Using Window's On-Screen Keyboards

To open the Windows on-screen keyboard:

• Open the Start menu by clicking on the Start button or by pressing the Windows logo key (located between the Ctrl and Alt keys) - or Ctrl + Esc
• Click on All Programs or alternatively press P on the keyboard until "All Programs" is highlighted and then press Enter.
• Click on Accessories or press A on the keyboard until "Accessories" is highlighted and then press Enter.
• Click on Accessibility or if you are using the keyboard, it will already be highlighted so just press Enter.
• Click on On-Screen Keyboard or press O and when On-Screen Keyboard is highlighted, press Enter on the keyboard.

Whilst the keyboard cannot be adjusted in size, there are two versions available: Standard (with the minimum amount of keys on it)..

Fig 1

and enhanced (which includes the numeric keypad)…..

Fig 2

To switch between both types of keyboard:

• Click the Keyboard menu or press Alt + K
• Click on Standard Keyboard, or press S, to load the keyboard shown in Fig. 1
• Click on Enhanced keyboard, or press E, to load the keyboard shown in Fig. 2

When you have decided which keyboard you are going to use, you should decide how you want to use the keyboard.

Using the on-screen keyboard With your mouse

• Load the onscreen keyboard as per previous instructions.
• Click on the key you want to generate. If you have a word processor open you will see the letter appear.

If you have any difficulties clicking the mouse button then you can opt to hover the mouse over a key for a preset time, after which time the key is automatically pressed. In order to work like this you first need to let the program know,

• Click the Settings menu or press Alt + S
• Click on Typing mode. or press Alt + T to display the typing mode dialog box (see fig. 3).

The Standard On-Screen Keyboard Hover Option.

• Click on the Hover to Select option, or press Alt + H to select it.
• Click on the minimum time to hover drop down box and select a time, or press Tab until this dropdown box is high lighted and then use the up and down arrow keys to select a time. Now press Enter or click OK.
• You can now type just by hovering the mouse cursor above the letter you want to press. After the cursor has hovered over the letter for the time specified in the above step, the letter will be automatically clicked on.

Using the on-screen keyboard with a switch

The onscreen keyboard can be accessed entirely with a single switch. This works by row\column scanning (a highlight sweeps across and down the rows and columns and the switch is pressed to select the desired choice).

A switch will need to be purchase separately and set up to emulate a chosen key on the keyboard (contact AbilityNet for more details).

To activate the scanning feature:

• Load the onscreen keyboard as outlined in the previous section
• Click the Settings menu or press Alt + S
• Click on Typing mode. or press Alt + T to display the typing mode dialog box (see fig. 3).
• Click on the Joystick or key to select check box.
• Click on the scan interval drop down box and choose a time for the scan interval, or press Tab until the drop down box is highlighted and then use the up and down arrow keys to choose the interval time.
• Click the Advanced button or press Alt + A to display the advanced options. (see fig. 4)
  

  
  Fig 4.

• Click the Keyboard key check box or press Alt + K to make sure the check box is checked.
• Click in the drop down box to choose a key to initiate and control the scanning, or press Tab until the drop down box is highlighted and use the up and down arrow keys to select an alternate key. The space bar is a sensible default.
• Click OK or press Enter to return to the Typing Options dialog box.
• Click OK or press Enter to return to the onscreen keyboard.
• Press the key that you set up for scanning and the scanning box should appear and start scanning. When the scanning box is on the line you want to access, press the scanning key and the bar should stop on this row and start moving across the screen column by column. When the letter you want is highlighted, press the scanning key to ‘type’ that letter.

It is also possible to setup a joystick button or similar to control scanning. This is outside the scope of this module (contact AbilityNet for more details).