What is an On-Screen Keyboard?

The on-screen keyboard enables people with mobility impairments to input information using a joystick. This utility displays a keyboard on the computer screen and is ideal for users who cannot physically look down at the keyboard and then back at the screen.

This virtual keyboard can be used to input text or numbers like its counterpart into standard computer programs like spreadsheets, word processors, Internet browsers, email applications and drawing/design programs.

An on-screen keyboard appears on the computer monitor and can be moved to different parts of the screen. Certain on-screen keyboards can also be resized on the screen.

Access Features

Some on-screen keyboards offer a variety of access features. The user is able to select items from the on-screen keyboard by pointing and then clicking or through simply pointing and hovering the mouse over the specific key or items on the keyboard until the chosen key is registered. The Windows 2000 and XP on-screen keyboard enables the user to set different options using the hover mode.

Some on-screen keyboards also provide the scanning capabilities as a built-in feature. The keyboard is controlled through a switch access system. This allows a person with more complex difficulties to select the items and keys merely by scanning the monitor horizontally and/or vertically. The majority of the users of these options are people with limited hand movement or someone experiencing difficulties with motor skills. 

Enabling Independent Control

This instrument is more likely to benefit people with poor upper limb and arm movement, but possess good head control. This enables them to use a head-pointing device like an infra-red pointing device. There is an increasing trend towards these keyboards featuring word prediction that subsequently increases work speed and increases accuracy in the input of material. In many cases, the virtual keyboards provide full access to the features in a computer like editing text, saving documents, opening and closing applications and other such features. Such features give people with greater complex difficulties much more control over their computers.