ALTERNATE INPUT DEVICE MOUSE EMULATOR

THE EVOLUTION OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY HAD LED TO APPLICATIONSAND OPERATING SYSTEMS REQUIRING THE USE OF A MOUSE AS THE OPTIMUM INPUT METHOD. A VARIETY OF ALTERNATE KEYBOARD INPUT METHODS CURRENTLY EXIST TO ASSIST THE DISABLED INDIVIDUAL INACCESSING COMPUTERS, BUT MOST DON'T SUPPORT MOUSE FUNCTIONS.THE ALTERNATE INPUT DEVICE MOUSE EMULATOR (C), AID-ME(C), WOULD PROVIDE THE LINK BETWEEN THESE ALTERNATE INPUT DEVICESAND THE MOUSE PORTS ON VARIOUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE AID-ME REQUIRES THREE MMAJORTO BE FUNDED UNDER A PHASE I CONTRACT: 1. EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF CURRENT AND FORESEEABLE FUTURE ALTERNATE INPUT DEVICES TO SUPPORT. 2. SELECTION OF COMPUTER MODELS THAT USE MOUSE INPUT TO SUPPORT. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF A DESIGN PROTOTYPE TO PROVE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE APPROACH. COMPUTABILITY'S GOAL IN DEVELOPMENT OF THE AID-ME IS TO EX- PAND THE USE OF MICRO-COMPUTERS BY DISABLED INDIVIDUALS TO INCLUDE APPLICATIONS THAT REQUIRE MOUSE INPUT. THE AID-ME WILL BE A LOW COST, EXTERNAL PERIPHERAL DEVICE THAT LINKS EXISTING ALTERNATE INPUT DEVICES WITH THE MOUSE PORT ON SEL-ECTED COMPUTER MODELS AND WILL REQUIRE NO APPLICATION SOFT- WARE CHANGES. THE SYSTEM WILL USE LOW COST SPEECH RECOGNITION AND SYNTHE- SIS DEVICES. THESE DEVICES ARE ALREADY USED SUCCESSFULLY INOTHER COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS.