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From: Jim Allan
Date: Jan 14, 2014 12:33PM

Wow.
http://www.gwmicro.com/News_&;_Events/Latest_News/?newsNo=299
Jan-14-2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fort Wayne, Indiana (January 14, 2014) - GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com)
is proud to make a revolutionary announcement. GW Micro and Microsoft Corp.
have partnered to make Window-Eyes available to users of Microsoft Office
at no cost. Window-Eyes is a screen reader that enables people who are
blind, visually impaired, or print disabled to have full access to Windows
PCs and makes the computer accessible via speech and/or Braille.

To better deliver Window-Eyes to the people who need it most, GW Micro and
Microsoft have collaborated on this global initiative, available in over 15
languages, to enable anyone using Microsoft Office 2010 or later to also
use Window-Eyes for free. Access to technology is critical to people who
are blind or visually impaired in order to have the same opportunity to
compete in the workplace. As such, this initiative between GW Micro and
Microsoft has the potential to reduce barriers for millions of people who
are blind or visually impaired around the world.

As the population ages, technologies like Window-Eyes will become more and
more important as the number of people with age-related macular
degeneration and other retinal degenerative diseases increases. "This
significant change in the way we are doing business reflects the changing
perception of accessibility and also technology in general. Rather than
wait for the world to change, Microsoft and GW Micro are leading the way,"
said Dan Weirich, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for GW Micro. Weirich
believes this technology can help millions of people gain access to their
PC, and that providing it free of charge will open a whole new world of
assistive technology to many people.

In light of the rapidly changing face of technology and specifically, the
changing face of assistive technology, the combined efforts of GW Micro and
Microsoft have the goal of providing accessibility to people who are blind
and visually impaired for the long term.

Microsoft continues to take accessibility seriously. “By partnering with
GW Micro in this endeavor we are demonstrating Microsoft’s ongoing
commitment to provide all of our customers with the technology and tools to
help each person be productive in both their work and personal lives.” said
Rob Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer for Microsoft.

Eligible customers, using Microsoft Office 2010 or higher, will be able to
download a full version of Window-Eyes starting today at
www.WindowEyesForOffice.com. The website provides download instructions as
well as additional details about this offer.

GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com) has been a trusted pioneer in the adaptive
technology industry since 1990, and continues to lead with innovative,
customer driven solutions.



Contact:

Dan Weirich, VP of Sales and Marketing
<EMAIL REMOVED>
(260) 489-3671

--
Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator & Webmaster
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315 fax: 512.206.9264 http://www.tsbvi.edu/
"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." McLuhan, 1964