PURPOSE: To help people with physical disabilities to effectively utilize commercial pointing devices to operate computers. This study develops a novel method to realize transferring single-direction physical movement into complete mouse functions.
METHOD: The proposed system adopts a redesigned software mouse driver that adopts special switches to change the functionality of the mouse.
RESULTS: Three people with disabilities were recruited to test the feasibility of this system. Experimental results demonstrate that this method effectively enables people with disabilities to operate computers.
CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the use of software technology makes this system low-cost, flexible, easy to maintain, and compatible with all standard interfaces of commercial input devices. The proposed system allows people with disabilities to use their remaining functional abilities to operate a computer.
Relation:
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, Vol.4 no.6, pp.414-421
