For PC's, go to the accessibility options control panel, go to keyboard,
select filter keys, select the filter option "Ignore quick keystrokes and
slow down repeat rate. Then, in the Settings, you can turn off the
keyboard repeat. There are also options for allowing it if the key is held
down for a specified period of time.
For Mac's (at least pre-System X) there is a control panel called "easy
Access" which has a similar function available. It may not be installed on
the computer, in which case you can find it on the system CD if you search
for "Universal Access."
Barb Stoner
<[log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask]
.OR.US> cc:
Sent by: "* EASI: Subject: Re: Light touch keyboards
Equal Access to
Software &
Information"
<[log in to unmask]
JOHNS.EDU>
10/24/01 02:38 PM
Please respond to
"* EASI: Equal
Access to Software
& Information"
Dear Listservers,
I have recently come across a nearly opposite situation in which a
student with tremors often has repeating keys. Is there software one
can install that will allow the person one letter per keystroke?
I remember something called "StickyKey", but I was not able to find any
information on line, nor could I remember other details. Is anyone
familiar with any software, or keyboard adjustments that would address
this?
Thanks,
Barb Stoner
Barbara Stoner
Disability Services
[log in to unmask]
>>> [log in to unmask] 10/24/01 01:45PM >>>
Terry,
I've had to use very light-touch keyboards for years. Whether or not
someone uses voice recognition, it can be important to have a keyboard
with
an appropriate level of touch-sensitivity.
I agree with Denis' comment below that it is necessary for the user to
do
hands-on trials of different models, in the absence of a standard
measurements and reliable information across different keyboard models
on
the pressure required to depress keys, and the pressure of the keys'
return.
However, one significant problem with the user-testing approach for
keyboard softness is the toll it takes on the user doing the testing.
When
I have to get a new keyboard, I know that testing only a few keyboards
will
burn my finger muscles out for the next several days after testing,
but
that I may have to test twenty or more keyboards to find one that is
soft
enough to type on continually. I've also found that very few people
who
don't have muscle weakness can differentiate the softness/stiffness of
keyboards reliably, so it isn't a task that one can easily hand off to
willing friends or colleagues.
Ideally, those of us who need soft keyboards could type on some kind
of
device that would dynamically adjust, with fatigue and pain level
inputs,
and measure the optimum down-stroke and return-stroke pressure; then go
to
a source that provides that data for mainstream and for specialized
keyboards and make a selection; and, if no existing product matched
that,
there would be a few shops who could customize even lighter keyboard
pressure for individual customers.
Comments on some different keyboards follow:
For the past several years, I've been using an external keyboard that
is...
let's see, the model info is not labelled clearly here... I think it
was
sold as a "Windows Coffee Break" (?!) keyboard, model no.: SK2501. (I
never
installed the "coffee break" software that came with the keyboard, but
they
were inexpensive and I did buy several of them, once I'd found
something I
could type on for more than two minutes.)
When traveling I use an old Fujitsu Lifebook 675TX, which also has a
very
soft keyboard, and is now discontinued. My understanding was that the
softness of the keyboard made the model less popular with other
customers.
This is another problem with looking for soft keyboards among
mainstream
hardware; sometimes the softness is a design accident, and not welcomed
by
the general user population, and so the model is changed or
discontinued --
meaning that there is little continuity with soft keyboards that are
available over time.
I've heard of at least one company (a mainstream hardware developer)
which
was interested in learning more about requirements for softer
keyboards,
and re-calibrating some of their keyboards to require less pressure. I
am
not sure of the status of that right now, but I just put in a phone
call to
check, and if it's an ongoing project for them, I'll ask them to post
to
this list.
As with Denis' comment below, I've also found that some of the old Mac
keyboards were soft, but with tremendous variation across product
models.
The compact fold-out keyboards for PDA's may be relatively soft, but I
haven't tested them for long enough to be sure.
One last thought in terms of keyboard softness for now -- those little
sub-notebook Librettos have a fairly light touch. I was going to
re-test
one of those, after my last round of typing on a colleague's Libretto,
which worked relatively well.
Regards,
- Judy
At 12:06 PM 10/24/01 -0700, Richard Jones wrote:
>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o =
>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w =
>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1 =
>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags">
>The best resource for accessible software and hardware is the Closing
the
>Gap. While they do focus on k-12, the hardware and much of the
software
>is the same. No one, and I mean No one, produces as sophisticated
and
>useful a printed catalog on adaptive hardware and software as Closing
the
>Gap. Their on-line database will also provide basic information for
>reviewing products and contacting vendors.
><http://www.closingthegap.com/rd/index.html
>http://www.closingthegap.com/rd/index.html
>
>
>
>Richard R. Jones
>Assistant Director
>Disability Resources for Students
>Arizona State University
>(480) 965-6045
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Denis Anson [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 11:51 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Light touch keyboards
>
>Keyboard touch varies a lot between brands, and between runs within a
>brand. The best thing to do is to take the client down to an office
>supply or computer store, and try out after market keyboards, looking
for
>a light touch one. Make sure the one in the box has the same feel as
the
>one you try, though, because different runs can have different feels.
>
>The best keyboard I ever used was the one on my Apple II+. It had a
very
>light, very smooth feel. Other Apple II+s had horrible keyboards.
Apple
>IIes ranged from OK to horrible. Even IBM has had keyboard lines
that
>were ghastly. Right now, I m typing on a Keytronic keyboard that is
very
>smooth and light. But you have to try them to be sure.
>
>Denis Anson, MS, OTR
>Computer Access Specialist
>College Misericordia
>301 Lake St.
>Dallas, PA 18612
>email: <mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]
>Phone: 570-674-6413
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: * EASI: Equal Access to Software & Information
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Martin, Terry
>Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 4:40 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Light touch keyboards
>
>Does anyone know of a keyboard that has a "light" touch? I had a
person
>send me an e-mail asking me that question today. The keyboard that
she is
>using is very stiff. It is starting to bother her hands. I am going
to
>talk to her about voice recognition as a solution. Thanks.
>_____________________________________________________
>Terry Martin -- President
>VOILA Technology, Inc.
>54 Castle Road
>Rochester, NY 14623
>Phone: (716) 321-1451
>FAX: (716) 334-3971
>Email: <mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]
>URL: <http://www.mainaccess.com>http://www.mainaccess.com
>____________________________________________________
--
Judy Brewer [log in to unmask] +1.617.258.9741
http://www.w3.org/WAI
Director, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C)
MIT/LCS Room NE43-355, 200 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139,
USA
|
