On Screen Keyboards

How do I use it?

The Gus! Access Keyboard can be operated with any Windows compatible pointing device including a mouse, trackball, touch screen or "head pointing" device. This latter device enables the user to remotely move the cursor anywhere on the screen and make selections by simply moving the head (hands free). Select a key on the on-screen keyboard and it will be "typed" into the computer for you!

Another way to operate the keyboard is using the included "switch/scanning" feature. The "switch/scanning" method is extremely valuable to people who do not have the head control to use a "head pointing device" but have enough movement somewhere on their body to activate a switch. As an example, if a user could only move their right index finger very slightly, then a very sensitive switch can be mounted beside that finger. When the letter they want to type is highlighted by the "switch/scanning" feature in the software, they simply need to activate the switch to make their selection.

3 Features Simplify Typing

Selecting one letter at a time could be a tedious way to type, if it weren't for 3 included features called "word completion", "word prediction" and "abbreviation expansion." If you look at the picture to the right above, you will see a list of words on the right side. This is the word completion/prediction box. It also displays abbreviations which are explained below.

• Word Prediction (guesses the next word)

After you finish entering a word, the box will display a list of words that normally follows the word you just entered, based on your own vocabulary. For example, suppose you have entered the phrase "I want to go home" on more than one occasion. Hence forth, after you type the word "want" the box will display the word "to" as an offering for the next word. If you select the word "to", the box will display the word "go" along with 8 other words that have, in the past, followed the word "go." As you can see, word completion and word prediction will greatly accelerate your "typing" speed with switch/scanning.

• Abbreviation Expansion (expands an few characters into a word/sentence)

Suppose you would like to type/speak "good morning everyone!" on the Gus! Access Keyboard to greet your family. That is 3 words or 20 letters to type. What if you could type only "gme" and the program would expand it, automatically, to "good morning everyone!". That is exactly what "abbreviation expansion" is all about. You simply type the abbreviation ("gme") and the program automatically inserts the expansion ("good morning everyone!"). You can create as many abbreviations as you like!

• Speech output (Microsoft Speech Synthesizer included!)

Our most recent versions of the Gus! Access Keyboard include the Microsoft Speech Synthesizer at NO additional cost. Using the marvelous sounding voice, the Gus! Access Keyboard can speak each letter, or word, or sentence...automatically using the best sounding speech synthesizer on the market.... and its included...FREE.

• Integrated World Wide Web Navigation (an industry first!)

In this, our most recent version, we've added an indispensable feature for internet cruising....integrated www navigation with "web prediction". With this feature, single switch users can quickly move from web site to web site without fussing with the URL line in Netscape or Explorer. Once again, the Gus! Access Keyboard sets the standard for full function on-screen keyboards.

• Start Menu and task switching in a Task bar application

There are significant differences between our on-screen keyboard and every other product that attempts to complete with it: The Gus! Access Keyboard embeds itself into the Windows task bar!! It isn't just another window taking up valuable space on your screen but is a fully functioning task bar application! What this means to you is that the critical functions of the task bar (starting applications, switching between applications etc) are nicely embedded into the Gus! Access Keyboard. Of the over 100 on-screen keyboards currently available today, this is the only one that offers true integration with the Windows operating system.

• Embedded links to cursor control and communication software

The Gus! Access Keyboard is the only on-screen keyboard that offers switch/scan users simple, fast access to the Gus! Scanning Cursor and the Gus! Multimedia Speech System (sold separately). Therefore, the switch/scan user can move seamlessly between keyboard control, cursor control and communication (speech) using only a single switch. We are the only company that offers this level of integration of all 3 areas and it is the fundamental reason for our success in this industry