HIT:Mouse for the truly mouse -impaired

[Viviane Lampach <lampach@BXSCIENCE.EDU>]

Here it is your wonderul answers. Thanks again to all who answered:
We have a Mousing Tutorial at http://www.plymouth.lib.mi.us/p1.htm

Why not trying to slow down the mouse or have the arrow "trail" as it is
moved?

I have been using a Logitech trackball for nearly two years and feel
lost without it.  I have arranged my desk so that I am able to rest my arm
on a flat surface and just lay my hand over the trackball.  The L-Shape
desk
is ideal for this.  Also, their bifocals or trifocal may be causing them
some trouble, the progressive line-less bifocals are really the best for
viewing a monitor.

I had him learn how to use the mouse by playing solitare
and Free Cell
If you go to Settings > Control Panel > Accessibility > Mouse, you should
find an option that allows you to select using the keys on the numeric pad
instead of a mouse - almost like DOS. It may be slower but at least they
won't be discouraged.

Another option is to buy a Microsoft Intellimouse which is a trackball -
you
don't have to move the mouse itself, just a large ball and be able to
click
with the thumb.
 One thing that helped was to set preferences somewhere related to the
speed of
the tracking.  We found a way to make the curssor more visible and to move
slower.

One thing to stress in that the hand should be relaxed. The mouse
should not be strangled and the fingers used to press the buttons
should be relaxed and press the button in the middle
You can set preferences for the mouse, such as speed of double-click,
pointer speed, etc.  You do this on Win98 by going into My Computer ,
Control Panel, Mouse, and then setting your options.

First, slow down the mouse. In Windows 95/98, you can do that through the
Control Panel.
Second, use the arrow keys on keyboard instead of the mouse.  In Windows
95/98, go to Control Panel -- Accessibility -- Mouse to set this up.
Third, buy one of the upside down type mice (trackballs?) -- the kind
where the mouse is stationary and you roll a big ball to move pointer,
then click a button.  I've got a student who uses this kind -- he uses one
hand to move ball, then clicks with other hand. Personally, I find this
more difficult than regular mouse, but then I'm accustomed to the regular
mouse.

I don't know about the mouse part (although they may find the touch pad
easier as they just move their finger, not the whole mouse) but there are
keyboard commands to do almost everything so that they don't need to use
the mouse much at all.  For example:
Ctrl-Esc        is the same as clicking on "Start"
Ctrl-S          save
Ctrl-C          copy
Ctrl-V          paste
the TAB key often takes you from one highlighted area to another and hit
ENTER when you're in the right area
you can probably find lists of all the keyboard commands somewhere in the
program, otherwise in books and some magazine articles.

Have you tried using a trackball instead? They will then move the ball
instead of the mouse. I use one at home, much easier on the wrist and
hand.
They even make them for young children (in BIG sizes), so if the actual
finger movement is a problem, they might find that easier as well. And I
doubt they will have embarrassment over using something from Playschool
when
they are able to send their family some email. :)

My aunt and uncle seem to prefer the mouse that has a big ball that they
move
With their thumb. I'm not sure if there is a name for that kind or not.
The regular
mouse drove them crazy. First, perhaps the mouse (really the insertion
point or cursor) is set to
move too quickly. Look in the handbook to find out how to slow it down.
Second, invest in a better mouse - a more ergonomic one. I just saw one at
Comp USA which was really high (1 1/2" or maybe 2" ) in the center. It
would support a cupped hand very well, and would give a better grip. It
was
pricey too, ($49 or so) but I am going to get one for me - I get crackling
pains in my hand now. I also love my ergonomic keyboard (wish I had one at
work!). It takes a few days to get used to but then your fingers can
really
fly, and comfortably!

I would also consider getting an e-mail program that lets you know when
the
received message has been opened. Sometimes it's hard to be patient for a
response when you're new (or old, for that matter! Wish I had one at
home!)
to e-mail.

Don't forget the key board should be low enough that the arms and han
not higher than the elbow, if possible, same for the mouse. And get a good
chair with a lift so it can be adjusted if needed. Get a sturdy one - it
can double as a wheelchair around the house in an emergency. When my 16
year old daughter had toe surgery she was in such agony she couldn't
hobble
from the couch 7 ft to the bathroom! I got her on the computer chair, then
rolled her to the bathroom door. Did this for a week! (She recovered, went
to Europe this summer and traveled from Sweden to France and back again!
LOTS of walking!).

Find out if there's a Senior Center near by with computer classes. Most
folks have very good experiences with these.
not higher than the elbow, if possible, same for the mouse. And get a good
chair with a lift so it can be adjusted if needed. Get a sturdy one - it
can double as a wheelchair around the house in an emergency. When my 16
year old daughter had toe surgery she was in such agony she couldn't
hobble
from the couch 7 ft to the bathroom! I got her on the computer chair, then
rolled her to the bathroom door. Did this for a week! (She recovered, went
to Europe this summer and traveled from Sweden to France and back again!
LOTS of walking!).


Find out if there's a Senior Center near by with computer classes. Most
folks have very good experiences with these.
Also, the Paint program (under Win accessories) is a good one for mouse
practice.
http://www.ckls.org/~crippel/computerlab/tutorials/mouse/page1.html - it's
a great exercise to teach kids and seniors how to use a mouse in lots of
settings.  Do it to the end at least once.



Viviane J. Lampach, Librarian
The Bronx H.S. of Science
75 W. 205th Street
The Bronx, New York 10468
(718)817-7730 or (718)817-7700 ext.162
lampach@voyager.bxscience.edu
"Home of 5 Nobel Laureates"

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