Groups to benefit from accessibility

Shawn/Judy/All

Have you seen the recent Forrester study commisioned by Microsoft? I
include an extract below from the "Microsoft Accessibility Update" of Feb
2004. microsoft have also released a new paper on Aging and Accessibility
(see below).

Andrew

#1 NEW RESEARCH STUDY SHOWS 57 PERCENT OF ADULT COMPUTER USERS CAN BENEFIT
FROM ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY -- MICROSOFT INTRODUCES RESOURCES, TUTORIALS,
AND TIPS THAT ADDRESS NEEDS OF AGING WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS

REDMOND, Wash. -- Feb. 2, 2004 -- Accessible computer technology, often
associated only with people with disabilities, can benefit a much larger
segment of the population, according to a new study conducted by Forrester
Data and commissioned by Microsoft Corp.

While accessibility options were originally designed for people with
disabilities, the Forrester study shows that 57 percent of current
working-age computer users may benefit from accessible technology because
of mild to severe vision, hearing, dexterity, speech and cognitive
difficulties and impairments. As the U.S. population continues to age, the
number of people who experience these impairments will increase, and more
people will likely turn to accessible technology to mitigate the effects of
their changing physical abilities.

In spring 2003, Forrester Data conducted a nationwide study of a
representative sample of the U.S. population (with a statistical precision
of plus or minus 1 percent) to measure the potential U.S. market of people
who could benefit from using accessible technology. The study identified
the type and severity of difficulties and impairments that respondents
experience when performing daily tasks. Respondents were asked a range of
questions about difficulties and impairments, computer use, their attitudes
toward technology, and their demographic characteristics. The complete
Forrester study can be accessed at
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/research/.

#2
A new Microsoft white paper, "The Convergence of the Aging Workforce and
Accessible Technology," outlines the challenges at hand for aging workers
and their employers, and offers guidance for both groups on how they can
use accessible technology to their advantage. The white paper can be found
at  http://www.microsoft.com/enable/aging/workforce.aspx.

_________________________________
Dr Andrew Arch
Manager Online Accessibility Consulting
National Information & Library Service, Australia
Ph 613 9864 9222; Fax 613 9864 9210; Mobile 0438 755 565
http://www.nils.org.au/ | http://www.it-test.com.au/ |
http://www.ozewai.org/

Member, Education & Outreach Working Group,
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/

NILS - A Joint Venture between the
Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind, The Royal Blind Society of NSW,
and Vision Australia Foundation.

Received on Tuesday, 3 February 2004 17:23:00 UTC