Introduction
Assistive technology (AT) is all kinds of things that help people do stuff. It ranges from eyeglasses to speech recognition software, from eye tracking devices to spell checkers. For a short video introduction see Understanding Assistive Technology. This post is for giving an example of one such AT – the big keys keyboard.
Big Keys Keyboard Example
One type of assistive technology I like is the simple keyboard with big keys. It has features that are helpful for people with different abilities.
Cognitive
- Fewer keys makes it easier to focus.
- Use of colors for different key types like for vowels or numbers make it easier to get around.
- ABC ordered keyboard makes it easy to find the key for new users of keyboard.
Motor
- Big keys make it easier to hit individual key.
- The keyboard protector makes it even easier to prevent hitting multiple keys at a time.
- Strong material keeps the keyboard from breaking.
Vision
- Big keys are easier to see.
- High contrast colored buttons are available.
The following video introduces one such keyboard (it’s just an example, not trying to endorse any specific vendor).
