Microsoft has once again made significant strides in accessibility, with its 15th annual Ability Summit drawing over 20,000 attendees from 164 countries. The company’s commitment to investing in accessibility is rooted in its business model and spans over three decades.
Accessibility is a fundamental right for people with disabilities, making technology easier for everyone. Microsoft’s customers have shown remarkable adoption of its technologies, including Copilot for Microsoft 365, which unlocks workplace productivity, Edge with Read Aloud, and Immersive Reader to make webpages easier to read.
This year’s summit highlighted new accessibility products, features, and programs, including the Xbox Adaptive Joystick, available exclusively at Microsoft Store. The joystick is designed to meet the unique needs of players with limited mobility.
Microsoft also announced its Accessible Packaging Design Guide, which provides practical guidelines for creating accessible packaging and fostering a trusted customer experience. Partners such as Tobii Dynavox and Special Olympics shared their efforts in integrating AI-powered solutions into their products.
Other notable announcements included improvements to Microsoft Teams’ Sign Language View, powered by Copilot’s Team Reflow feature, and the integration of Neural Voice with Microsoft Neural Speech. The company also highlighted its Accessibility Skilling program, which has trained over 5 million learners worldwide.
Microsoft’s focus on accessibility accelerates innovation for the world. From Sticky Keys in Windows 95 to Seeing AI, the company’s commitment to accessible technology benefits everyone. With AI, Microsoft is poised to create significant advancements across various sectors of society.
As the event concluded, Microsoft emphasized its dedication to responsible and inclusive technology development, ensuring that the latest innovations reach those who can benefit from them most.
Source: https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2025/03/18/microsoft-ability-summit-2025-accessibility-in-the-ai-era