Ergonomic keyboards
LWOODA4
(I'm still working on ideas to help my daughter who had the carpal tunnel
surgery.)--Judy
bruce w.
insist they've been very helpful. My hatred stems from the fact that
I've typed on one kind of keyboard all my life and it's waaayyy too late
for me to change.
You should be able to get a Microsoft one for less then $60 and a clone
brand for $30.
P.S. I have some background in human factors engineering and know that
the ergo keyboards have been studied extensively. They really do help
keep the hands at a natural angle and reduce pain. The younger you
start the more easily you'll adjust to the different layout which, I
hate to say, may very well become the new standard. I guess I've turned
into an old fogey!
Bruce W.
Shelwood
check around, the prices on ergonomic keyboards has come *way* down. i was
keyboard shopping not too long ago, and saw a few at Computer City (no
financial connection <g>) for under $30. i ended up buying an ergo with
built-in touch pad for about $50.
shop around and buy the cheapest you can get -- then, if you and your daughter
like it (it does take getting used to), you may then want to find a good
quality durable one (though the cheap one may do you fine, depending on your
computer usage).
Shelley
Livid101
fact, it was the last straw for me. After using one for a year I decided to
have the CT surgery I had been able to put off for a long time. The probs with
the Microsoft keyboard: it is HUGE, so you have to have purty big hands to be
able to use it, and the keys are very stiff, so you have to push hard. I still
use an old, orginal IBM PC AT keyboard because the keys are very soft. You
might look into the keyboards IBM is currently marketing. Good luck.
Regards,
Christine
martys...@my-dejanews.com
strain on wrists at all) They're only sold in quantity to companies, but some
business would make a killing to those of us that have wrist problems.
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Ljmpmm
Ergo keyboards are wonderful. I, too, suffered greatly with CTS and pain using
a regular keyboard.
With the ergo keyboard, even during my worst RA times, when I couldn't even
sign my name or otherwise use a a pen/pencil, I could still type without any
pain.
It only took about 2 hours to get used to the re-arrangement of some of the
keys, and I will NEVER go back to a regular keyboard again!
Leanah McCombs
"Where are we going? And what's with this handbasket?"
Ljmpmm
I don't know your age, but I talked my 63-year-old mother into getting an ergo
keyboard, and she really enjoys it although she typed on a regular keyboard
for more than 45 years and initially balked at the idea of change.
She grumbled and muttered the first day, like we all do, trying to get used to
the few re-arranged keys, but she now sings its praises and tries to sell its
efficacy to everyone who hasn't yet "seen the light"!
Leanah McCombs
Ljmpmm
I, too have suffered greatly from CTS and I have the Microsoft ergo keyboard,
and I LOVE IT!!!!
I have very small hands - smaller than my 10-year-old daughter's - but I have
no difficulty using the keyboard.
I've never noticed any stiffness with the keys. Perhaps yours was a lemon?
There are other brands of ergo keyboards, so perhaps you could try some of
them. PC Concepts, for example, makes one that's a little different than my
Microsoft ergo keyboard...
Leanah McCombs
Lady Andy2
I happen to have been listening to a computer show on the radio and heard an
interview with the above referenced company. They have an alternate for the
normal keyboard which is supposed to be easier for people to use.
It is called the b.a.t. keyboard and uses just one hand that grips the thing
and has only 7 keys. The idea is that you use the keys in combinations to
equal the various letters (like a bugle's 3 keys... are they called keys? the
3 goodies you push).
Anyway, the guy interviewing seems unbiased (Jeff Levy on Computers) and seemed
convinced. Don't know about it myself, but might be interesting for those with
serious problems with their hands. The movement required is supposed to be
much easier, and there are left- or right- handed models.
As usual, I have no relationship whatever with this company (nor do I have any
personal experience with it), but thought some might find this interesting.
Best regards,
LadyAndy2
Shelwood
>one hand that grips the thing and has only 7
>keys.
Andy,
i saw and played with one of these up close and personal a couple few years ago
(at a fire expo, of all things). interesting, but definitely a WAY steeper
learning curve than adjusting to an ergo keyboard. it sort of reminded me of a
one-handed court reporter type deal...
and you *do* need to be able to use the hand you are using fully -- so it would
be good for someone who has one side impacted, for whatever reason, much more
than the other. also would work for someone with wrist/shoulder/elbow but not
finger problems (you hold the hand in one place, like a trackball).
however, for those of us with palindromic problems with the hands, voice is
still the next step when the hands give up :)
Shelley
Diana Edens
>>It is called the b.a.t. keyboard and uses just
>>one hand that grips the thing and has only 7
>>keys.
>
>i saw and played with one of these up close and personal a couple few years ago
>(at a fire expo, of all things). interesting, but definitely a WAY steeper
>learning curve than adjusting to an ergo keyboard. it sort of reminded me of a
>one-handed court reporter type deal...
It sound like the device some MIT students were using for their
prtable pc's. They caaried the cpu in their back pack, had tiny
monitored attached to head gear in front of one eye and had modem that
connected to web or networks as they walked around campas. When I
first saw it I had a big laugh, but the more I thought about it the
more I thought that I wanted one , but I wanted voice activations. I
don't know how much their battery operated unit weighed, might be
prohibitvve.
idydal-Diana
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Dachudson
have been absent from the group for some time - gosh I have missed you guys!
Shouldn't things like ergo keyboards for us be tax deductible? So many health
aides that insurance won't pick up - raised seats, ergo keyboards, the list
goes on.
Andrea Fuller
think). I am using this (and it is a bit difficult to get used to) to do my clicks
(move the pointer to the appropriate bit of the screen then wait for a few
seconds). Good hand saver (I have no financial interest in this product, I am just
trying it out).
Cheers,
Andrea
Using ViaVoice Gold and MouseTool ;-)
Dachudson wrote:
--
Andrea Fuller
MQSeries for MVS/ESA Development
IBM Hursley, England
Sherry Messick
> think). I am using this (and it is a bit difficult to get used to) to do my clicks
> (move the pointer to the appropriate bit of the screen then wait for a few
> seconds). Good hand saver (I have no financial interest in this product, I am just
> trying it out).
I had someone ask me just the other day if there was a program that
would stop them from having to click their mouse. Thanks for the info.
I'll go take a look.
--
Love and Hugs to all
Sherry Messick
Surviving Scleroderma
http://www.SclerodermaSupport.com
Living with Lupus & Fighting with fibromyalgia
http://ps.superb.net/smessick/survive
"We are all Beacons Of Light for Each Other " Oprah Winfrey