In response to a recent query regarding the Big Keys keyboard, Ted Pottage
wrote:
>I've seen Big Keys and I wouldn't give it house room because...
>
>Although QWERTY has it's drawbacks (no help for learning the alphabet is
>an obvious one) it is a *true* industry standard. This means that anyone
>starting on another system will have to be unlearn in the long/medium
>term.
>
>For dyslexic children, unlearning may be even harder than the initial
>difficult progress, for other children it is an additional chore that can,
>and should, be avoided. (Anyone used to several computer packages knows
>how difficult it is when they have different menu layouts/macros for the
>same task.)
>
It may well be the case that "unlearning" is very difficult for pupils with
dyslexia and that therefore this offers a good case for sticking with an
industry standard but - was there a clear indication that this query was
posted with a pupil with dyslexia in mind?
At the Ace/Access Centre we have found the Big Keys keyboard to be the most
effective solution for some children with moderate - severe learning
disabilities and/or with difficulty in using a conventional keyboard. In
such a case it may well be that progression to a conventional keyboard is
not a possibility.
So please don't write it off. In some instances it is wholly appropriate.
Sally Townend
Simon Bloor
Ace/Access Centre
Oldham
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