For adults experiencing tremors or arthritis, using a standard mouse can be difficult. I received a call from an older gentleman who was having just such difficulties due to Parkinson’s disease. He wanted to continue using his mouse to point and click, but needed a way to contain the tremor in his fingers to do so. Computer access via mouse was becoming a problem for him, and he asked IPAT to help him solve it.
During my research for a mouse alternative, I came across Mike LaManna’s, Party Ring Mouse. As a designer for Microsoft, his goal was to create a mouse for children with disabilities that would keep their fingers properly positioned for use. Assistance with finger placement is what my caller needed, albeit for very different reasons . . . . . but maybe Mike’s creation could work?
I reconnected with him, talked over what I had found, and sent him a link to the Party Ring Mouse. He thought Mike’s simple, home-made AT solution using every-day items held real promise. Consequently, he shared the directions with his son. After some trial and error, they ended up modifying the initial design to include two rings. And for less than $1, they solved his presenting computer access problem!
__________________________________________________________________________________________ To find other mouse solutions, check out these ND IPAT blogs
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Do you have a simple mouse adaptation to share? If yes, please do!