Have you ever thought about the fact that you are a normal, whole person? It's not an obligation, something you are entitled to; it's a privilege. Look around us for a while: when you go to the market, when you walk in the park or to the movies. You'll see a lot of disabled people. Even if some of them still have all their body parts, they are not functional: some are deaf, some are blind, some are paraplegic and cannot move at all, some can move only their upper half of the body and live in a wheel chair. And the list could continue because there are a lot of disabilities in the world. I had this idea when I was a child and I tried to imagine a blind person's day. So I tried to act like I was blind all day and I kept my eyes closed. I can tell you that I tried really hard and I listen to the weakest sounds to guide me, I used all my other senses, but it wasn't enough. I could do maybe 10 percent of the things I could do with my eyes open. Then I felt a deep feeling of respect for all disabled people, because they have to face this difficulty for the rest of their lives.And they do it just fine.

Of course, the number of the disabled people is relatively small when you compare it with the normal, able people. That is why it's an incredibly thoughtful thing that some companies that produce all kinds of devices remembered this category of people and adapted their products for them. The 21st century is the century of computers, of the internet and of the virtual world. That is why it was only natural for all the people to learn how to use a computer, even disabled people.

I surfed the Internet and I searched for a while and after some time, to my surprise, I found a lot of computer companies that offer special products for the disabled. I don't know where to start. You can find a lot of devices like that on www.adapt-it.org.uk. They are a bit more expensive than the usual stuff, but it's understandable.

First there a picture of a mouse for the blind, with indented characters instead of buttons for clicking. Then there's the eye mouse for people who can't use their hands. It is like a helmet on your head and the cursor on the screen moves according to the moves of your head, where you look. Then you have a set of different moves to replace the click, double click and the other functions of a normal mouse.

Another miraculous site that drove my attention with adapted devices for disabled is www.makoa.org, where you can find almost anything, of course adapted for special needs. For example there are computer mice for the feet - designed for the people who can't use their hands. Semco presents the QuadraJoy mouse for quadraplegic, which is an orally controlled mouse.They made this mouse as an alternative to regular hand controlled computer mice , that is created for people with limited or no hand mobility. Then there's the TetraMouse, that is a little cheaper than the others , looks like a dual joystick and it can be operated with the lips by people with little head movement. The device can also be operated with the tongue, in which case the knobs come in a cup shape. The biggest advantage is there's no need for additional software because the computer "sees" it as a normal functioning computer mouse.

MicroPoint from Zygo is an alternative pointing device, a kind of mouse for the finger, finger tip controlled and designed for people with a limited range of motion that can't use a proper mouse.It is compatible with Windows 9X and Windows ME, 9 pin or 25 pin serial port or mouse port.



SmartNav is an ergonomic mouse alternative for people who have a carpal tunnel disorder or can't use their hands. it is operated by the movement of your head.

Point-N-Click is a little different because it's not a real mouse with special feature, but a virtual one. It can be installed and run on the screen for people who can use a mouse , but can't perform a double click or right click. So all they have to do is genlty click the virtual mouse on the right part showed on the monitor and the cursor will move according to it.


SAM trackball is a switch adapted mouse device used for disabled people. It enables a person with locomotor disability to move the mouse and do the other mouse operations (click, right click, hold) with other parts of the body.

The LightKeyKeyboard, with an incorporated mouse operates when the light beam passes over a certain key. When the light beams goes over the arrows of the mouse, the cursor on the screen goes in that direction. With a set of combined moves you can perform almost all the normal activities, just like using a normal computer mouse.



But in the end, after seeing all kinds of adaptations for physically disabled people, I ran across a project belonging to some Japanese students who invented the "Face mouse" for the people with a mental handicap, that are retarded and don't understand all the requests and commands of the teachers. It's a computer  mouse with the outside shell in the form of a bear and the buttons of the mouse are positioned in the place of the eyes. The "nose" will move the mouse horizontally and the "mouth" vertically. This way it is easier for them to understand both a command (Pull the nose of the bear!) and also to realize the nature of the movement.

I don't know about you, but I am fascinated with what I found out about disabled people and their strong will to survive and to be considered "normal". All the people that I know want to be special, different, unique in some kind, but these people are just the opposite. They are in fact different from us, but still want to be treated equally and their biggest wish is to lead a normal life.