Advancing Accessibility with Partnership: The Nonprofit Tech Accelerator

What role does technology play in supporting disability organizations? In November 2022, Microsoft launched the Accessibility Nonprofit Tech Accelerator aiming to advance the work of nonprofits by providing technology and funding to accelerate the missions of these organizations. During the program, we are exploring the ways that technology can support an organization’s digital capacity and increase the impact of their programs. We are thrilled to announce the grantees for the 2023 Nonprofit Tech Accelerator grant program.

Technology

Technology is at the core of what we do and instrumental in closing the disability divide. These partnerships will spur the development of accessible technology in the market and provide organizations with access to technology that supports their mission.

• Access to Success supports the development of future leaders with disabilities and accessible technology. They founded ATS Labs, Canada’s first accelerator for tech startups that focus on accessibility, aging, and mental health. Through the nonprofit tech accelerator, the organization is creating the first-ever global database to help accessibility entrepreneurs find mission-aligned funders. Learn more about the Accessibility Investors Database (AID).

"The AID project has the potential to democratize access to funding for accessibility entrepreneurs and speed up innovation. We are grateful for Microsoft's support for this initiative!" - Varun Chandak , Founder and President, Access to Success

• African Health Innovation Centre in partnership with Ghana National Association of the Deaf works to improve health outcomes in Africa through innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology. The Tech for Independent Communication project aims to create an accessible video-based survey system for collating feedback from Deaf students in Ghana. Learn more about the project at inABLE’s annual Inclusive Africa Conference, register for free today.

People

Disability nonprofits are at the forefront of workforce inclusion and job skilling—providing critical services that empower people with disabilities. In partnership with organizations focused on grassroots initiatives for and with people with disabilities, we are exploring technology solutions that enable staff to work more efficiently in the communities they serve.  

• Regional Access & Mobilization Project, Inc (RAMP) provides advocacy, education, and support services to people with disabilities in Illinois. The onRAMP Curriculum & Training project is focused on streamlining their organization’s education and community training materials leveraging the Microsoft Community Training platform.
• Neil Squire uses technology, knowledge, and passion to empower Canadians with disabilities. Their work is focused on four distinct areas: Innovation, Digital Literacy, Employment, and Assistive Technology. The Business Platform Technology Modernization project will modernize the organization’s data systems starting their digital transformation efforts with Fundraising and Engagement to streamline their donor processes.
• A Global Voice for Autism equips refugee and conflict-affected communities to support and include children and adults with autism. The IncludeMe Workforce Participation Training project is training modules built on Microsoft Community Training that supports people with autism entering the workforce as well as awareness modules for community allies.
• The British Association of Supported Employment (BASE) is a members charity that represents approximately 300 Supported Employment organisations, who support disabled, neurodivergent and disadvantaged people to find and maintain quality careers, in partnership with employers, service providers, and government agencies to promote inclusive hiring practices. The organization is leveraging Microsoft Community Training and Teams to develop a robust learning platform for the supported employment sector.

Policy

Microsoft believes accessibility is a fundamental right. We’re partnering with organizations that share our mission to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities through local and national policy initiatives.

• National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) protects and advocates for the rights of people with disabilities in the United States. The Aggregating National Disability Rights Data to Inform Advocacy Practices and Policies project collects and analyzes data on disability rights to inform local and national policy and advocacy initiatives.

“As a recipient of Microsoft’s NTA Grant, we are proud to join with them to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day. With Microsoft’s support, we are investing in new technologies to better track data related to our disability equity, rights, and justice work. This more comprehensive and informed summary of trends around disability inequities and disability rights challenges will be used to better facilitate disability rights advocacy on a national level”. – Marlene Sallo , Executive Director, National Disability Rights Network

• New Disabled South is the nation's first regional disability justice and disability rights organization. The Plain Language Policy Dashboard simplifies complex policy to make understanding bills and policy issues at the local and state level easier. The team is exploring how AI can be used to streamline conversion to plain language and plans to expand on the topics covered in the dashboard, making it the go-to tool for people looking to understand policy, laws, and other issues that affect the disabled community.

Nonprofits are key partners to bridge the disability divide as evidenced by their impact in local communities today. Microsoft Accessibility Nonprofit Tech Accelerator’s mission is to equip organizations with modern technology to accelerate their mission further. We believe that by working together, we can create a more inclusive world for people with disabilities. We invite you to join us in celebrating these organizations as we look ahead to sharing more from the 2023 cohort this Fall.

If you are a disability organization who would like to learn more about nonprofit offerings, we invite you to visit the Accessibility Nonprofit Resource Hub and watch the Microsoft Accessibility for Nonprofits Webinar. To contact the Accessibility Nonprofit Tech Accelerator team, email AccessibilityNTA@Microsoft.com.  

Additional Resources:

• Disability Answer Desk Support
• Technology and software grants and discounts for nonprofits
• Accessibility Resources & Training
• Microsoft Community Training
• Donor Engagement and Fundraising Platform | Microsoft for Nonprofits

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