Microsoft Windows Onscreen Keyboard

On-Screen Keyboard is an accessibility utility that displays a virtual keyboard on the computer screen, that allows people with physical impairments to type data by using a pointing device or joystick. On-Screen Keyboard can also be used as a typing tutor.

Using the Microsoft Windows Onscreen Keyboard:

• Starting On-Screen Keyboard Automatically When Windows Starts
• Selecting a Keyboard Layout
• Selecting the Font for On-Screen Keyboard Keys
• Using an Audible Click You can use the Click Sound option to add an audible click when you select a key using On–Screen Keyboard.
• Activating Scanning Mode In scanning mode, On-Screen Keyboard continually scans the keyboard and highlights areas where you can type keyboard characters by pressing a hot key or using a switch-input device.
• Activating Hovering Mode In hovering mode, you use a mouse or joystick to point to a key for a predefined period of time, and the selected character is typed automatically.
• Activating Clicking Mode In clicking mode, you can select the on-screen keys to type text. By default, On-Screen Keyboard allows you to type data with the mouse by pointing to and clicking keyboard characters.

Alternative Onscreen Keyboards

WiViK on-screen keyboard. Also includes a built in word prediction program. The keyboards can apparently contain any keys you want, can be moved anywhere on the screen and can be any size. More information . . .



KeyVit on-screen keyboard. More information . . .



KeyStrokes - for Apple Mac. KeyStrokes is a fully-functional advanced virtual on-screen keyboard that allows you to type with a mouse, trackball, head pointer or other mouse emulator to type characters into any standard Macintosh application.
More information . . .

Additional resources

• My-T-Soft. www.imgpresents.com/mytsoft/mytsoft.htm
  
  
  
  
• My-T-Pen uses a concept found in fighter planes, helicopters, tanks, and automobiles. That concept is called "Heads Up Display" technology and its principal objective is to keep the users focus and concentration centered in one place. My-T-Pen uses that concept to reduce the visual re-focusing and re-positioning, caused by the heads up and down motion of going from screen to keyboard to screen, and the resulting confusion it causes. www.my-t-soft.com/mytpen/mtp.htm
  
  
  
  
• Build a Board. IMG's latest release of My-T-Soft, My-T-Pen, and My-T-Touch allows you to use custom keyboard layouts created with IMG's Build-A-Board.
  
  
  
  
  
• Changing from Qwerty to Dvorak
  The Dvorak keyboard layout, designed for speed and efficiency by Dr. August Dvorak in the 1930s, can increase typing speed and decrease finger fatigue. It places all the vowels in the left hand of the home row and the most commonly used consonants in the right hand of the home row. Because the frequently-used letters are right there underneath your fingertips and the next most common are directly above, typing involves much less reaching. In this sample paragraph, 70% of the letters are on the home row in Dvorak, with 15% top and 15% bottom. In QWERTY 30% are on the home row. Beware, it takes a little getting used to, especially if you're transitioning from a standard QWERTY.

  
  

  (Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Switch-to-a-Dvorak-Keyboard-Layout ).
  
  

• Linux OSKs

• OnBoard from Ubuntu. As basic OSK with limited switch input capabilities. More information...
  

• GOK( GNOME on screen keyboard). Advanced features including UI grab and switch capabilities. More information...
  

• More about the On-Screen Keyboard and it's uses . . .
  
  
  
• How on-screen keyboards are accessed using pointing devices or switches. A look at the overall concept and some general points about what the on-screen keyboards can do, and why particular features (identified in bold) are helpful. More information . . .