> Can someone recommend a keyboard that would be work for a student who is
> missing two middle fingers?

Hi Deb,

Is the student missing fingers from one hand or both?

What sort of tasks does he/she need to do? The choice of keyboard may be
different if the student wants to become a court stenographer, a computer
programmer, or a general accountant. The physical requirements are different
for inputting numeric data, using software tools to insert and manipulate
code, or touch typing. This is less of an issue if the student is in
elementary or secondary school and has not yet chosen a career path. In that
case, the student's "job" is to do well in all subjects. There may not be an
"ideal" keyboard for proving trig theorems AND writing stories, so I suggest
reconsidering keyboard needs as the child's body grows and his/or academic
interests change.

Is touch typing a task that the person must do? The ability to touch type
could be important for health and safety reasons, even if the tasks the
person performs can be done without. It is much easier to work in
biomechanically neutral positions when one does not have to constantly shift
glance between monitor and keyboard. Touch typing may be an important skill
for long-term injury prevention. My guess is that it would be possible to do
a variation of touch typing with 5 fingers + 3 fingers, or 3 fingers + 3
fingers. Some individuals figure out ways to excel at nimble-fingered tasks
with fewer than five fingers per hand. After the third and fourth fingers on
his left hand became partially paralyzed, jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt
relearned to play his instrument. He managed to fret with only two
fingers -- although he did use the injured fingers for some chords. If touch
typing is possible, the student may be fine using a regular keyboard or even
a so-called "ergonomic" keyboard. If touch typing is not possible -- perhaps
the individual is effectively a one-handed typist -- a keyboard with a
smaller footprint may be the ticket because it would  minimize reaching.

Appropriate desk and chair set-up and good work habits (e.g., sitting
properly and taking regular breaks) will also be important for the student's
long-term health and safety. The student will be susceptible to developing
computer induced repetitive strain injuries. See this article:
www.cantoraccess.com/csun1995.htm. Although I wrote it in 1994, the article
is still relevant because the basics of RSI prevention for persons with
disabilities have not really changed. (However, these days I accommodate
more people with mouse-related injuries than keyboard-related injuries.)

As Dick Banks noted in his post, rate-increasing techniques like macro
software and word prediction could be useful adjuncts to an alternative
keyboard. Speech recognition is also worth considering. NaturallySpeaking
Version 9 is excellent provided (1) the PC is properly set up (e.g., lots of
RAM, quality microphone, etc.); (2) the individual has realistic
expectations about what the technology can and cannot do; and (3) the
individual learns proper dictation, correction, and editing techniques. If
the student uses speech recognition in addition to other access
technologies, so much the better. Despite recent improvements to speech
recognition software, I still find that many people need 10 to 20 hours of
one-on-one training -- and sometimes more. I expect speech recognition will
become more common during the next few years because Windows Vista has
built-in speech recognition. Early reports are that it is excellent.

Alan

Alan Cantor
Cantor Access Inc.
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www.cantoraccess.com