Custom Overlays

Considerations

If you wish to design and create your own overlays for Intellikeys or other keyboards, there are two primary considerations: the User and the Activity.

The User

Several factors should be considered, including the student's:

• Age -- the overlay should be age appropriate in its design.
• Motor Ability - How a student accesses the device depends on both his gross and fine motor skills. Consider the accuracy of arm, hand and finger movements. Remember that altering the key repeat rate or adding a keyguard may improve his accuracy and efficiency.
• Visual Ability - A student's visual abilities and acuity will influence the size, location and labeling of the keys. Will the student require auditory output to identify the key when it is pressed? Also, consider the student's eye-hand coordination. Is he able to look down at a keyboard and then back up at the monitor?

  HINT: Positioning the keyboard at an angle closer to the monitor may help the student to minimize shifting of visual planes.

• Cognitive Functioning -- Keyboard design can positively affect the success of students with cognitive impairments. Fewer but larger keys, reduces distraction and increases success rates. Pictured labels from screen areas copied from a printed "screen shot" provide an exact duplication. Using labeled pictures helps to link word-picture associations and provides a more direct way to interact with software programs.

The Activity

Overlays are designed for specific software applications or for classroom activities using Talking Word Processors or other interactive classroom applications such as IntelliPics, IntelliTalk II or Inspiration.

Software Overlays. You can design keyboard overlays that depict only the necessary keys and mouse command. By removing unnecessary key choices, software control is less distracting.

Modified IntelliKeys Number Overlay for Math Software
This overlay works with any software program that requires using the number keys. It also includes arrow key functions and mouse drag and click functions.

When designing an overlay for "point and click" software, you must identify "hot spots" or "markers" on the screen to be accessed by related keys. ClickIt! is a program that works with IntelliKeys overlays; Design software is included with Discover:Board to provide this feature. It allows a student to touch an overlay to direct the pointer to a certain area on the screen and "click" on it.

Activity Overlays for Writing. These are designed to create activities for a student. They are usually used with talking word processors so the student can hear and see reactions to the key press. You can develop spelling, literacy and math activities or worksheets and add basic communication items for students with communication needs.

IntelliKeys with Overlay Maker files
Activity: Associate words/sounds with pictures
When used with a talking word processor, a student presses a picture key on this overlay, and then the computer identifies the graphic and types out "airplane". The student then looks for the matching word key, presses it, and looks to the screen to see if the words match. Students can also edit their work.

Activity: Word Building
Gradually build on letter identification beginning with only the letters of the student's name in an overlay template.

Activity: Sentence Building
Build a sentence word by word. For example, "My Mom is sad," or "My dog is big."

Design Features

When creating an overlay for an individual student/activity, consider the following options:

• The size and number of keys can be designed to provide larger and/or fewer key areas for students to select from.
• The layout design of the overlay can be arranged in any pattern that meets the student's needs. All keys can be to one side, to the top or bottom to make it easier for the student to reach or see. Some may have the alphabet on one side of the board with software command keys (print, save, home, delete) on the other side. The background colors can help visual organization.
• Key labels can include actual screen areas, letters, pictures or words, depending on the student's abilities.
• The key content can be customized for each key to act as a single character, a string of characters or computer commands. For example, you can program a single key area to send a printer command to the computer or to re-read a sentence.