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On the show this week, it is hard to believe, but 25 years ago, I started Blind Line, the first ever global call-in show for the blind community. By today’s standards, the technology was incredibly basic, but it worked, people listened, and called in from around the world. On 17 July 1999, I put together the first episode of Blind Line with a guest. That guest was Doug Geoffray, then of GW Micro. With considerable nervousness, I finally plucked up the courage to ask him if he’d do the interview. I don’t think either of us new what we were starting. It seems only fitting that 25 years on, I talk with Doug again. Today, Doug is doing great work at Microsoft. We’ll talk about Doug’s role, and how he seeks to ensure that Microsoft by default speaks the information we need to be productive, without giving us superfluous information that slows us down. I have been known to call this latter phenomenon Microsoft “killing us with kindness”.
I’ll also speak with Doug about Microsoft’s AI efforts from a blindness perspective, including Copilot and some of the remarkable efficiency gains that can be made with Copilot in Microsoft 365.
We’ll also talk about the new Microsoft Outlook, which has the internal code name monarch. Although Doug and I talked before the NFB convention, it is worth noting that NFB passed a resolution expressing concern about the quality of the new Outlook for screen reader users. So why is this new Outlook necessary, and will it become more efficient to use with a screen reader?
It has been a very special week of recognition as Living Blindfully and I have received awards from both US consumer organisations. We’ll drop in on each convention for those presentations.
Bonnie and I received such positive feedback after last year’s NFB convention audio diary that we put another one together for 2024, this time recorded on the shiny new Zoom H1Essential.
All this, and a lot more, in Living Blindfully 291. With listeners in 113 countries, our Living Blindfully community offers a wide range of knowledge and perspectives. We welcome your contribution to the show. Here’s how to have your say.
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