Development of a computer input system for people with disabilities using a commercial mouse and switches

Abstract

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.