Typing+Adjustments

=Typing Adjustments= The use of computers for work, study and entertainment continues to increase every year. Typing is perhaps the most fundamental computing skill with speed and accuracy being desirable qualities.

One Handed Typing
A significant number of people only have the full use of one hand. The person may have been born this way or this may have occurred as a result of an accident. There are four main options for children without the use of one hand to learn typing: standard QWERTY keyboards, special one handed keyboards, voice recognition software and reconfigured standard keyboards. I will briefly address the first three before focusing on the fourth option.

Lilly Walters, creator of a one handed typing website ([]), is a strong advocate of using a standard QWERTY keyboard. Some advantages of this method include not having to buy any new equipment or make system changes. However, covering a whole standard keyboard with one hand is difficult to do, especially for children who have smaller hands. With a large amount of movement around the keyboard it is easy to lose your place and hence typing accuracy is reduced. One handed keyboards such as the Frog Pad ([]) significantly reduce hand movement. However they are typically very expensive and may be difficult to obtain, especially if production lines cease. Voice recognition software such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking ([]) is also quite expensive but has increased accuracy in later versions and can be used by children with who have no hands suitable for prolonged typing. Although teachers should note that students will need a quiet room for effective use.

According to Patrick (2008), Dr. August Dvorak developed a special keyboard arrangement especially for single handed typists in the middle of the 20th century. People place their good hand in the middle of the keyboard and the most frequently used letters radiate out from the centre. This minimises excessive movement around the keyboard resulting in higher speeds and accuracy than using a regular QWERTY configuration. Another key advantage (pun intended) of the single handed Dvorak system is that it is completely free to implement on almost all modern computers. Teachers can switch computers to the alternative layouts by following [|steps by Greenway] (2002). The key layout is different for left and right handed users and is shown below.

Aside from configuring keyboards to suit individual children, teachers should also place stickers over the keys so pupils don't get confused when typing. These stickers can be bought or easily made from plain stickers, see Keyboards & Keyboard Overlays for Sight Impairments (2011) for more information.

With the increasing importance of typing, touch typing classes are already part of some schools curriculums. For example Gawsworth Primary School has run touch typing sessions since 2006 (Gawsworth Primary School, n.d.). If a school were to run touch typing sessions where at least one student needed to type one handed, group instruction would not work. In this case individual courses can be followed on each pupil's computer. There are many free programs available to two handed typists, such as Dance Mat Typing ([]). Courses for one handed typists are harder to find, however the KP Typing Tutor series ([]) has lessons for both left and right handed Dvorak settings.

Once a key layout is learnt, it becomes difficult to adapt to different keyboard configurations. For this reason it is preferable to start children with permanent disablement to one hand on a one handed layout as early as they start using a computer (note those with temporary injuries are generally not advised to learn a one handed layout as this will make returning to two handed typing on a standard layout more cumbersome). Touch typing lessons should be employed before bad habits become ingrained but when children have adequate fine motor skills. Gawsworth Primary School's typing lessons are for year three students (Gawsworth Primary School, n.d.).

Patrick, C. (2008). //Dvorak Eases Single-Hand Typing Blues//. Retrieved from []
 * References**

Greenway, M. (2002). //Dvorak Keyboard Typing On Your computer in 30 Seconds//. Retrieved from []

Keyboards & Keyboard Overlays for Sight Impairments. (2011). In //RINEWIT2011//. Retrieved July 26, 2011, from http://rinewit2011.wikispaces.com/Keyboards+and+Keyboard+Overlays+for+Sight+Impairments

Gawsworth Primary School. (n.d.) //Touch Typing Program - Leads the Way!// Retrieved from []