Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) and we take this moment to acknowledge the various ways technology underpins our everyday activities. While this digitalization has upleveled how we organize, share, communicate and thrive, it also has created barriers for those that are challenged whether due to poor vision, cognitive impairments, or other disabilities. Did you know that 1 in 7 people globally identify as having a disability?
Employers around the globe focused on productivity are recognizing the need for equity in services offered to employees. Digital accessibility is also a legal requirement and legislation, such as the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) in the United States, and standards such as ETSI EN 301 549 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have updated accessibility requirements for digital services. Non-compliance can mean increased financial and legal risk.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization globally to achieve more. It begins with designing our products with an inclusive mindset - ensuring our products and services remain accessible to users of all types is a core objective.
For the last year we have focused our attention on making the MaX UC clients more accessible. The most recent MaX UC Mobile client (V3.02), I am proud to share, has met the WCAG 2.1 AA compliance level. But what specifically does that translate to? Here is a short video clip to highlight the features included and how it accommodates requirements in different user scenarios.
MaX UC Mobile is the first of our clients to reach this compliance level. Work on MaX UC Desktop and CommPortal Web is underway, and we expect them to meet the same compliance level within the next couple of releases.
MaX UC, with its user-centric and accessibility-focused UI design, offers you a competitive advantage. The business services you offer can reach a broader set of subscribers and help you increase your market share.
Feel free to use the attached video in your marketing efforts and do share with us your GAAD celebrations!