Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
Volume 10, Number 2 (March 2015)
http://informahealthcare.com/toc/idt/current

Case Report
Facilitating mathematics learning for students with upper extremity disabilities using touch-input system
March 2015, Vol. 10, No. 2 , Pages 170-180 (doi:10.3109/17483107.2013.873490)
Kup-Sze Choi, and Tak-Yin Chan
1Centre for Smart Health, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Hong Kong, China and 2Hong Kong Red Cross Princess Alexandra School, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using tablet device as user interface for students with upper extremity disabilities to input mathematics efficiently into computer. Methods: A touch-input system using tablet device as user interface was proposed to assist these students to write mathematics. User-switchable and context-specific keyboard layouts were designed to streamline the input process. The system could be integrated with conventional computer systems only with minor software setup. A two-week pre–post test study involving five participants was conducted to evaluate the performance of the system and collect user feedback. Results: The mathematics input efficiency of the participants was found to improve during the experiment sessions. In particular, their performance in entering trigonometric expressions by using the touch-input system was significantly better than that by using conventional mathematics editing software with keyboard and mouse. The participants rated the touch-input system positively and were confident that they could operate at ease with more practice. Conclusions: The proposed touch-input system provides a convenient way for the students with hand impairment to write mathematics and has the potential to facilitate their mathematics