Single Handed Keyboards

The Maltron keyboards took centre stage in the Office section of the Adaptive Technology Catalogue that details tools for survivors of landmines and explosive remnants of war.

The Journal of Mine Action has published an Adaptive Technology Catalogue that features over 150 pages of tools for survivors of landmines and explosive remnants of war. Maltron is the only keyboard manufacturer to be featured in the Office section, with reports on the company’s single-handed keyboards for left or right hand and the mouth/headstick keyboard.

The shape and letter layout of the Maltron single-handed keyboards have been carefully planned to take into account the limited number of keys that can be accessed quickly and comfortably. The company’s specially developed self-paced training courses are freely available on their web site and ensure that learning is quick and easy. The keyboards offer push-on-push-off keys for Shift, Control and Alt functions. This detailed functionality is proved by users reaching 60+ words/min. They measure 305 x 225 x 115 mm and weigh in at just 0.9 kg.

The single finger, head or mouth stick keyboard can be used for more severe conditions, either on a table, or supported by rear runners and an articulated arm adjusted to suit the user. It is also fully ergonomic in that the rectangular front is concave to match stick end movement. The letter layout, equally ergonomic, is arranged to have the most used letters grouped in the centre to give minimum movement.

Great Single Handed User Report

From: Amy Robinson 
Subject: Compliments on single-hand keyboards

If it is all right for me to be so blunt, you are geniuses. About a year after I developed moderate RSI in my right hand - which happens to be my only hand, due to hemiplegia - I was finally able to purchase a right-handed keyboard from your US distributor. All I can say is that it makes me wish I had never touched a QWERTY keyboard, and that the Maltron had been a more widely known option when I was in school learning to type. People still don't understand the importance of prevention. Two-handed people have any number of keyboards to choose from to spare their hands -- from reading their product literature, one would think that RSI only affected two-handed people.

To my knowledge you are nearly the only company in the world that takes into even a small degree of consideration that a one-handed person would obviously have an even greater risk of developing RSI. I still have lingering symptoms because in my case the damage was
already done, and so alternate between speech recognition and typing in very short stints. However, because of my Maltron keyboard, I can actually type in those short stints, or at my internship when I can't use voice as often. My symptoms are nowhere near as bad as they used to be on QWERTY. Thank you for being perceptive enough to invent such a helpful product. I wish you continued success in your business.

Sincerely,
Amy Robinson