MARY MELTON: That’s Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsoft’s chief accessibility officer since 2016. Jenny misplaced her listening to fully as an grownup. Since then, she has been on a mission to make life simpler for individuals with disabilities. She and her group have rolled out options just like the adaptive Xbox controller for avid gamers with restricted skill and dwell captioning on Microsoft Groups. On this episode, Jenny shares with us her private story, why accessibility issues to everybody, what enterprise leaders can do to empower their groups, and the way AI would possibly assist alongside the way in which. Right here’s my dialog with Jenny.
MARY MELTON: Hello, Jenny. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us immediately on WorkLab.
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Thanks for having me.
MARY MELTON: Are you able to inform us about your story as an individual with disabilities?
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: So sure, I dwell with disabilities. There’s a journey of incapacity id that all of us undergo, and I went by mine as an individual with declining listening to, getting a music diploma, after which going into IT, and I didn’t have that sense of empowerment with my incapacity. And so I discovered in a short time it was simpler on the time to cover it and never ask for what I wanted to achieve success, and bluntly realized that that was the laborious path. After I got here to Microsoft, I took the better path, which was seeing my incapacity for what it’s—part of my human—and asking for what I wanted to achieve success. So I’ve undoubtedly discovered rather a lot over time and have a variety of empathy for individuals, regardless of the place they’re on that journey. Most individuals with disabilities come to this gig by accident, harm, and sickness. Most should not born with, about 5 % are born with. It’s one heck of a experience. However I’m very happy with who I’m, together with my disabilities. And I’m happy with utilizing the phrase. I’m a deaf, disabled lady, and I’m additionally a mother, a spouse, a canine mother, a stepmom. And I work in company America.
MARY MELTON: Properly, the numbers are fairly excessive, Jenny, and I truly take a look at the statistics: greater than 1 billion individuals dwell with disabilities. So we’re taking a look at one in eight individuals on the planet reside with some form of incapacity, and 70 % of these should not instantly obvious.
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: The numbers and the metrics that all of us lean on is that 1 billion, which got here from the World Well being Group in 2010. And right here’s the realism: We’ve simply gone by a mass disabling occasion. A pandemic is such. We additionally noticed as a consequence—and this was occurring earlier than the pandemic, not to mention throughout and after—sure areas bluntly exponentially rising. Psychological well being being a kind of. And so understanding that true metric, I feel we’re going to be taught rather a lot in years and many years to come back. And I sit up for studying from the scientists in entrance of it.
MARY MELTON: Yeah, I really feel like even the dialog round this has opened up tremendously. One of many workplaces I work with, there’s a channel now that’s dedicated to neurodiversity. I’m the mother of a neurodiverse son, and it actually heartens me to consider how this dialog goes to vary generationally, however the way it’s altering proper now, that that is one thing that’s extra overtly mentioned in workplaces.
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Properly, I really like listening to that you’ve got the neurodiversity channel. I feel these communities are important. There’s one thing very highly effective about bringing collectively individuals to speak about their expertise, to be taught from others, to get finest practices, to share when issues aren’t going proper. I lean on the neighborhood for that collective wealth and assist. It’s been instrumental to my journey, however I feel extra importantly, it’s been instrumental to a variety of members in our incapacity neighborhood. And I feel in the event you spoke to any firm, massive or small, understanding somebody that has related experiences, notably staff with disabilities, but additionally carers and fogeys and ensuring they’ve the best communities to coalesce in as effectively is significant. And I truly assume as we went into the pandemic, these communities grew to become important.
MARY MELTON: Yeah, completely. Broadly talking, once we discuss accessibility at work, what are we speaking about actually? Is it neurodiversity packages? Is it guaranteeing that elevators and ramps are on every flooring, which can be, at this level, primary? Is it about making lodging or having particular instruments and tools in place? Is all of it of these issues?
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Sure. Accessibility will not be one factor. What we’re studying is that, as people, we don’t are available singular, beautiful packages. You take a look at what a person might have in a office, and it varies. Accessibility is the means, whether or not it’s bodily, digital, or a mix of, not to mention finest apply language, etiquette—all of it goes to create a piece surroundings the place any particular person will be profitable and unlock expertise and functionality that may enable you as an organization ship extra. That could be a ramp, in its easiest kind. That’s ensuring that you’ve got captioning on a video on this podcast. It’s ensuring that you’ve got information of what language to make use of. So that you’re listening fastidiously to that particular person, how they wish to be referred to, and also you’re asking questions the place applicable. All of that and the above, in order that we will empower inclusion, fairness—the entire beautiful issues that we should always have as people.
MARY MELTON: What do you assume continues to be misunderstood by enterprise leaders about individuals with disabilities within the office?
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: There’s some widespread misconceptions that I hear every single day, each week. I had somebody say this to me this week: Properly, I don’t have any disabled individuals in my firm. You completely do. It’s whether or not or not they really really feel protected sufficient to determine to you as such. And one, simply transient, illustration of that, after I had the wonderful alternative to rent my group seven years in the past, I knew that I had 50 % incapacity based mostly on what individuals had advised me by interview course of. A yr later, that quantity was 95. And that’s by making a dialog. One other widespread false impression is that “I’m certain it’s accessible.” In case you don’t know if it’s accessible, it’s not. Don’t make these presumptions. There are some very fast and simple issues you are able to do to validate that, and don’t assume that is laborious. There are instruments and plenty and plenty of wonderful individuals on the market to assist. Presumption will be your worst enemy right here. Examine the specialists. That’s the place individuals with disabilities will be an unimaginable asset to your organization. , typically I’ll shoot emails like, Hey, does this give you the results you want? And I’m simply ensuring it’s good. So there’s a number of others, however I feel it’s all the time—test your bias.
MARY MELTON: So are you seeing enterprise leaders’ openness to this dialog or realization that they should make modifications within the office?
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Properly, one, you understand, simply to acknowledge, we’re nonetheless studying. So, one, I feel now we have to remind ourselves of that each single day, as a result of accessibility is transferring very quick proper now. The wealth of alternative, notably as we take a look at AI and this generative AI chapter we’re in, is thrilling. So, you understand, I don’t assume we’ve even captured an oz. of that. If I look exterior, and chatting with the wonderful of us I do know in firms, not simply right here within the States however in Europe and Australia and past, sure, I’m seeing it mature. I’m seeing way more funding occurring. Recognizing that incapacity inclusion should be within the variety spectrum, and in addition recognizing that accessibility is a core elementary proper. I’m seeing that. However I’ll say that there’s way more must speed up it. I don’t assume we’re maintaining with the charges of incapacity in any respect.
MARY MELTON: Previously, you’ve mentioned one thing about being conscious of the ROI lure, which is enterprise leaders eager to justify the price of an accessible product that possibly they assume will solely work for a small fraction of its buyer base or of its workforce. And I’d love so that you can speak a little bit bit extra about that lure and assist us body up why inclusive design is a win actually for everybody.
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Yeah, I take advantage of the phrase “ROI lure,” and my intent with utilizing that was to explain a scenario that I’ve seen play out a number of instances, the place accessibility has been linked to a incapacity demographic, however then used to de-prioritize funding. And so if you’re seeking to put money into a characteristic that may empower somebody who’s blind and then you definitely go and take a look at the demographics for any given nation, and there’s heaps which might be out there, and also you come again and—I’m making up these numbers, however—you discover out that in your explicit space there are one level one thing % of the inhabitants that may profit from this explicit gig. Properly, there’s two methods of taking a look at that quantity. A method is saying, Nice, that’s superior, I’m going to get 1 %. And truly, if I make investments on this characteristic, possibly it’s going to develop functionality that may truly empower a wider section of human. And we see that point over time, by the way in which. Seeing AI is an efficient instance of that, the place you possibly can take an image of some textual content and you may get it learn out loud to you, after which truly we discovered that neurodiverse discover that extremely helpful. So as an alternative of it being 1 %, it all of a sudden turns into an extra %. And then you definitely discover, oh my gosh, truly it’s good to get issues learn out to me in audio in a darkened room or in a restaurant. Who wouldn’t need this? And all of a sudden it’s not 10 %, it’s 50 %. And that, bluntly, is the ability of accessibility. You simply take into consideration speaking books had been designed for the blind. However my husband lies subsequent to me, listening to his books as I’m studying mine. That’s the optimistic use. The unfavorable use is the place that quantity, 1 %, is like, oh, not value it, let’s go. That in itself is a little bit of a lure since you’re lacking out on all of that potential upside and also you’re not doing that extrapolation of how an innovation, and designing for a characteristic for an individual, might even have extra profound impacts past the group that you simply’re designing for.
MARY MELTON: That’s such an effective way to consider it. What are another first steps for somebody who’s simply considering, Properly, the place do I, the place do I even begin? Is it beginning on the hiring degree? Is it assessing present staff? The place do you advocate for leaders to go to first?
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: We, like many firms, have revealed coaching on accessibility and incapacity etiquette. Each Microsoft worker has to take necessary coaching on accessibility once they be part of the corporate. And why will we try this? We try this as a result of we wish to uplevel the dialog as individuals are available, and create that widespread floor the place individuals can discuss incapacity they usually really feel assured and protected in doing so. After which we train individuals among the instruments. Know that accessibility is in each single factor that you’ve got, and play with the options that there are. And I’ll let you know, that we wrap right into a 20-minute digital on-line coaching that’s simply on demand. However simply 20 minutes to get going. I’m fairly certain everybody can try this.
MARY MELTON: That’s such an important thought, and it’s such a easy factor to ask, particularly for while you’re assembly others for the primary time, which occurs rather a lot in conferences. Stepping away from a enterprise context shortly, what are you able to inform us in regards to the work your group has achieved to make gaming extra inclusive?
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Properly, the very first thing to state is that this isn’t me. That is the village of parents which might be engaged on accessibility in each single a part of Microsoft, and there are lots of companions and plenty of friends. So the objective is that know-how is straightforward to seek out, simple to make use of. It’s inexpensive, it’s discoverable, and it empowers you proper the place you might be. So in Home windows, one of many enjoyable issues with Home windows 11 was we had been in a position to put all of accessibility within the backside proper of your display. It’s proper there. My favourite is dwell captions, which was a characteristic that was designed by Swetha [Machanavajhala], who’s one in all our deaf engineers, and I can simply flip it on. I can filter profanity, which issues. A deaf particular person shouldn’t have issues filtered out for them until they want it, and I don’t must have Wi-Fi connectivity, it may be offline as effectively. Easy issues like which might be simply extremely necessary. And then you definitely transfer to Workplace, the place you’ve received options inbuilt—Dictate and the brand new one, which is Accessibility Assistant, which signifies that as you’re constructing your Phrase doc, your PowerPoint, it’s going to information you on easy methods to make that accessible: counsel the colours that work; counsel the image descriptions and the choice textual content, which is significant for the blind; enable you with captions. I need you to have the ability to stroll within the room, having run the accessibility checker and utilizing the assistant, you run your PowerPoint, and regardless of whether or not you understand if somebody in that room is disabled or not, you understand it’s going to be an inclusive assembly. I might nonetheless counsel you ask, does anybody want something? Actually necessary at first. However know-how may also help you to do this. However I’ve received an actual massive candy spot for gaming, so I really like what gaming is doing and I’m actually happy with that group and what they do every single day, from the adaptive controller to options that even do stunning issues like assist handle triggers for psychological well being. I’ve received to like even a flippant one, however I hate spiders with a ardour. I can now get warnings when there are specific issues. And that’s, you understand, very minor, however a few of these are actually necessary. I nonetheless need to have the ability to play a few of these grotesque video games, however you may not be a fan of among the impacts of them. You will get set off warnings. It’s digging into the wants of avid gamers on the market, that psychological well being is a giant one.
MARY MELTON: One I had not thought-about earlier than researching this was how the Blur background, that’s one thing that I feel lots of people use as a result of they’re actually embarrassed as a result of their desk is a multitude, proper? Or who is aware of what’s happening behind them. However one thing that may be actually useful is for individuals who have hassle with visible distractions.
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Background on Blur was once more a deaf engineer attempting to determine easy methods to make it simpler to observe lip studying. That was truly the unique state of affairs, and actually what they did was cut back the entire thing so you could possibly solely see the face. And one demo, which by the way in which, was in a short time, we moved on from, was solely seeing the mouth. That was the unique state of affairs. Then in take a look at, you discover out, oh my gosh, that is nice for ADD, that is nice for autism, that is nice for neurodiversity. And once more, it was a lovely instance of the place the implications had been that it helps everybody.
MARY MELTON: I’m excited by what you mentioned on the Microsoft Capacity Summit, while you spoke about AI and mentioned that it has the potential to be a recreation changer. There’s been large breakthroughs in latest months. For individuals with disabilities, what do you see because the potential there? I imply, I alluded earlier, I’ve a son who has autism, and I’m occupied with, you understand, he’s launching into faculty and occupied with, how totally different is that this street going to be for him with the arrival of AI and alternatives that come up?
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: I see huge potential with AI. However we additionally should ensure that we’re doing it in a grounded means, ensuring that the information that we lean on to energy AI is incapacity consultant. It consists of footage and pictures that matter to individuals with disabilities, whether or not that’s photos of canes, listening to aids, wheelchairs. It’s received to be in there with the intention to be taught from it and you’ll present clever outcomes. And then you definitely’ve additionally received to ensure that any software that leans on AI can also be accessible as we undergo this highly regarded and quick innovation curve, which goes to proceed. If we take a look at generative AI. So the partnership that now we have with OpenAI, and the way we’re pulling that into Azure at Microsoft, and what does that imply for disabled communities? I feel what we all know immediately might be tip of the iceberg to what we’ll know in six, not to mention 12, months from now. Simply take a look at the potential of Copilot as a principal. This isn’t doing it for you, that is working with you to make it faster and simpler to jot down a doc, offer you a top level view that then you possibly can edit, you possibly can personalize, you may make your individual. That’s received profound implications. I even have an autistic kiddo, and we’ve been simply taking part in with it to see the way it might assist with a few of her research. And I imply, one, she’s had wild enjoyable with it, creating poems within the type of Dr. Seuss, however it’s additionally helped her to construction her ideas. However I feel the opposite profound one we’re studying from is Be My Eyes, which is a partnership with OpenAI and a small, wonderful firm that gives a free app to blind-low imaginative and prescient, the place you name a sighted volunteer that can assist you discover issues, or with a activity. So, hey, are you able to assist me discover my keys? And that volunteer then may also help you visually. Properly, they added GPT-4 in there, and as an alternative of calling, take an image, and it’s shortly figuring out the place these keys are, with out the necessity to make a name. I feel on the core of it, this AI, if achieved proper and if we’re accountable, it might probably assist save time, it might probably empower duties, it might probably empower independence, and achieve this in a fast, inexpensive means. However once more, we’re studying, we’re studying sizzling and we’re studying quick.
MARY MELTON: How do you see it rising productiveness?
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Properly I’m seeing it already. To be blunt, I’ve all the time used Bing. I used to be a part of the unique Bing group many, a few years in the past earlier than I flipped into accessibility. And I’m typically researching what’s occurring on the planet on various things. Bing has grow to be my sidekick in determining a few of that. It’s saving me hours of time. And usually, if you concentrate on that course of, I might be opening up totally different tabs, I might be looking out, I might be clicking by to these URLs. I’d be in search of the related bits on the pages. I’d be copying and pasting these right into a Phrase doc or Notepad or one thing so I might put them right into a PowerPoint or I might put them into some speaking or an electronic mail that I might ship to my group. Take into consideration the variety of clicks that’s. Now take into consideration that state of affairs from a pair members of my group who’ve muscular dystrophy, the place these clicks take extra time utilizing assistive know-how that empowers them every single day. Out of the blue you’ve gotten an equalizer, the place we’re each going to 1 web page, placing in the identical search gig. It turns into a recreation changer, and you’ve got this compounding impact of it saving time throughout. So we have to maintain exploring that state of affairs. We have to maintain pushing that ahead.
MARY MELTON: Properly, thanks a lot, Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft. This was an exquisite dialog—you gave us rather a lot to consider and rather a lot to be eager for.
JENNY LAY-FLURRIE: Thanks for the time.
MARY MELTON: Thanks once more to Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft. And that’s it for this episode of WorkLab, the podcast from Microsoft. Please subscribe and test again for the following episode, the place we can be speaking with Jared Spataro, who heads up trendy work and enterprise functions at Microsoft. In case you’ve received a query you’d wish to pose to leaders, drop us an electronic mail at worklab@microsoft.com, and take a look at the WorkLab digital publication, the place you’ll discover transcripts of all of our episodes, together with considerate tales that discover the way in which we work immediately. Yow will discover all of it at Microsoft.com/WorkLab. As for this podcast, please charge us, evaluate, and observe us wherever you hear. It helps us out rather a lot. The WorkLab podcast is a spot for specialists to share their insights and opinions. As college students of the way forward for work, Microsoft values inputs from a various set of voices. That mentioned, the opinions and findings of our friends are their very own, they usually could not essentially mirror Microsoft’s personal analysis or positions. WorkLab is produced by Microsoft with Godfrey Dadich Companions and Affordable Quantity. I’m your host, Mary Melton, and my co-host is Elise Hu. Sharon Kallander and Matthew Duncan produce this podcast. Jessica Voelker is the WorkLab editor. Thanks a lot for listening.
