As we approach Microsoft’s Ability Summit 2025, we’re highlighting the transformative power of Azure AI in creating a more inclusive and accessible world. The goal isn’t simply to remove obstacles; it’s about building a digital landscape where every individual can thrive.
When my wife and I welcomed our first child, my perspective shifted. Simple tasks, like navigating our neighborhood with a stroller, revealed how much I had previously overlooked. Sidewalks that abruptly ended, intersections lacking curb cuts, and pathways that were technically passable but not designed for wheels became glaring issues. This wasn’t merely an inconvenience; it sparked reflections on the experiences of my elderly grandmother, who relied on a walker, and my parents, who are currently active but may face mobility challenges in the future. This experience highlighted how fundamental infrastructure is to individual experiences.
However, physical mobility is only part of the equation. The digital realm presents similar barriers. Websites that are incompatible with screen readers, captions that lag behind spoken words, and AI models that struggle to understand diverse voices create real limitations for millions. These obstacles, though often unseen by many, significantly curtail the experiences of countless individuals. Just as curb cuts make sidewalks accessible to a wider range of people, digital accessibility promotes progress across many applications. That’s where Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI Service, and innovations in multimodal AI and Responsible AI (RAI) come in—helping organizations cut those digital curbs.
At the Microsoft Ability Summit 2025, we encourage everyone to explore how AI can drive greater inclusion in their products and services. The aim is not just to eliminate hurdles but to design a digital world where every person can participate fully. Here are some real-world examples:
Real-world impact: How Azure AI is cutting digital curbs
The evolution of digital accessibility predates generative AI. Microsoft has been creating inclusive technologies for decades. From early screen readers to speech-to-text innovations, AI has played a crucial role in expanding digital access. Now, we’re expanding on that even further.
Bridging the mental health gap with AI-powered conversations
Technology: Azure AI
Mental health support is in high demand worldwide. In Kenya, for example, there are approximately 100 psychiatrists for a population of 50 million. Financial and cultural barriers often discourage people from seeking professional help. The Kenya Red Cross sought to address this gap using AI-powered chatbots through the Azure AI platform.
In collaboration with Pathways Technologies, they developed Chat Care, an AI-based mental health assistant that offers guidance, emotional support, and referrals, all in English and Swahili. This is more than just a chatbot; it represents a lifeline for people who might otherwise suffer in silence. Chat Care allows users to privately discuss their mental health in a low-pressure, anonymous environment, reducing stigma and providing accessible resources twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It gives suggestions for breathing exercises, gratitude practices, and in-person services, all tailored to the user’s responses. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or cannot speak on the phone, Chat Care offers text-based support, making mental health resources available to everyone, irrespective of their circumstance.
Improving AI speech recognition for non-standard speech
Technology: Azure AI Speech x UIUC Partnership
Voice recognition technology often struggles to understand people with non-standard speech patterns. This limitation makes it harder for individuals with conditions like cerebral palsy or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to interact with AI-powered experiences. To address this, Microsoft partnered with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and other tech leaders to build the Speech Accessibility Project—a research initiative to train AI models to recognize diverse speech patterns. By integrating this breakthrough into Azure AI Speech, Microsoft is ensuring that AI voice technology works for everyone, enhancing digital experiences across industries.
Making AI more accessible from the ground up
Technology: Azure AI Foundry
With Azure AI Foundry, Microsoft has integrated accessibility into the AI development lifecycle itself. In partnership with EY, the Azure AI Foundry now empowers neurodivergent customers, and focuses on improved usability, reducing cognitive overload and improving navigation for all people. In 2024, Azure AI Foundry achieved a significant usability milestone, reflecting feedback from individuals with disabilities that improved the platform, including:
- Grouping notifications and deployment errors to reduce cognitive overload.
- Ensuring screen readers provide structured, easy-to-follow AI workflows.
- Enhancing keyboard navigation for users of shortcuts over mouse input.
This underscores the importance of accessibility in building better, more intuitive technology for everyone.
Making accessible AI work for agents
Technology: Computer-Using Agent (CUA)
Microsoft’s Computer-Using Agent (CUA) in Azure AI Foundry enables AI-powered automation of digital interactions, enhancing software accessibility for individuals with limited mobility or dexterity. By allowing CUA to navigate interfaces, fulfill multi-step tasks, and execute actions via natural language commands, it reduces reliance on standard keyboard and mouse inputs. This innovation enhances digital accessibility, thereby empowering people using assistive technology. CUA’s dynamic interpretation of UI elements simplifies navigation within applications and workflows.
Hope, action, and moving forward together with Azure AI
There are days when progress feels slow, when improving accessibility—whether physical or digital—seems to take too long. But reflecting on something as simple as the sidewalks at my cross streets reminds me that action matters.
Not long ago, those sidewalks were completely inaccessible. But after making a call, filing a report, and advocating for change, those sidewalks finally got curb cuts just in time for the birth of our second child. It was a small fix in the grand scheme of things, but it made a real difference. The truth is, sometimes it just takes someone noticing the problem and taking action.
I recognize that I say that from a place of privilege—I had the time, the resources, and the ability to advocate for that change. Many people don’t. That’s why it’s so crucial to build accessibility into our systems from the start so that nobody has to struggle for basic access. With Azure AI Foundry, organizations can now scale accessibility rapidly, making the digital world more navigable, usable, and welcoming to everyone. The building of curb cuts is underway—and the future of accessibility is wide open.
Join us at Ability Summit 2025
As we celebrate innovation at Microsoft’s Ability Summit 2025, we invite you to explore how AI can enhance accessibility in your products and services. The future isn’t just about removing barriers—it’s about building a world where everyone moves forward together.
