An objective approach to adapted input device prescription and customization /

Microcomputer technology and the provision of alternative data entry devices offers numerous opportunities for physically disabled individuals to integrate into work and school settings. For therapists specializing in adapted access one of the main challenges involves prescribing and customizing suitable input devices since objective procedures to facilitate this process are lacking. The two papers presented in this thesis aimed to respond to this limitation. In the first paper the adapted access process was viewed within the context of a human factors model. A critical review of the literature relating specific human factors criteria (e.g. digit loading) to ergonomic solutions (e.g. input/output efficiency) substantiated clinical approaches to adapted device prescription and customization. Two case studies were used to illustrate the application of this approach to physically disabled individuals. The second paper investigated therapists' abilities to judge the mechanical characteristics of switches. Objective data characterizing the activation force-displacement trajectories for eight commonly used adapted switches were collected and compared to clinicians' subjective evaluation of the same characteristics. The major finding was that although therapists' subjective estimates of activation force and displacement were reasonably good there were specific areas of weakness that should be rectified with quantitative, objective data. It is anticipated that these two papers will enhance the application of microcomputer usage for physically disabled individuals