There are more than 37 million people with physical disabilities in Europe, according to a recent report of the European Disability Forum, which found across the continent "a serious lack of understanding of what disability means and how many people it affects."
To help counter the problem, Microsoft -- long a leader in developing accessible technology -- has joined nine other major corporations in sponsoring the 2003 European Year of People with Disabilities (EYPD), the largest disability-awareness campaign in Europe to date.
"Microsoft's corporate policy is very clear," explains Doug Kendall, a program manager with Microsoft's Accessible Technology Group. "As a leader in the software industry, we recognize our responsibility to develop products and information technology that will be accessible and usable by all people, including people with disabilities. Sponsoring the EYPD gives us an opportunity to demonstrate our support for people with disabilities throughout Europe."
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