Our users are of all ages unable to use a physical keyboard, such as those with spinal cord injuries, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), muscular dystrophy, and cerebral palsy. Any pointing device or one through six discrete switches may be used as input. There are many alternative pointing devices and switches available in the assistive technology field that work with WiViK. From joystick users to switch users, WiViK offers complete access to your PC.
A Windows® PC with 800 MHz or higher processor speed
Windows® XP, Vista, 7 (Note: 64-bit Vista/7 beta is available to download)
Using any pointing device (e.g., mouse, trackball, touchpad, and headpointer) you can select the WiViK on-screen keys. All keys work just as they would if you were typing on a physical keyboard. Select a key and WiViK sends it to a word processor, e-mail message, web page or other text-based application you may be using. Keyboards can contain any keys you want, can be moved anywhere on the screen and can be any size. WiViK also has a unique expanding quadrant keyboard for those with limited pointing abilities.
Click selection enables you to to select a key by clicking the button associated with your pointing device. There are several optional ways of using this selection method. You can select the key that first point at while clicking, or you can hold the button down while dragging across the keyboard—a useful technique for touchscreen users. Other options include quick shifting a character without using the Shift key by double-clicking a letter; using the right button to quickly perform an Undo action; and selecting a key on pressing the button down rather than waiting for the button to be released.
Dwell selection allows you to select a key by dwelling or pausing over a key for an adjustable time. There are several optional ways of using this selection method. You can turn on averaging so that if you move off the key while dwelling, you do not have to start the dwelling time over again. The key that you are over most of the time will be the one that is selected. This is very useful if you have difficulty holding the pointing device perfectly still or have imprecise pointing ability. You can also choose to have keys auto repeat or not. Associated with auto repeating is an option to automatically stop repeating if the motion of the pointing device is absolutely still (as in the case of you taking your hand off the device).
Sticky keys are standard with the Shift, Caps Lock, Alt and Ctrl keys which automatically latch with a single selection, or latch on with a double selection.
Expanding quadrant selection is a WiViK innovation which involves a special keyboard for selecting keys which has been developed for people with imprecise pointing abilities. Quadrants of a keyboard are expanded to provide larger target areas for selection.
With switch-based scanning, a highlight moves or scans across the keyboard. Select the switch to choose the key you want and WiViK sends it to a word processor, e-mail message, web page or other text based application you may be using. With WiViK you can also use the switch to open menus, edit text, move or resize windows, jump to other applications or move the mouse pointer.
While there are several standard scanning strategies available, WiViK also lets you define your own unique strategy based on your abilities and preferences. By choosing the number of switches (1 – 6), the basic scanning method (automatic, directed, inverse/step etc.) and the pattern of scanning movement you prefer (item, row/column, quadrant) you create your own personal scanning strategy which will make accomplishing your tasks easier and faster.
In automatic scanning, groups or items are automatically highlighted or scanned in sequence. The highlight pauses at each group/item for a preset time.
When you activate (press and release) the select switch, scanning begins across smaller groups or individual items. If you click the select switch when an individual item is highlighted, that item is selected. One or two switches are usually used with automatic scanning with select and cancel actions assigned to switches.
You must be able to activate the switch within the preset time to make a selection.
With inverse scanning you advance the highlight by holding the select switch down. While the switch is held down, the highlight pauses at each item for a preset time.
Step scanning is a variation where you advance by repeatedly activating the select switch. Sometimes, step and inverse scanning are combined.
The advantage of inverse/step scanning is that timing is not as critical as with automatic scanning. Groups or items are selected with a select switch or by dwelling. Typically two or three switches are used with move, select and cancel actions assigned to switches.
Directed scanning matches separate switches with moving the highlight across individual keys. These switches are used in a step or inverse fashion. The switches are often housed in a gated joystick, allowing users to direct the scanning cursor as they would drive an electric wheelchair. Items are selected by activating the select switch, or by dwelling for some period. Directed scanning requires the greatest degree of control. Switch connection
The Switch Interface Cable is used with the WIVIK 3 on-screen keyboard to provide switch scanning for an individual. Provides two single switch connections.
The Switch Interface Box is used along with the WIVIK 3 on-screen keyboard to provide switch scanning for an individual. It is connected through the USB port and provides up to six single switch connections, two dual switch connections and a joystick connection.
WiViK offers a unique and innovative solution that addresses the issue of desktop manipulation for scanning users. In this method, buttons, menus, scroll bars, and other objects are sequentially highlighted and then selected. We call this a “task transparent” solution.
WiViK includes several keyboard layouts that are appropriate for various scanning strategies. They include commands to scroll, resize and move windows, scan menus, position the text cursor, and emulate mouse movements. The keyboard crnfreq.kbm is the most commonly used scanning keyboard. It has been designed for row/column scanning with letters arranged so that frequently used letters are close to the upper left-hand corner.
WiViK has a number of benefits over competing products. Evaluate WiViK for yourself to appreciate these benefits.
WiViK incorporates WordQ™ technology for its word prediction. WordQ is a separate application that runs at the same time as WiViK and displays predicted words within WiViK on-screen keyboards. As you type, correctly spelled words are continuously displayed. When you see the word you want to use, you can choose it with your pointing device or switch. You can also display a word with its different word endings. Using knowledge about the last word that you wrote, WordQ software also suggests relevant next words in your sentence.
A user vocabulary reflects your personal writing style. This user vocabulary continually adapts as you write and improves its performance as you use it. This vocabulary ensures words are suggested that you regularly use and understand, thus reducing confusion. A number of initial user vocabularies are included based upon starting, intermediate, and advanced writing styles. You can further customize your user vocabulary by adding novel words and by importing text files. You can also create and use groups of words called topics, such as your favorite sport, the family pet, or general math concepts. When you write about one of your topics, its words are more likely to be suggested.
When WordQ encounters unfamiliar and misspelled words, it saves them for you to review at a later time. You can then delete a misspelled word or add a novel word to your vocabulary.
There are four options associated with word prediction:
In addition to suggesting correct spelling, any novel words and misspelled words are put aside for later review.
Customizing a vocabulary for specific needs is done at two levels. A user vocabulary may be customized for an overall writing style by importing samples of text files. Importing text is similar to the adaptation that occurs naturally over time, but it is done quickly. The user vocabulary may initially start as a blank or with just core function words. When text files are imported, they are automatically analysed for word usage and the word prediction will then take on the writing style of the source documents. There are no limits on the number of user vocabularies that may be created.
You can also easily add and use topic lists of words/phrases that emphasize those words in the prediction process. For example, a topic may be a list of baseball terms, a list of Prime Ministers, or a list of dinosaurs. Topic words are essentially user vocabulary words that are singled out for boosting in the prediction process. Because they are user vocabulary words, they will have word usage data and hence they will be shown only when appropriate. When creating a topic list, novel words are automatically added to the user vocabulary.
While only one topic active can be active at a time, there are no limits on the number of topics that you use. You can switch between topics at any time (e.g., between sentences or paragraphs). When a topic is active, words within that topic are more likely to appear.
WiViK incorporates WordQ™ technology for its abbreviation-expansion. Abbreviation-expansion is a technique in which a combination of letters, an “abbreviation,” is used to represent a word or phrase. When you type an abbreviation followed by the Spacebar or Enter key, it expands to the assigned word or phrase.
You can create your own set of abbreviations that are easy for you to use and remember. For example, you may use hyt as an abbreviation for How are you today?
There is no limit on the number of abbreviations that may be saved in one set. Because you must memorize each abbreviation, a small set of abbreviations is suggested.
Your abbreviations will be caught as possible misspellings and held in the Spelling dialog (Options>My Words...>Spelling). You can choose to add them to your prediction vocabulary so that they will appear as predicted words. This can reduce keystrokes as well as be a helpful memory cue, especially with abbreviations of three or more characters.
A suggestion is to begin your abbreviations with the letter “x” so that they are obvious abbreviations.
Your abbreviations will be caught as possible misspellings and held in the Spelling dialog (Options>My Words...>Spelling). You can choose to add them to your prediction vocabulary so that they will appear as predicted words. This can reduce keystrokes as well as be a helpful memory cue, especially with abbreviations of three or more characters.
WiViK incorporates WordQ technology for its speech output.
You can have letters, words, and sentences spoken as you type. Any combination of these may be used.
Proofreading sentences with the Read button located on the WiViK keyboard uses both visual and spoken cues to help you find mistakes in word order, word form, missing words, grammar, spelling and punctuation. By listening to the flow of words you can hear whether it makes sense. You can often hear mistakes that you don’t see.
This is fully available in Microsoft Word, WordPad, Notepad, and Outlook. Here, the sentence is spoken with each word highlighted word-by-word, emphasizing the visual/auditory shape of each word.
All of this is done directly in the word processor application. At the end of the sentence, the sentence is highlighted again so that you do not lose your place. You can repeat reading the sentence.
When other applications are used (e.g., WordPerfect, Internet Explorer, Inspiration), word-by-word highlighting is not available and you must manually highlight the text. If you want word-by-word highlighting, you can easily copy and paste the text into Notepad or WordPad for reading.
Predicted words are spoken when highlighted.
