[laptop-accessibility] XO keyboard

[Jim Gettys]

Please put this suggestion into trac.  Component: keyboard.

Whether we can make such a change sooner rather than later isn't
entirely clear to me (though my guess is we *might* be able to).  

Almost certainly, in this generation, the keyboard membrane would be the
place to make such a change, rather than the plastic case: this has to
do with how long the molds last in production, and the difficulty and
cost of making the changes.  Injection plastic molds are hideously
expensive, and last a long time.  So changing the case is almost out of
the question.

Walter was certainly talking about making the f/j nubs slightly larger
sooner rather than later.  Sooner, btw, is still measured in multiple
months...  Such is hardware lead times.
                             - Jim



On Fri, 2008-01-04 at 22:07 -0500, Mike Gorse wrote:
> A while ago, there was a thread on here about the keyboard / whether it 
> would need modification to be used by blind students.  I got my XO and 
> looked at the keyboard, counting 71 keys.  What I didn't know was that the 
> three large buttons on the top row are each comprised of several distinct 
> keys.  I would not have known this without having a sighted friend 
> describe it to me.  There is no good way to tactily distinguish these keys 
> from each other, and this is especially problematic for the middle button 
> which is comprised of around seven keys.  I would suggest putting dots or 
> other tactile marks either on the keys or on the frame directly above the 
> keys.
> 
> Does anyone have any comments?
> 
> -- Mike Gorse / AIM:linvortex / http://mgorse.freeshell.org --
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-- 
Jim Gettys
One Laptop Per Child