PointSmart Mouse Software Helps Children and Adults with Disabilities 'Point and Click'

Using a computer mouse can be a difficult and embarrassing task for children and adults with disabilities affecting fine motor skills. But new software developed by the University at Buffalo and Infogrip promises to ease the frustration of using a mouse.

PointSmart helps stabilize erratic mouse movements by allowing users to adjust the sensitivity of those movements beyond standard speed and acceleration adjustments found on most personal computers.

A beta version of PointSmart will be available for consumer testing in January 2005 and a final version of the product is expected to be on the market in March.

PointSmart features a joystick mode that starts the mouse in one direction and allows it to continue without continuous control until the user chooses to change direction or select an object. PointSmart users also can change the functionality of mouse clicks and buttons - switching the left click and right click functions, for example. For visually impaired users, PointSmart can display very large and easy-to-read mouse pointers on the computer screen.

“In schools, PointSmart will allow children with disabilities that affect fine motor control to effectively access computers that their classmates use on a daily basis,” says Wendy Strobel, T2RERC project manager. “It will allow all children to learn together on computers in their classrooms. In work environments, people with disabilities that affect fine motor control will be able to use a mouse without the frustration of missed targets or misplaced information — misjudgments that often affect productivity negatively,” she says.

Source: University at Buffalo Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology Transfer (T2RERC).