Comments on Single Handed Keyboards

Mrs G. writing of her daughter "S", USA

S. was born with Cerebral Palsy which has affected her left arm and left leg. She is not very strong with the left leg and has very little fine motor control of her left hand. We have always tried to treat it as an "inconvenience" rather than a "handicap". When she was in high school, she had to take typing (required) on a regulation keyboard. She would get so tired and could just barely keep up with the other kids. She was only getting about 15 to 25 WPM on the regulation keyboard.

When she graduated high school in 1998, and we were working with the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (MVR) to find S. a job, they told us about the one-handed keyboard. Very few people knew about it. When Mr. Legg (your representative) showed up with the keyboard at our Community College and was training S. on how to use it, he said that he had never had anyone pick it up so fast. She was typing over 40 WPM after only about 1 hour of training.

In order for us to use the keyboard here at home without having to plug and unplug things, I went to our local computer store and they sold me a "Data Transfer Switch" (they called it an A-B Switch) so that we could keep both keyboards plugged in at the same time, we just have to turn a dial to which keyboard we want to use at any given time. They were real excited to see something like this, they had never heard of it before either. They wanted to tear it apart to see how it worked, but of course, I wouldn't let them.

S. had to carry the Maltron back and forth to school with her, as the Community College does not have a Maltron. It was very awkward for her, trying to carry the Maltron and her back-pack. We were very angry at one of her instructors that didn't really accept the fact that she had a handicapped student that had a special keyboard that needed to be plugged into their system. But S. got thru that class anyway.

Two years ago, S. also came down with Myasthenia Gravis. This has something to do with the Auto-Immune System and causes extreme weakness. She was in the hospital with Pneumonia for two weeks (on a ventilator). She was in Rehab for almost two months. While in Rehab, I noticed that they had a computer out in the hallway for the patients to use, but it was a regulation keyboard. I asked the nurses in Rehab if they had every heard of the one handed keyboard. "No", they answered. Well, I took S.'s keyboard back on my next visit and she showed them what it was and how it worked. I had several copies of the brochure that Mike had sent us so very long ago. They said that they had a lot of patients that could really use this type of keyboard. I have no idea if they ever followed thru with it or not, but I will try to find out.

We have happily showed off the Maltron every chance we get. S. does not have a job at the moment, but we hope she can get one sometime within the next year. I am hoping it is something that she can use the Maltron for. She offered to help train others in our area if it was needed. We have never received a call. I know that one of the high schools in our area (about 35 miles away) has several Maltrons, I know the instructor. But I don't think that our high school does. I wish there were some way to get the message out there that something like this does exist. We feel that every nursing home and rehab centre should have one, or at least have the brochures so that others might benefit from this.

S. will be graduating from college with a degree in marketing, this fall. She will be looking for a job. She would love to be able to tell others about the Maltron. If we can be of any further service to you, please let us know.
 

Ron Oakey, USA

"Am writing this letter praising my right handed keyboard.

I have achieved a speed of 65 words per minute with my Maltron keyboard.

It also has made my collage experience a lot easier because I could never have taken the required computer classes w/out it

Thank you for the keyboards."

Neil, Deryck, Darren, Noel, Leighton, John & Michael

(Pupils of Ysgol Erw'r Delyn Residential School for Physically Handicapped Children)

"We would like to take this opportunity to express our delight in being able to produce this letter of thanks using your moulded keyboards. We have found it extremely helpful considering our restricted movements.

May we take this opportunity to thank you for your speedy return of our second modified keyboard, which is already in use, since the demands made on the original keyboard were very high.

We would like to endorse the use of these keyboards as being highly beneficial for any person with restricted hand movement or with the use of only one hand.

Thank you very much for your help."

Doug Swanson

"Your product is big help to us who have been injured.

I'm a disabled veteran of the United States Air Force.  I lost the use of my right arm, wrist and hand. 

The VA purchased your wonderful keyboard for my use while attending college. 

Your keyboard is a real life saver and I can't tell you what a well designed product you have."

Lionel Codd

"Two years ago I bought a MALTRON keyboard from you. This was a right handed keyboard to compensate for my left side paralysis.

Prior to an industrial accident I had been a 'two-finger' typist, subsequently I treated myself to an electric typewriter before starting to use a word-processor about three years ago. I soon found the various key combinations extremely difficult if not impossible on the standard Amstrad keyboard, but I then had the opportunity to try one of your single-handed keyboards. I was so impressed that I unhesitatingly ordered one. I consider the MALTRON keyboard to be as considerable advance on Qwerty keyboards as word processors are on electric typewriters"

Press Comments on Single-Handed Keyboards

Article from 'Grantham Journal', November 17 1989

"RUNNING a home-based computer support service for local businesses, busy mother Madalene Davenport has the determination to succeed, writes Barry Quann. But she accepts that she looked for, and found, help to make her venture competitive.

When she launched Davenport Business Services in September, Madalene accepted that she was breaking into a competitive sphere of operations. Experience she certainly had - word processing tuition at Grantham College, and more than two years on the staff of the Grantham Information technology centre. But for clients who will invariably want everything yesterday - Madalene's disability might have seriously slowed down the business.

Born without a left hand, the cheerful and efficient woman shuns the description "handicapped". "It is all in the mind, and I have managed to acquire computer and keyboard skills very well," she says proudly. But the arrival of a MALTRON single handed ergonomic keyboard at her home in Westerdale Road, Grantham, will now enable Madalene to compete on equal terms with Computer competitors.

Going solo into business, Madalene has been helped through the Department of Employment's special aids to employment scheme. The DoE has provided her Opus personal computer, wide carriage printer - and now her single handed keyboard, a £2,000 package. "The Opus came with a standard QWERTY keyboard, and I can manage with it," explained Madalene. "But there had to be something better to help me work up a realistic keyboard speed."

Roger Exton from the DoE disablement advisory service at Lincoln went with colleague Dennis Whiteman, a technical consultant, to assess the benefit to Madalene of the strange looking keyboard, which bears no comparison to the typewriter or conventional computer keyboard. "In many applications the MALTRON keyboard has proved of enormous benefit." he said. Madalene Davenport, now working up to a keyboard speed from her usual 40 wpm to 70 wpm, says: "It is early days yet for the business."

She finds time to help with a local Brownie pack, look after husband Lee and children Craig (12) and Lisa (10) and explore the opportunities in the Grantham business cornmunity for her computer skills. "The DoE has helped with equipment and advice - but now I am on my own," she said. "

The Mirror - 25th Feb 1999

Carol Vorderman presents Liz Thomas's report 'My Amazing One Handed Keyboard':-

"When Andrew Tarbard lost his right arm and right leg after a motocycle accident he imagined he would never work again.

As an engineer for FT Marine and General, he was constantly on the move, repairing ships throughout Europe. "I was doing a bit of everything," he recalls. "We worked hard."

Then on May Bank Holiday, 1990, all that came to an end. " I was riding my bike when someone came around the corner on the wrong side of the road. At least, that's what they tell me happened," he says.

For the next five months Andrew, now 39, was in hospital. His right leg was amputated three months after the accident, and his right arm at the end of last year.

His boss was a regular hospital visitor. "He kept saying I should come back to work and do anything in the office I felt I could, even if it was just answering the phone. I kept thinking, 'How can I?'"

In June 1991, he finally took up the challenge. By then, he had taught himself to write left-handed and struggled to master a computer keyboard.

It was hard going, but his task was greatly eased when an occupational therapist told him about AbilityNet, a charity formed jointly by the Computability Centre and the Foundation for Communication for the Disabled.

This organisation gives disabled people advice and support on the use of adaptive hardware and software. Aids such as voice-activated programmes, synthesisers and enlarged keypads enable the handicapped to develop additional working skills and use computers to their full ability.

Another bonus is that the Internet becomes immediately available to a group of people who can benefit greatly from it.

"I was dreading AbilityNet's first visit." Andrew says. "I couldn't work out why they wanted to see me at home. I didn't have much confidence in what they could do for me." He was in awe when they appeared with an entire computer system with voice recognition and specialist left-handed keyboard. There was even a large trackball mouse.

Their main concern was that I would suffer from repetitive strain injury," says Andrew, "I hadn't even thought of that".

At first glance, the keyboard, shaped like a hand-sized bowl with normal size keys on the inside but in a slightly different order, wasn't encouraging.

But within an afternoon he was typing more quickly than ever before. "I'm not far off an ordinary typist now. he says.

The Net too, was a revelation. Andrew immediately started dabbling and now, although he has no favourite sites, he often finds himself surfing.

Today Andrew is in regular touch with AbilityNet and last year visited them at their Warwick Centre. "

Keyboard gives DMV employee a helping hand

"Some people look at physical disability and say, "why?" Adrian Albrich looked at his and said, "why not?"

That paraphrase of a speech by Robert Kennedy aptly describes how Albrich, a 25 year-old motor vehicle representative (MVR) in the Herminston DMV Office, approaches his job. And an innovative computer keyboard is helping him overcome one of the job's biggest obstacles.

Albrich lost his left hand in a saw mill accident 6 years ago. In 1991, he began working part-time in the Pendleton DMV office under the state's Vocational Rehabilitation Program. He quickly found out, however, that the standard keyboard used in DMV offices was difficult to use because it was designed for 2-handed typists.

"The main problem was when I had to have my fingers on two keys at once," said Albrich. "We had a transaction where 1 key was on one end of the keyboard, and the other key was on the other end. Fortunatley my hands are big enough that I could cover the range, but it was really a stretch."

Albrich said another problem was that his hand was constantly moving as he used a "hunt and peck" method of typing.

Earlier this year, however, the Herminston office replaced its older computer equipment with new IBM equipment as a part of a DMV-wide computer system upgrade. At the same time, Albrich's former vocational rehabilitation counsellor called him with information about a new kind of keyboard designed specifically for people who, for physical or occupational reasons, perform keyboard operations with one hand.

Albrich was able to get one of the new MALTRON Ergonomic Keyboards through the Applied Learning Corporation of Pennsylvania.

The single-handed keyboard is thought to be the first of its kind in use in Oregon. The keyboard's design reportedly reduces fatigue and increases accuracy.

"It takes some time to get used to," said Albrich. "I really like the new design and using it is getting easier as time goes by. I can see once I've learned to use it, my productivity will greatly improve."

Albrich added that he gets lots of questions about the keyboard from customers.

"That can be difficult at times," he said. "But there is one big advantage - I don't have to worry about other people using my workstation."

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