BBC Tech Tent Disability Works Special (Transcript from 10:10 time of

episode.)

BBC Tech Tent’s Rory Cellan-Jones interview

with Microsoft Chief Accessibility Officer Jenny Lay-Flurrie.

[Music]

>> Rory Cellan-Jones: How are the major tech companies dealing with

the need to make sure their products can be used universally? That’s been a

big issue for Microsoft. After all, familiarity with Windows and Office software

was until recently a vital part of anyone’s life if they worked in an office. A

year ago, the company appointed a new Chief Accessibility Officer, Jenny

Lay-Flurrie, who has been profoundly deaf since she was a teenager. I asked

her what the company was now trying to achieve.

>> Jenny Lay-Flurrie: When you think about this role and what we're

trying to do at Microsoft, it really is about how can we empower people with

disabilities to do more. It’s how can we think about technology; how can we

think about websites, a product. But it's also about how can we create a

culture at Microsoft that enables that. My team and many teams across the

company include things like innovation and inclusive hiring, training. And

other things that will make it systemic within a culture.

>> Rory Cellan-Jones: And tell me about the progress that's been

made over the last 10 or 20 years, because there was a time when Microsoft

products [and] Microsoft software were not particularly friendly if you had a

disability and I'm hearing that that has changed quite ready?

>> Jenny Lay-Flurrie: Well I'm glad you are hearing that. For starters, I

think in any history - we've had a 20-year history with accessibility. I was

looking the other day at our timeline and 20 years ago, Bill Gates put out the

commitment to accessibility as part of the company. Broad efforts. And so

we’ve had a long history and I think in any journey you've had moments of

brilliance and moments of learning and we've definitely had a few of those.

But I think in the last year we really have doubled down on our efforts to

really live into that mission – the Narrator screen reader within Windows we

are continuing to work on that and we’ve got 10 more voices coming up in

the next release. But also within Office there’s some beautiful features in

there that I think will help independence of folks. But also to help others to

think inclusively. There's a great accessibility checker now that we put on the

main menu of Office. What it means is that if you're sending an email now –

or you're sending a Word document or a PowerPoint – you can actually

check the accessibility of that before you send it. You can make sure that

everyone you want to be able to read it can actually read it. So I think it's

also about the culture.

>> Rory Cellan-Jones: Is there a sense in which technology companies

are learning that developing products that work for disabled people is no

different than what they've always done? It’s all about more and more

intuitive user interfaces and some companies have been better at that than

others.

>> Jenny Lay-Flurrie: I think we are all learning. I've been in

technology for a couple of decades now and I think this is a space that is ripe

for opportunity and ripe for progress. When you’ve got an unemployment

rate that is doubled out here in the US for people with disabilities than it is

for people without, there is nothing but opportunity. But I do I love what

you're saying, Rory. I do think that there is something that is about it being

just part of that UI, part of that interface. I was sitting on the London

Underground the other day and I was looking around and I just love to see

that everyone have their little devices and I was looking at the multiple

different types of devices and many of them watching videos. And some had

headphones in. Most were watching those videos with captions. And that was

a really grounding thing for me because captions are vital to my everyday.

But captions aren’t just for someone who's deaf or hard of hearing. Captions

can help us watch a video on the Underground and I think that really is

where we are moving to. That they can empower you in everyday situations. 

>> Rory Cellan-Jones: Now I know you're profoundly deaf. I'm sitting in

a studio in London. You're sitting in the United States. How are we

conducting this interview? What technology are you using?

 

>> Jenny Lay-Flurrie: I am profoundly deaf. I'm deceptively deaf. I’ve

had deafness that has declined over the last several years … I'm not going

to reveal my age. The range of technology I use really varies. What I'm

using right now is there’s a wonderful lady Ann sitting on the other end of

the line somewhere and I don't actually know where, and she's using a

stenographer machine and I'm looking at it via an Edge window. So I'm in my

browser and I'm seeing the transcript appear. So I lag behind you by about a

second. I also use a sign language interpreter, so here in the states American

Sign Language. Also, I'm trialing a product that I use a lot in my in my day-to-

day job. I use real-time captioning for access within Skype. And in a product

called Translator here. I'm also using some of the latest stuff and may blend

between depending on what I need to do. It is quite early in the morning

here. It's 7 o'clock so I didn't get my interpreter out of bed. I've learned that

there are many things you do and you never irritate your interpreter with

early morning calls.

>> Rory Cellan-Jones: Jenny Lay-Flurrie.

[End of Segment]