>From the web page
http://microsoft.com/presspass/features/1999/03-17csun.htm
Microsoft Announces Recipients of First-Annual PC Accessibility
Research and Development Grants
LOS ANGELES, March 17, 1999 - Double clicks. Flashy graphics.
Beeps and dings. To most users, these functions are merely
helpful guides in navigating today's computer technology. To
users with disabilities, however, these same functions can
prevent access to the most basic operations of a computer.
Showcasing research projects that will usher in the next
generation of PC and Internet technologies for people with
disabilities, Microsoft today awarded $150,000 in grants to
non-profit and educational research institutions for original
research in the field of PC accessibility. The seven grants,
ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, are the first to be awarded in
Microsoft's "Exploring PC Accessibility: New Discoveries"
international grant program.
The grants will finance concept exploration and technology
development, with all research to be made available
free-of-charge for use in mainstream and accessibility-specific
products at the end of the one-year research period.
Greg Lowney, director of accessibility at Microsoft, announced
the grants at the CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities
Conference in Los Angeles. "I am really looking forward to
watching these research projects unfold over the next year,"
Lowney said. "The work of independent researchers, combined with
efforts by mainstream and accessibility-specific technology
companies, will result in computers that work better for more
people, including those with physical, sensory, or cognitive
limitations."
According to Oxford Brookes University grant recipient, Mary
Zajicek, "The Microsoft grant will enable us to combine the
latest Web browser technologies with our existing speech output
browser. As a result, blind and visually impaired people will be
able to effectively scan the Web just as sighted people do."
The 1998 Exploring PC Accessibility: New Discoveries grant
recipients are:
Accessibility Concept Research Awards
* University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, U.K., "toneWeb: using
sound to enhance access to the World Wide Web for visually
impaired people," Dr. Helen Petrie, Director, Sensory
Disabilities Research Unit.
Addressing the lack of exploration into the use of sound to
enhance the Web experience for visually impaired people (VIP),
this project will thoroughly investigate the use of sounds, both
ecological and musical, in a web browser for VIPs.
* University of Glasgow, "3D Audio Windows: Enhancing PC
Accessibility for Visually Disabled Users," Dr. Stephen
Brewster and Dr. Ashley Walker, Multi-modal Interaction
Group, Department of Computing Science.
Citing the difficulties faced by the visually disabled in
distinguishing between multiple simultaneously running
background tasks, such as file transfers, downloads, database
queries, etc., this project will explore the use of 3D spatial
audio to increase the display bandwidth of user interfaces.
* University of Pittsburgh, "Development of Compensatory
Software for People with Neck Range of Motion," Dr. Jennifer
Angelo, Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation
Science and Technology, School of Health and Rehabilitation.
Focusing on users with limited range of motion due to paralysis
or other physical disabilities, this project is aimed at
developing software that would demonstrate techniques for
allowing people with limited head movement to use existing head
control hardware for improved computer access.
* New York University, "An Investigation of the Use and
Potential Use of Accessibility Options in Operating
Systems," Anita Perr, Clinical Assistant Professor,
Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Education.
Using focus groups composed of individuals with a range of
disabilities, this project will seek to develop improved
mechanisms to help distribute information about access features
in various operating systems.
* University of Washington, "Cognitive Benefits of Speech
Recognition Technology for Persons with Learning
Disabilities," Prof. Philip Bell, Assistant Professor,
Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education.
Addressing the needs of computer users with learning
disabilities, this project will explore the effectiveness of
speech recognition technology with an aim to developing future
products that better meet the needs of people with -- and
without -- learning disabilities.
Accessibility Product Development Awards
* Syracuse University, "Improving PC Accessibility with
NeatTools," Edward Lipson, Professor, Department of Physics
and David Warner, M.D., Northeast Parallel Architectures
Center.
Earmarked for the continuing development and documentation of
NeatTools, an accessibility software that is the core component
of the University's Pulsar Project, this grant will be used to
develop affordable, customized human-computer interface
technologies for people with severe disabilities.
* Oxford Brookes University, "The BrookesTalk Adaptation Kit
(BAK) Project," Mary Zajicek, Principal Lecturer, School of
Computing and Mathematical Sciences.
By integrating the key functionalities of BrookesTalk, the
University's Web browser for the blind and visually impaired,
with Internet Explorer 5.X, this project is aimed at supporting
rapid Web orientation through its search and summarization
features.
A cooperative effort between Microsoft's community affairs group
and the company's accessibility and disabilities group, the
"Exploring PC Accessibility: New Discoveries" grant program is
one of many initiatives Microsoft is undertaking to better
understand and respond to the technology needs of people with
disabilities. The grants are intended to increase the knowledge
base of all groups dedicated to improving accessibility of PC
technology and to facilitate the dissemination of new
accessibility concepts and products.
More Information Sources
* Press Release - Microsoft Looks to Advance PC Accessibility
with One-Year Research Grants
* Microsoft Announces Grant to Support Accessibility Research
And Development
* Microsoft to Award $250,000 in Grants to Non-Profit and
Educational Institutions Researching PC Accessibility
* Greg Lowney: Microsoft's Director of Accessibility is
Motivated by the Millions of People His Work Will Benefit
* Microsoft Accessibility Web Site
(c)1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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