Source: IBM-HPR Mailing List

IBM has a long record of investing in innovation for accessibility, including pioneering work on one of the world's fist screen reader programs for PCs in the 1980s and the development of Home Page Reader in the 1990s to enable reading by blind and low vision users of a then relatively new and not easily accessible information medium: the World Wide Web.

While IBM does not have plans for any further updates of HPR, we will continue to invest strongly in innovation for accessibility, and we arefully committed to continuing to advance the state-of-the-art. One example of this is an exciting development in the world of open computing: IBM is contributing code and expertise to the development of a screen reader for Linux. Other examples include our work to develop accessible features and functions in the Firefox browser, and our partnership with the University of Illinois to develop Firefox accessibility extensions.

IBM recognizes and applauds the tremendous innovation that is continuously taking place in the market for assistive technologies and we support those vendors and business partners that bring world-class capabilities to market. In fact, we often use their offerings as part of our solutions to create value for IBM clients in business and information technology engagements throughout the world.

To this end, we encourage you to continue to visit our Web site at ibm.com/able to receive the latest information on innovative accessible
solutions from IBM and the IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center.

Accessibility Project Office apoffice@us.ibm.com