Accessibility

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HP makes great efforts to ensure our products and services are accessible to everyone. This commitment is reflected in our product and website design process, partnerships with assistive technology vendors,¹ commitment to educating employees about the latest accessibility regulations and best practices, and participation in ongoing efforts to update accessibility standards around the world.

Accessibility is important because a significant and growing percentage of the global population is elderly or disabled. For example, more than 20 percent of the population in developed countries is now over 60.² More than 50 percent of working-age computer users in the United States are affected by mild to severe visual, hearing, dexterity, speech or cognitive impairments.³ In the European Union, there are now 69 million people aged 50 years and older who have some degree of disability that needs to be considered in the design of information and communications technology (ICT) products and services. By 2050, there will be 94 million.⁴

For people with disabilities or seniors with age-related limitations, using ICT and the Internet can be challenging. Displays can prove difficult to read for people with impaired vision, while keyboards and mice can pose challenges for people with limited dexterity.

Reflecting these trends, many countries have introduced or are planning accessibility regulations and standards. In Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, parts of Latin America and the United States, government agencies have requirements to purchase accessible ICT and make websites accessible.

	Approach

We integrate accessibility into our HP products and website development process to improve the user experience. This approach benefits HP by helping us meet customer requirements and expanding the potential market for our products and services. In the United States, for example, HP had public sector sales of more than $5.5 billion in 2007, which generally include requirements related to accessibility.

Accessibility features on HP products include buttons identifiable by touch, ports and switches positioned within easy reach, and large adjustable displays. In addition, some customers need specialized assistive technology (AT) devices such as screen magnification or large-print keyboards. HP works with AT vendors to improve the compatibility of HP’s products with these devices.

HP’s Accessibility Program Office facilitates implementation of our Accessibility Policy. We provide training to our customer support, sales, marketing and web development teams. Our Accessibility Toolkit for product designers includes information on requirements and best practices in accessible design.

HP advocates for consistent accessibility standards through our membership in the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), the Accessibility Interoperability Alliance (AIA) and through our participation in the Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC1) Special Working Group on Accessibility (SWG-A).

The U.S. Access Board (a government agency) is updating its standards for electronic and information technology purchased by the federal government. It has sought international collaboration with the European Union, Japan, Canada and Australia, among others. HP is working with the U.S. Access Board to contribute to this ongoing activity.

Case studies detailing our accessibility products and services are available on our Accessibility website.

	Product accessibility

HP documents the accessibility features of products offered to public sector customers through a detailed voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT). In 2007, this included information for 80 percent of applicable HP products (compared with 67 percent in 2006 and 72 percent in 2005).

We partner with more than 50 assistive technology vendors worldwide to ensure compatibility with their specialized products. They receive free membership in our Developer and Solution Partner Program, enabling them to use HP technologies and products and to benefit from technical, sales and marketing support.

Our product design teams are exploring ways to enhance accessibility, productivity and user comfort. For example, our newly announced L1950 19-inch and L1750 17-inch LCD Dual-Hinge Monitors feature a range of height adjustments that enables placement close to the desktop to benefit bifocal, trifocal and progressive lens wearers.

In 2007, we collaborated with Microsoft to incorporate accessibility into Vista software tools and to support the Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers.

We also launched HP photo kiosks, designed to meet American Disability Act requirements.

	Information accessibility

HP’s website (www.hp.com) reflects Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the U.S. Section 508 web accessibility standards. For example, we add alternate text to all images. The National Federation of the Blind in the U.S. recertified HP as an e-business leader for web accessibility in 2007 for the fifth consecutive year.

Individual HP country organizations also address accessibility issues relevant to their markets. For example, in Ireland HP developed a Web Governance Services Team to help customers in areas of accessibility, privacy and security.

¹ Assistive technology vendors develop hardware and software products (i.e., screen reader or screen magnification software) that provide access to information or technology for people with disabilities or age-related limitations.
² World Population Ageing, United Nations, 2007.
³ Based on a research report commissioned by Microsoft Corporation and conducted by Forrester Research, Inc., in 2003. See http://www.microsoft.com/enable/research/workingage.aspx.
⁴ Assessment of the Status of eAccessibility in Europe.