I wasn't implying Windows never had an Accessibility API. However, it took Microsoft until around 2010 until they actually added their own built-in screen read

I wasn't implying Windows never had an Accessibility API. However, it took Microsoft until around 2010 until they actually added their own built-in screen reader, Narrator. Before that, the API was there, but if you wanted a capable screen reader, chances were high that you would pay a relatively high price for it. These days, Narrator is even almost useable, although I dont know any blind users who actually use it on a daily basis.