Accessibility
Welcome to the Microsoft Accessibility Developer Center, a centralized location for the accessibility developer community. Here you'll find guidance, essential information, and tools for developing accessible applications and writing accessible code.
You'll also have access to the latest accessibility-related ideas, projects, and recommendations from Microsoft's Accessibility Labs team.
Getting Started1. Learn about Accessibility
New to accessibility? Visit these links for an introduction to accessibility at Microsoft.
2. Develop Accessible Applications
Are your applications accessible to people with disabilities? Check out these resources to learn how to use Microsoft technologies to ensure everyone can use your apps.
| Featured Content .gif)
Making Custom Controls AccessibleThese articles provide an overview of Microsoft technologies that can be used to make a custom control accessible. Techniques range from creating or overriding properties with Dynamic Annotation, to using the new IAccessibleEx interface to add UI Automation support to controls that already support Microsoft Active Accessibility.
Programming for Ease of AccessThe Ease of Access Center is a new Control Panel application for Microsoft Windows Vista that brings together functionality for accessibility and ease of use. By using the Ease of Access Center, users can configure their computers to suit their physical and cognitive needs.
Guidelines for Keyboard User Interface DesignThis article describes the guidelines for designing a keyboard user interface (UI) for a Microsoft Windows application. Following these guidelines will help you design a keyboard UI that makes your application more accessible to people with disabilities.
Testing for AccessibilitySara Ford explains what accessibility means, and shows you how to test your applications for accessibility. Topics covered include keyboard accessibility, High Contrast, focus and selection, and Assistive Technology Compatibility.
| Downloads
Microsoft Active Accessibility 2.0 SDK ToolsGet the tools you need to help make your applications accessible. Please note that if you are downloading either Accevent32.exe or AccEvent9x.exe, you will need to copy the Event32.exe or Event9x.exe file into the same folder.
Videos |