impossible to achieve equity in education without accessible learning tools. Additionally, 87 percent of teachers agree that accessible technology can help not only level the playing field for students with disabilities but also generate insights that help teachers better understand and support all their students. Thoughtful use of and investments in technology can help to bridge these gaps and make more inclusive learning in classrooms possible for everyone. This makes tools like Microsoft’s Immersive Reader a game changer. The free tool not only supports text decoding for students with learning differences, such as dyslexia, but also enhances reading and comprehension for all learners. Immersive Reader is great for any learner who needs help with reading, built right into the Microsoft 365 apps and Microsoft Edge browser, and is available to any EdTech company that builds products on Microsoft Azure. 

Pandemic effects on classrooms are more widespread than we think  

The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the complex challenges impacting the classroom. More than half of teachers, 52 percent, have noticed an increase in the number of students who have fallen behind in reading in the past two years and 39 percent have noticed the same in math. Additionally, 59 percent of teachers say that 25 percent of their students are two or more grade levels below in reading or math. Although the pandemic has had a massive impact on schools, responsibly designed accessible learning tools can support our students in getting back on track. Microsoft is committed to empowering students and providing supportive, accessible technology that helps teachers leverage insights with tools like our student support spotlight card. The new student support spotlight card in Education Insights helps teachers make sense of student engagement signals and identify which of their students may require additional support based on early disengagement. The feature is supported by pedagogical research showing that early intervention of decreased engagement can help students overcome learning obstacles and reduce the risk of falling behind.  

Teachers need support to do what they do best  

Our world has changed forever, and classroom instruction isn’t exempt from the long-term impacts of the pandemic. The fundamental tools and support needed for teachers to do their best work with students facing obstacles—both academically and emotionally—have drastically changed. We found that four in ten (41 percent) teachers have seen an increase in mental and/or emotional issues among their students. 75 percent of these teachers say there is a great or moderate need to adapt their teaching style to accommodate this challenge. Further, the research shows students with disabilities are at an increased risk of experiencing mental health difficulties. The percentage of teachers saying they have seen an increase in mental and/or emotional issues rises from 41 percent to 63 percent when 10 percent or more of a teachers’ student body has an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Additionally, research shows, teachers note that focusing on student well-being can have a positive effect on academic and life success, workforce readiness, and more.³ Digital tools, like Microsoft’s Reflect, help both teachers monitoring student well-being and students working to identify their own feelings. Regular check-ins give teachers insight into what engages their classes, where individualized support is needed, and highlight how to best provide additional interventions. 

Teaching is more demanding than ever before, and we are working to support teachers with tools and opportunities to learn how to leverage accessible technology in meaningful and effective ways. We’ve learned that companies can miss the mark in building accessible technology without also providing manageable, diverse, and easily accessed training for teachers. Nearly half of teachers—46 percent—say they aren’t given enough training to learn how to use technology in the classroom. This need is why we launched the Microsoft Learn Educator Center for Resources and Professional Development. This is a centralized platform provides free support for teachers with training on Microsoft technologies, instructional methods, and more. 

School systems need support in designing accessible learning environments  

Differentiating instruction for students in both engaging and sustainable ways is difficult. While 70 percent of schools have made an additional investment in technology in the past two years, 70 percent of teachers feel there’s a moderate or massive gap between the resources they need for instruction and what they have, revealing a disconnect and clear sign that technology investments must be intentional. The need for additional support in cultivating accessible learning environments is a pressing issue in classrooms nationwide. Responsibly designed technology can help to bridge this gap. As part of our continued commitment to equitable and accessible learning, Microsoft’s Inclusive Tech Lab created a special classroom to show what’s possible when we normalize accessible technology for every student. This collaboration space provides an opportunity for us, education groups, and other companies to learn and get feedback on making technology more accessible. Additionally, teachers can get comprehensive feedback and recommendations to make their content more accessible for all students, in just three clicks, using Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker available online or offline and built into tools like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. 

You can learn more about updates and new solutions coming to our portfolio of learning tools by visiting the Microsoft Education Blog.  

This shift in accessible and inclusive learning is about expanding our understanding of how accessibility shows up in our classrooms, school districts, and beyond. All types of learners benefit when technology is designed with accessibility and inclusion in mind, setting up all students and teachers for success.⁴ Let’s help to unlock the possibilities for every student. 

¹ Microsoft Teacher Survey

² CDC: 1 in 4 US adults live with a disability | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC

³ The-Case-for-SEL-CASEL

⁴ Effects of inclusion on the academic achievement and adaptive behaviour of children with intellectual disabilities 

Meet Graham, a 12-year old with a neurological condition that makes him unable to read or write. With the help of Microsoft features like Windows text-to-speech and Immersive Reader, Graham went from being dependent on others to taking control of his education. He’s even running his own business.

Learn more about Graham and some of the ways teachers are using technology to help address inequity in the classroom on Microsoft Stories.

Meet Graham, a 12-year old with a neurological condition that makes him unable to read or write. With the help of Microsoft features like Windows text-to-speech and Immersive Reader, Graham went from being dependent on others to taking control of his education. He’s even running his own business.

Learn more about Graham and some of the ways teachers are using technology to help address inequity in the classroom on Microsoft Stories.

When was the last time you used GPS services to navigate to a location? Probably just a few hours ago. From finding the fastest route to your destination, to navigating public transportation options, we often rely on this type of service. Imagine needing to find a bus stop based on a GPS service alone, without the ability to see its exact location even when in its proximity. For those who are blind or low vision that scenario is a reality, often having to rely on spatial geolocation data is not accurate enough, commonly referred to as the “last 30-feet problem.” Oftentimes, in the bus stop scenario, even a small gap in navigation can cause people to miss their bus entirely as the bus driver may misunderstand their intention of getting onboard.

A team at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear, led by Associate Professor Gang Luo, has been focusing on vision assistive technology for over a decade, running research studies on technology development, intervention, evaluation, and human factors in mobility for people who are blind or low vision. While transit agencies have a mandate to improve accessibility to public transportation as part of the Americans with Disability Act, opportunities exist to improve existing technologies and further remove barriers. Developing a cost-effective tool was paramount for the team in their aim to make bus stops more accessible and easily identifiable to all. In their effort, they have developed and released a free app called All Aboard which prototypes 10 bus transit services across the US, Canada, UK and Germany. Their project has been awarded a Microsoft AI for Accessibility grant.

To utilize the app, a user needs to hold their mobile phone in upright orientation in proximity to the stop. The service will make a sonar-like sound to indicate it’s searching for the bus stop sign, followed by a beeping sound to indicate the bus stop was identified. The latter has different levels of pitch roughly representing various distances as demonstrated in this video tutorial.

To ensure the solution they were creating was centering the needs of those it was developed for, the team complemented its existing expertise in computer vision and programming by running focus groups with members of the disability community. Micro-navigation was identified as a key challenge, not only for bus stops, but for other places such as subways, stores, banks and more. Lastly, there was a wish that the micro-navigation functions to be integrated with other services, such as travel route planning, bus arrival announcements, indoor navigation and more. While All Aboard does not have that particular capability yet, the team at Schepens Eye Research Institute is searching for industry partners who have an interest to further the use of their technology.

The All Aboard app used deep neural networks to recognize bus stop signs, with the assumption the user is aware of the bus route they wish to take and is in proximity of the bus stop. By using object recognition, it can correctly identify bus signs which have the same design for a particular transit, while ignoring the exact route number on the signs. For each bus transit, around 5,000 to 10,000 bus stop sign images were collected, labelled, and used to train the neural network to automatically learn the features of the signage patterns. Consequentially, the neural network is capable of differentiating the bus stop signs from other objects and other types of road signs in images. For the recognition neural network to run in real time on a mobile device with lower computational power, a lightweight neural network was created, allowing processing on a mobile device.