[access-uk] FW: Ai Squared and GW Micro Join Forces - Assistive Technology Leaders Merge to Expand Opportunities for Computer Users Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
- From: "Steve Nutt" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "'BCAB Discussion List'" <bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 May 2014 19:05:22 +0100
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From: gw-news@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:gw-news@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 01 May 2014 19:00
To: gw-news@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Ai Squared and GW Micro Join Forces - Assistive Technology Leaders
Merge to Expand Opportunities for Computer Users Who Are Blind or Visually
Impaired
Manchester, Vermont and Fort Wayne, Indiana (May 1, 2014) - Ai Squared
<http://www.aisquared.com> , the maker of ZoomText and sitecues
<http://www.sitecues.com> ; and GW Micro <http://www.gwmicro.com> , the creator
of Window-Eyes, have merged into one company. With this merger, the companies
will combine their talents to better assist computer users who are blind or
visually impaired.
ZoomText is the world's number one screen magnifier and text-to-speech software
package that allows people who are visually impaired to use a computer with
ease. Window-Eyes is a popular screen reader that enables people who are blind
to be fully independent on the computer by translating visual information into
speech and/or Braille.
"Our mission is to provide a full family of computer accessibility solutions
for users who are low vision or blind, whether they access digital information
via their desktop, the web or their mobile device," said David Wu, CEO of Ai
Squared. "Earlier this year, we commercially launched sitecues, a product which
enables website owners to build accessibility tools right into their websites.
Today's merger with GW Micro rounds out our mantra of 'We've got accessibility
covered' - with our combined forces, we can now deliver an even wider range of
computer access solutions."
The need for assistive technology continues to grow. According to the World
Health Organization, over 285 million people in the world are considered
visually impaired; 39 million of those are blind, and 246 million have moderate
to severe visual impairments. "The merger of Ai Squared and GW Micro brings
together two companies that offer great solutions for the millions of Microsoft
customers around the world who are blind or visually impaired," said Rob
Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft.
"We are also delighted that Ai Squared will continue to develop and support the
Window-Eyes for Office Offer as many of our customers rely on this screen
reading solution to enable access to Windows, Office and other Microsoft
products," Sinclair said.
Dan Weirich, Co-founder of GW Micro and now Vice President at Ai Squared, said
he is thrilled to incorporate Window-Eyes into the Ai Squared product family.
“It’s a natural fit,” Weirich said. “Combining our companies will strengthen Ai
Squared’s global presence in the assistive technology industry, allowing us to
serve even more customers.”
Weirich noted that many customers using web and computer accessibility tools
inevitably progress further along the visual impairment spectrum during their
lifetime. As a result, they will require more advanced assistive technology as
their needs change. With the merger, Ai Squared will be in a better position to
assist those customers, developing products that provide a seamless transition
and user experience as customers adapt to their changing vision.
Ai Squared will continue to offer Window-Eyes and its related products as they
were previously offered by GW Micro. In addition, a free and fully featured
version of Window-Eyes will continue to be available via the Window-Eyes Offer
for Users of Microsoft Office as part of the recently announced partnership
with Microsoft and GW Micro. The GW Micro team will remain in Indiana as part
of the Ai Squared team, which is headquartered in Vermont.
About Ai Squared: Ai Squared (www.aisquared.com <http://www.aisquared.com> )
has been the worldwide leader in assistive technology solutions for people who
are visually impaired for over 20 years. The product line is available in over
20 languages and sold in 45 countries through a network of over 350 global
distributors. Ai Squared's screen magnification and screen-reading products
dramatically improve a computer's usability and friendliness for users who are
blind or low vision, raising their level of productivity, satisfaction, and
independence. The family of Ai Squared products includes ZoomText, ZoomText
Large-Print Keyboard, ZoomText ImageReader, ZoomText Mac, Window-Eyes,
sitecues, the ZoomReader iOS app, and the ZoomContacts iPad app.
About GW Micro: GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com <http://www.gwmicro.com> ) has
been a trusted pioneer in the assistive technology industry since 1990; it has
led with innovative, customer-driven solutions, and the GW Micro team has
always been proud of its description as the Voice of Vision.
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