Big-key keyboard

Also called Large-key keyboard, Big keys, High-visibility keyboard, Large-print keyboard

Large targets for people whose hands, eyes or tremor need them, on screen or as a physical keyboard the size of a tea tray.

What it is

A big-key keyboard is a keyboard with large keys: on screen, an on-screen keyboard with fewer, bigger buttons; as hardware, a physical keyboard with keys two or three centimetres across, often in high-contrast colours with large print. Both do the same job: give a person a target they can hit.

On a communication device, the on-screen version is the usual form, and most AAC apps let the keyboard be enlarged, simplified or replaced with an ABC layout in big cells.

Who it can help

People with tremor, from Parkinson's, essential tremor or medication. People with weak or imprecise hands after a stroke or with cerebral palsy. People with a visual impairment who need large, high-contrast letters. Older people with arthritis. Children whose fingers are small and whose aim is still developing. And people who use a head pointer or a stylus held in a fist.

Bigger keys mean fewer keys per screen, so a big-key layout often needs a second page for numbers and punctuation, or a scanning route for the rest. For a person who types quickly and accurately, big keys are slower.

How it works

The target gets larger and the gap between targets often gets larger too, which is what stops a tremor landing on the wrong letter. Touch settings do the rest: a hold time before a touch registers filters tremor, and "release to select" lets a person slide to the right key before lifting. A keyguard, a plastic frame with holes over the keys, turns any keyboard into a big-key one by physically guiding the finger.

Layout is a choice. ABC order suits people who never learned QWERTY; QWERTY suits people who did; frequency layouts suit scanners. High contrast (black on yellow, white on black) helps low vision more than size alone.

Getting started

Open the Talk board and use its big-key letter keyboard, which speaks what is typed. If the person hits the keys they mean, that is the answer for today.

If they still mis-hit, go into the device's accessibility settings and set a hold time and release-to-select before buying anything. See device accessibility settings.

For a physical keyboard, AbilityNet lists large-key hardware, and a keyguard for a tablet can be bought or 3D-printed to fit a specific app layout.

Where to get help

AbilityNet gives free advice on keyboards and accessibility settings and publishes step-by-step guides for every platform. An occupational therapist through the NHS can assess hand function and recommend keyguards or hardware, and a speech and language therapist sets the on-screen keyboard within a communication app. ACE Centre supplies and advises on keyguards for the main devices.