A few favourite moments from 2022

As we wrap up 2022, feeling grateful and inspired by employees, partners, community and customers raising the bar in disability inclusion and inclusive technology around the world. A year grounded in supporting, learning, and elevating what’s possible with innovation. A few favourite moments from this year..,

1. Celebrating 10 years of Disability Answer Desk (DAD): This support service started with a simple question – could we do a better job supporting disabled customers? The short answer, yes! In 10 years, the team has taken over 1.5Million from around the globe. Dedicated experts supporting customers with accessibility questions and fixing problems when they happen. Always listening to your feedback which goes to our product teams to drive accessibility improvements. Thank you for using the service, sharing your feedback and keeping us busy for over a decade.

2.  Accessibility as a Skill. We all need to get educated on how to make inclusive, accessible environments to make a dent on disability divide, so we made skilling a priority for us this year. Erica Zelmanowicz, Accessibility Learning Manager has led the program, starting by making accessibility education mandatory for Microsoft employees, and then partnering with LinkedIn Learning to build accessible content, incorporating audio description and inclusive presentation styles. And your feedback has been amazing! Thrilled to be on track to reach our ambition goal of 2 million learners by June 2023. Help us get there! Visit Microsoft accessibility resources and training to explore!

3. Product Inclusion: 2022 saw acceleration in accessibility innovation, with new products, features and innovations powered by deaf and disabled employees and partnerships. One of those was Sign Language View in Microsoft Teams, kicking off our roadmap to build inclusive meeting experience for deaf, hard of hearing and signers. Launched by accessibility architect (and brains behind the feature!) Chris Sano via American Sign Language vlog, a first for Microsoft. How we build features and products matters, and grateful to every employee, community partner, advocate for guiding our process and keeping us grounded with your feedback.

There are so many more, but I'll end on my personal favorite moment of 2022 – connecting and reconnecting with new and old friends in the accessibility and disability communities both virtually, and in person this year. Especially grateful for the time listening to young disabled African leaders in Nairobi Kenya driving the future of accessibility in the region. And visiting students, educators at the Thika School, which teaches elementary to high school to approx. 600 blind and low vision students. Meeting Miriam, a 5th grader with big goals, learning math and English with the help of Office, NVDA and non-profit INAble led by Irene Mbari-Kirika, CPACC, O.G.W, GMAP. And of course, Ability Summit 2022, where 13,000 across 110 countries tuned in to connect with community, allies, organizations, and accessibility pros from around the globe. Working together to include, build and imagine an accessible world.

I leave 2022 grateful and humbled by the work of many. Thank you for what you do, for learning new skills, giving feedback and ideas that will raise the bar in accessibility and power better futures. Keep it coming. Critical in 2023 to continue the accelerated path, to deliver affordable, discoverable, easy to build and use technology, with programs that empower disabled talent. Together we'll will tackle the disability divide.

Lots to look forward to in 2023, starting with Ability Summit! Excited to share that our thirteenth annual event will be a one-day virtual event on March 8th.  Save the date now, with lots more to come after the new year.

Onwards. Happy new year, folks!

-Jenny