Microsoft’s Upgrade Your World

Upgrade Your World resulted from Microsoft’s position that technology can be a strong force to drive impact, and that through technology, nonprofits have the ability to increase productivity, boost effectiveness through communication and better collaboration, and extend services to communities and individuals in need. The year-long initiative celebrated those who inspire and empower others, helping people achieve more through technology and in celebration of the Windows 10 launch. Participating nonprofit organizations continued their work to address important issues like maternal health in remote communities, to provide assistive technology, to connect HIV advocates and much more.

As part of the Upgrade Your World initiative, Microsoft and Special Olympics International also teamed up, providing new tools and technologies to enable athletes to train harder, track performance, share successes and receive encouragement with every step they take. Integrating technology into Special Olympics’ operations has transformed the way athletes celebrate results. As Special Olympics’ Official Technology Partner, Microsoft provided more than 2,000 devices for the 2015 Summer World Games in Los Angeles, and supported the development of the Games Management System (GMS) to, for the first time at a major event, track athletes’ personal bests in real time. With Windows 10 Upgrade Your World support, Special Olympics also created Play Unified experiences across the United States, joining those with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team to inspire understanding and beat intolerance.