What is Switch Access Scanning?

Published: Jun 25, 2007

Switch access scanning is a slow, but functional alternative for individuals with significant physical limitations. The individual needs to have consistent control of one or more anatomical sites for accessing a single switch, or multiple switches.

Switch access uses one or more switches to select from an electronic set of symbols, graphic images and/or alphanumeric characters. Scanning is used as an alternative to accessing the keyboard and mouse.

However, the individual’s cognition needs to be considered. Merely having the ability to activate a switch does not make an individual with a physical disability a likely candidate to use scanning as an input method. Click-N-Type in a "Scanning" layout by Lake Software

Several “direct scan” methods are available for accessing the computer. For example, methods include:

  • automatic scanning
  • step scanning
  • inverse scanning.

After selecting a method to scan, a decision on which “selection set” format is the best needs to be taken. Options include:

  • sequential
  • rotary
  • row-column
  • group-item.

WordPower Switch Scanning by Sensory Software International

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