Suzanne Frost

Joni Flowers
EDU 214
9-28-2014
Technology in Special Education
The assistive technology I chose to research was the modified
keyboard. There are four types of alternative, or modified keyboards
available: programmable, chording, miniature, and on-screen. They are all
designed to accommodate a variety of needs. The IntelliKeys USB Assistive
Keyboard, for example, is a programmable adaptive keyboard. Each key can
be customized to how quickly it responds to touch, whether the repeat
feature is on, how quickly the mouse moves, whether to latch the shift and
control key for one finger typists, whether the student must lift off before
another key is pressed, and smart typing; such as punctuation spacing.
IntelliKeys USB comes with several durable overlays that allow students to
interchange for use with Math, Alphabet, Writing, the Web, and more.
The successful use of a computer requires the user to be able to input
information, however, for students with visual, cognitive or motor disabilities
the use of a standard keyboard may prove difficult. The modified keyboard is
designed to benefit such students, allowing them to be able to successfully
use a computer and promote inclusion within the classroom. With the use of

a standard keyboard there may be too many keys or the student may have a
difficult time locating the keys. The keys may be too small, the students
range of motion may be limited, or the standard layout may be too difficult
to remember. The solutions to these problems are available through a
modified keyboard. The modified keyboard can have large, well-spaced keys,
high contrast colors and/or alphabetical arrangement of the keys. The
keyboards can come in different sizes; they can be smaller keyboards to limit
the space fingers have access to or larger keyboards that may even include
picture symbols. The physical act of writing maybe difficult to some students
with physical disabilities, and the use of a modified keyboard may offer a
faster, more feasible option for them.
Some accessories available for modified keyboards include keyguards,
and alternative labels. Keygaurds are thick plastic overlays that fit snuggly
over the keyboard with a hole for each key. Keyguards assist students who
have difficulty striking one key at a time. Alternative labels are pictures,
textured material, or enlarged letters that can be placed over the keyboard
to assist student who have difficulty seeing or remember the letters on the
keyboard. These overlays can also be specified for different subjects such as
writing and math, including large calculators.
Programmable key boards allow for the customization of the keyboard,
repeat rate, sensitivity and keyboard layout. Chording keyboards typically
have fewer keys and work by the user processing combinations. Miniature

keyboards are smaller and require less range of motion from the user, and
on-screen keyboards can be accessed by many different input devices, such
as mouse, touch screen, joystick or touch ball. There is a wide variety of
alternative keyboards making them a viable option for students with
physical, or cognitive disabilities. Use of this kind of technology can
empower students and make them feel empowered and therefore more
confident in their use of computers.
Work Cited
Kincaid, Charles. "Alternative keyboards." Exceptional Parent 29.2 (1999): 34-37.
Tumlin, Jennifer, and Kathryn Wolff Heller. "Using word prediction software to increase typing fluency with
students with physical disabilities." Journal of Special Education Technology 19 (2004): 5-14.

Resources:
Information on IntelliKeys USB retrieved from
http://www.especialneeds.com/intellikeys-usb.html

First page of Article

Alternative Keyboards
MAGAZINE ARTICLEBy Kincaid, Charles

The Exceptional Parent , Vol. 29, No. 2 , February 1999

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Article excerpt

The successful use of a computer requires three things:

* the ability to send information to the computer (input);
* the ability to receive information from the computer (output);
* the ability to understand, or process, the output.
This article discusses some adaptive input options--keyboards and accessories--that allow people
with disabilities to access computers.
Although keyboards are standard equipment on computers, children who are unable to use a
conventional keyboard because of visual, cognitive, or motor disabilities have a variety of
options. Some of the problems that children face in using a standard keyboard include:
* There are too many keys. The child may have difficulty locating the key for the letter or
number he or she wants to press.
* The order of the keys in the standard layout (QWERTY) is difficult for the child to remember.
* The keys are too small so the child presses multiple keys.
* The child's range of motion is limited, making it difficult to reach all the keys.
Solutions for these problems can be combined, and are available through the most common
alternative keyboards such as:
* large, well-spaced keys;
* high contrast colors;
* alphabetical arrangement of the keys;
* frequency-of-use key layout, which places the most frequently used keys (B, S, L, O, T, H, A,
space, E, R, I, N, comma, backspace, period) near the center of the keyboard to facilitate text
entry and reduce fatigue;
* miniature keyboard to reduce the area fingers have to access;
* large keyboard with picture symbols in place of letters;
Low-cost accessories that adapt conventional keyboards for easier use include:
* Keyguards: thick plastic covers that fit snugly over a keyboard and that have holes for each
key. Children who have difficulty striking one key at a time because of unsteady fingers and
those who use pointing devices can use keyguards to avoid striking unwanted keys.

* Keyguards are available from EKEG Electronics Co. Ltd., TASH International, Inc., Don
Johnston Incorporated, and IntelliTools (see Recommended Alternative Keyboard Products grid
for phone numbers).
* Alternative labels: pictures, textured material, or enlarged letters placed over keys to provide
cues for children who have difficulty seeing a keyboard or remembering the letters.
Parents may also find help for their child's special keyboarding needs in the accessibility options
of the computer setup. These include activating the "slow keys;' "sticky keys;' and adjusting the
repeat rate options on the computer's control panel.
Alternative keyboards
You can choose from four types of alternative keyboards with input options based on the size,
layout, and complexity of the keyboard.
Programmable keyboards offer the greatest flexibility for the young learner. Through the use of
interchangeable overlays, a programmable keyboard can be quickly altered to meet the needs of
the user and the learning task. An overlay is a sheet of paper or plastic with a graphic
representation of a keyboard, a part of a keyboard, or symbols. The overlay slides easily into
slots on a programable keyboard. Overlays can also be designed in drawing programs and
printed out on your home printer using plain paper.
ADVANTAGES:
* Custom "hotkeys" overlays allow the child to enter numbers, words, and phrases by pressing
one key.
* Customizable overlays are available from some software manufacturers.
* These keyboards are available in larger size than standard keyboards.
* Can be set up so individual keys have a larger "target area" for children who have difficulty
pressing a single, small key.
* Can be set up with smaller keys for children with limited range of motion.
* Some can function as both keyboard and mouse.