Keying Into Computers

By David MacDonald

My wake up call came as I lay in bed at 1:00 a.m. with ice packs to ease the pain in my elbows and shoulder where I had had multiple surgeries. Four assignments were due, all of which required computer use. I had to find a solution to my computer access problem in order to continue at university. I could not keep using equipment designed for people without disabilities. So, I began my journey to find a solution and, without knowing it, I began a new career.

It appears that the computer is the entry point to the improved quality of life that awaits us in the new millennium - a small portal through which we must pass to enter the promised land. My search for a way through this portal brought me to a vast world of products designed to help people with disabilities gain access to computers. Many assistive technologies are designed to replace the traditional keyboard and mouse.

Keyboard replacements include voice recognition, word prediction software, Morse code systems and various alternative keyboards. To replace the conventional mouse, there are touch screens, infrared pointing devices, and eye scan devices. (Sources of more information on these products are listed below)

Although this is an impressive array of solutions, specific characteristics of my disability prevented me from using most of them. And some potential solutions were out of reach because of financial constraints. My vocational rehabilitation program could not afford them after cutbacks.

The challenge was to find a creative, inexpensive solution to my access problem. This led me to experiment with equipment designed for people without disabilities. Ironically, in adapting mainstream computer equipment for myself, I provided an incentive for manufacturers to address the issue of accessibility.

The first solution I developed was a zero-force keyboard that allowed me to type without putting any pressure on the keys. The national Job Accommodation Network (JAN) in Virginia liked it and they started referring some of their clients to me. I now have a patent pending.

My second innovation replaced a conventional mouse. I adapted a Cirque Touchpad. It was designed to be operated using the hand, but I put it on the floor and used my toe. It worked marvellously. Without realizing it, I had just created the lowest-cost non-hand operated mouse available.

When I informed executives at Cirque Corporation about this, they asked me to help them set up a section for people with disabilities on their website (www.cirque.com). I was impressed by how supportive the business community could be when consumers take initiative.

Having cleared the major hurdles to my own computer access problems, I began to focus on how to help others. At my university, I wrote a report on the poor work station design in our computer labs, which put many students at risk of disability from computer-related repetitive strain injuries (RSI). The director of our faculty accepted my report as a basis for new accessible computer work stations. I now give lectures to all first-year computer students on how to prevent computer injuries, and the Special Services department posted my story on their website. It is amazing how much influence a well-placed voice can have on an organization that is in need of change.

It is impossible to talk about the computer age without including the Internet. Educating and sensitizing web designers to the importance, ease and low cost of accessible web design is one of the most important and challenging tasks in front of us.

People who are blind, who rely on screen reading programs to vocalize what is on their computer screen, are perhaps the group most threatened by unintentional barriers on the Internet. Even though this technology is becoming very sophisticated, most websites are still inaccessible because screen readers cannot understand graphics, frames, or text in columns. Websites using these formats should provide an alternative text-only version. The W3C Page Author guideline ( http://www.w3.org-wai) provides excellent advice to web page developers on how to adapt their websites. I direct organizations with inaccessible websites to this source.

Another area of concern to people with low vision and also those with cognitive disabilities is that of computerized public access kiosks. This includes automated banking machines, ticket vendors and public information terminals. Proper design can greatly increase the number of people who can use these machines. Kiosks should be easy to operate and offer simple, high contrast displays that use plain language instructions. Information on screens should be free of clutter from such things as company logos and advertisements.

The Ontario government invited me to participate in the round-table discussions on the proposed Ontarians with Disabilities Act. One of my suggestions was that the government create access guidelines to which manufacturers must adhere. At the federal level, the Assistive Devices Industry Office (ADIO), despite extensive cutbacks, has made an excellent effort to link manufacturers to sources of information on how to make their products accessible. As we approach the year 2000, I hope that more manufacturers will be conscious of accessibility when designing computer products.

A successful friend of mine with a disability has a philosophy on how to cope with his limitations: "I do what I can, and I ask for help with what I can’t!" I have adopted this simple prescription for success. It has allowed me to gain access to computers and maintain an A-average in a business faculty of able-bodied people. The computer world is ours if we claim it and face our challenges with faith, creativity and constructive solutions. Welcome to the new millennium!

(David MacDonald is a University of Ottawa student and an adaptive technology consultant. He is also a member of the Canadian Assistive Devices Industry Association (CanADIA). For more information, call (613)235-4902.)

WEBSITES:

Madenta
http://www.madenta.com
Madenta manufactures and distributes of a wide array of disability computer products. This site also explains many current adaptive solutions discussed in this article.

W3C Page Author Guidelines
http://www.w3.org-wai
Guidelines for accessible web design.

Cirque Corporation
http://www.cirque.com
Click on the "Mouse Challenged" icon at the bottom of the home page and follow the testimony links to David MacDonald and a description of the adapted foot mouse.

University of Washington
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~doit/
Extensive resources for computer accessibility issues.

Industry Canada’s Assistive Devices Industry Office (ADIO)
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/adio

Assistive Devices Industry Association of Canada
http://www.starlingweb.com/canadia/

HMI-Technology and Training Centre
http://www.hmirehab.com/