Keyboard

A keyboard is like a typewriter. It allows you to type text and commands into your computer.

The largest key on the keyboard is the Enter key, sometimes referred to as the return key. You use this to create new lines when you’re writing text or to submit data, such as an internet search request. To delete what you’ve written, you can use the Backspace key or the Delete key. Backspace deletes what you’ve written by moving back from right to left. You can use the Delete key by moving the cursor to the beginning of the text you want to delete it left to right. If you need to write in capital letters, press the Caps Lock key on your keyboard. The Shift key can also be used to type capital letters and upper case characters. You will usually find two Shift keys on the keyboard, one on the left side and one on the right.

Guide: How to use a keyboard

DigitalLearn.org [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] has a short visual guide on how to use a keyboard.

You can turn on captions by clicking on the icon in the bottom left corner.

A transcript is also available.

Control commands

If you find it difficult to use a mouse, the keyboard has control functions that you can use to give the computer commands by pressing the Ctrl key and another letter at the same time.

The following list shows some of the most common control key commands:

Ctrl+A: select all items (such as text, images or a web address)

Ctrl+C: copy selected item

Ctrl+V: paste selected item

Ctrl+X: cut selected item

Ctrl+Z: undo previous action

Ctrl+Y: redo action

Ctrl+N: open a new window in your browser

Ctrl+B: make selected text bold

Ctrl+U: underline

Ctrl+i: italics.

Keyboard alternatives

Standard keyboards may not suit everyone. Adaptive technology is hardware and software that can meet a wide range of access needs. The table below shows some of the technology available.

Table 1: Adaptive technology. Adapted from ‘Working Together: People with Disabilities and Computer Technology’.
Impairment Examples of adaptive technology

Speech impairment

Picture boards

Speech-to-text software

Hearing impairment

Closed captions on video and audio

Visual impairments

Apeech output that scans book pages so the computer can read printed materials

Screen reader or Read Aloud function

Speech-to-text software that writes what you say

Keyboards with enlarged keys or large print key top stickers

Braille displays and Braille printouts

Light sensitivity

Brightness and contrast controls to adjust your screen
Mobility and other physical impairments

Flexible tabletops, monitors and keyboards

Mouthpieces for typing

Trackball and Sticky Keys that hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys

Keyboards with enlarged keys

Left- and right-handed keyboards

Onscreen keyboards

Head-controlled mouse and keyboard

Software that translates Morse code

Voice-activated systems that replace the keyboard

If you are unable to use your hands, eye-tracking technology uses infrared signals to let the eye tracker know where your eyes are looking. You may have heard of Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), a famous physicist who lived with motor neurone disease. Hawking’s assistive technologies included a tablet computer mounted on the arm of his wheelchair, speakers and amplifiers with custom-built speech synthesisers, and a software speech emulator.

Activity 1.1: Keyboard and mouse alternatives

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

AbilityNet has a useful guide to different types of keyboards and mice. Its factsheet on keyboard and mouse alternatives gives details of some of the alternative devices available. It also gives information on adaptations you can make to standard keyboards and mice.

Take a few minutes to read through the alternatives and adaptations covered. Make some notes in the box below on some of the things that might make it easier for you to use the computer.

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Mouse

1.2 How to create a document using Word