Towards intelligent, adaptive input devices for users with physical disabilities
Shari M. Trewin · ERA · 1998
keys' -keys which modify the effect of other keys when they are held down while the other keys are pressed.Difficulty in aiming can make it difficult to point with a mouse or press a specific key on a keyboard.In order for users with difficulties like these to be able to use input devices with sufficient accuracy and comfort, they must often adapt the way in which they use the devices, or change the way in which the devices behave.Researchers in assistive technology have responded to the adaptation requirements of computer users with motor disabilities by developing many assistive devices and adaptation techniques, both in hardware and software.Of particular interest are software configuration facilitiesprograms built into operating system software which can alter the behaviour of input devices.These facilities will be described fully in Chapter 2. The process of choosing appropriate settings for these facilities is input device configuration.Configuration can reduce or eliminate many input errors and other difficulties related to disability (Borden, 1991), although this thesis will show that some classes of error are not well supported by existing facilities.To date, there has been little formal research into input device difficulties experienced by people with motor disabilities, and the corresponding configuration facilities.In this thesis, much essential groundwork has been laid with respect to further development of the existing keyboard configuration facilities.Despite the existence of software configuration facilities, several barriers to the successful use of keyboards and mice by people with motor disabilities remain.It can be difficult to find out what facilities are available, how to activate them, and how to choose settings which match the requirements of the user.Configuration itself may require physical control of the input devices beyond the abilities of the user.Currently, little or no automated support for configuration is available.These barriers between configuration facilities and users constitute the central problem.The work described in this thesis represents an important contribution to a potential solutionautomated configuration support.