Among the new features are updates to Magnifier which helps users with visual impairments.  Users can also expect changes to the Narrator feature which can read back the actions that are happening on screen, thus helping those with visual impairments. The company said it is redesigning Narrator to respond faster to movement on the screen, support more languages, and read more controls.  The company says that it will also be doing what it can to improve speech recognition which will not only help those with visual and hearing impairments but those with manual dexterity deficits in their upper extremities.  As a a quadriplegic I find this feature most helpful and hope that Microsoft engineers are able to bring the feature online as son as possible.

The president praised the advocates for speaking up last summer during a series of tough budget talks about the importance of Medicaid and said that continued advocacy of that kind is needed.  “I want you all to know that I’m going to keep fighting everyday for an America which lives up to our most basic values, not just for some, but for us all. But I need your help,” Obama told the advocates.  “I’ve got your back and I’m looking forward to working with you for many years to come,” he said.

Let us hope that those words prove true moving forward and are not simply campaign era slogans designed to evoke a state of emotional glee without any substantive reward.

In addition to the tax preparation services offered by the MyFreeTaxes program partners, taxpayers will also have access to eligibility information about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as well as SNAP and WIC benefits. Consumers can also calculate their EITC benefits via mobile device by visiting: http://bit.ly/mytaxbackapp .   To find local sites by city and state, taxpayers can dial 2-1-1.