The New
Standard for On-Screen Keyboards
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Smart Key™ Technology!
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The New
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REACH Interface Author™
This product is the premier on-screen keyboard software available and comes with a vast assortment of assistive technology tools (see the list of features below). It runs in Microsoft® Windows™3.1, Windows for Workgroup™3.11, Windows®95, and Windows®98.
Seven years of development and testing including nine formal user tests involving adults, adolescents, and children were conducted to ensure that this product helps maximize the abilities of a variety of users. It started as a simple on-screen keyboard (like those now commonly available) and based on extensive input from users, has grown into an elaborate assistive technology toolkit.
It comes with word/sentence completion, speech augmentation, scanning keyboard options, automatic "windows management" (that automatically resize, reposition, and bring windows to the top when you need them), a multimedia keyboard authoring system, 100+ built-in keyboards, 10 built-in assessment tools, -- and much, much more!
It's All Within Your REACH Interface Author™!
Shown above is the "QWERTY" keyboard, one of the 100+ keyboards that comes with REACH. REACH Interface Author™ was developed to be a complete toolkit for computer access, with something for everyone. No one would use all the features in REACH, but they are there so that you can adjust the software to fit the abilities of the current user. It has features that are beneficial for the youngest beginner to the most sophisticated adult user (visit the Keyboard Library to see some of the children's keyboards or some of the standard or special keyboards).
REACH Button Bar, Menu Bar, and Status Bar
Below the keyboard, notice the REACH Menu Bar, Button Bar, and Status Bar:
Use the REACH Button Bar to quickly perform frequently needed tasks. The following buttons are included.
Button: Menu Bar. Hide or show the REACH Menu Bar.
Button: Status Bar. Hide or show the REACH Status Bar.
Button: Zoom. Select, enlarge and work in a portion of the display.
Button: Key Size. Change the size (height) of the keyboard and its keys (key height and width are independently sizable).
Button: Double Click. Automatically double click on next left mouse button click.
Button: Drag. Automatically drag (hold mouse button down and then release) on the next two button clicks.
Button: Right Button. Automatically click the right mouse button on next left mouse button click.
Button: Next Program. Go to the next running windows application (automatically size & position if needed).
Button: Settings Display the Settings dialog box for making quick adjustments.
Button: Next Keyboard. Display the next keyboard on the "Keyboard Turntable" (containing 4 favorite keyboards).
Button: Hide/Show Keyboard. Hide REACH keyboard if it is showing or show REACH keyboard if it is hidden (automatically size the current application if needed).
Button: Words. (Shown on Word Prediction Bar). When pressed, this button displays a quick menu with several important shortcut options (see below). The "Speak Last Word" option speaks the last word you typed; Speak Last Sentence" speaks everything typed since the last period, question mark, etc.; "Speak Highlighted" speaks the text you have highlighted in the current application; and "Add Word" adds the last word (if not already in the dictionary) to the current user dictionay.
REACH "Words" Quick Menu
REACH Menu Bar
The REACH Menu Bar provides access to many of the more powerful REACH features.
REACH "Programs" Menu
The "Programs Menu" (shown above) lets you move to the next open application; change the startup options (e.g., automatically start REACH, automatically start an application, automatically start the dwell switch, etc.); launch a program; select up to four favorite programs which then appear on this menu for quick starts; and exit REACH/Windows.
REACH "Options" Menu
The "Options Menu" allows you to make changes in the settings; change the voice for the speech synthesizer; launch the"Assess" battery containing 10 drills designed to help determine what the best switch, pointer, keyboard, etc. is for a specific user; turn on/off the word prediction feature; customize the word prediction features; create or change the current dictionary(ies) or add words, abbreviations, or sentences; and perform standard pointer operations.
REACH "Keyboard" Menu
The "Keyboard Menu" contains many of REACH's more powerful features. Here, you can move to the next keyboard on the keyboard turntable; launch the REACH Keyboard Author™ with which you can modify existing keyboards, make your own new keyboards, add or modify the keyboard scanning pattern, etc.; turn on any of the three scanning keyboard options; activate the keyboard turntable or select from any of the 100+ keyboards that come with REACH; adjust the size of the keyboard and the keys on the keyboard; select the default key sound; and turn on/off key text or key speech output.
REACH "Pointer" Menu
The "Pointer Menu" allows you to turn on/off the dwell switch and make adjustments to it; turn on/off the REACH "Wobble" feature (a cursor smoothing function; or select a cursor from a library of 40 opional cursors.
REACH "View" Menu
In the "View" menu you can activate the Zoom enlargement feature and hide or show the REACH keyboard, status bar, and menu bar.
REACH "Help" Menu
The REACH "Help" menu offers one of the most comprehensive help systems available. Virtually the entireUser's Manual is available in this help system. In addition to the standard help options, try the "How Do I ...." option, which was designed as a goal-directed method for quickly finding the information you are seeking.
REACH Interface Author™ Features
Following is a partial list of the features available in REACH Interface Author™.
* Microsoft Windows™ Compatible (Runs in Windows™ 3.1, Windows®95 or ®98)
* Multimedia Keyboard Author - Make Your Own Custom Keyboards
* 100+ Built-In Keyboards
* Built-In Word Prediction
* Built-In Windows Management Technology (Automatic Resizing, Positioning, etc.)
* Ten Built-In Assessment Drills
* Scanning Keyboard & Word Prediction Options
* Single Switch, Dual Switch, and Inverse Scanning Options
* Comes with Microsoft Text-to-Speech (Must have sound card and Windows®95 or ®98)
* Speak Letters Automatically When Typing Option
* Speak Words Automatically When Typing Option
* Speak Sentences Automatically When Typing Option
* Speak Last Sentence Quick Option
* Speak Last Word Quick Option
* Speak Highlighted Text Quick Option
* Add Last Word to User Dictionary Quick Option
* 11,000+ Words in Word Prediction Main Dictionary
* Drag, Double Click, Right Buttons
* Authorable Custom Dictionaries
* Zoom Feature (Enlarge Display Portion and Work in Enlarged Portion)
* Speech Augmentation: Speech Keyboard System Included
* Speech Augmentation: Speech Dictionary Included
* Speech Augmentation: Speak When Pointed At or Pressed Options for Keys and Words
* Spelling Monitor Options
* Word Usage Learning Options
* Elaborate Help System
* Picture/Sound/Transparent Key Options
* Cursor Options
* Key Sound Options
* Author Custom Speech Screens
* Keyboard Turntable
* Adjustable Key & Keyboard Size (Remembers Previous Settings)
* Pointer Smoothing Options
* Dwell-Time Switch Options
* Instructional Authoring Features
* Abbreviation Expansion
* Sentence Prediction
* Startup and Exit Options
* Keyboard Turntable Feature
* Make Your Own Keyboards and Share Them with Friends
* All Keyboards Use AHF Keyboard Format Standard
* All Dictionaries Use AHF Dictionary Format Standard
* Grows With You (Ages 5 to Adult)
* Stretch Option for Key Pictures
* Stretch Option for Keyboard Background Pictures
* Hide Button Bar & Menu Option
* Auditory Keyboards and Auditory Scanning Keyboards
* Available with new Smart Key™ (Patent Pending) Technology ($150 add-on for REACH)
(Click Here to Learn More About Smart Key® Technology)
REACH Comes with More Than 100 Keyboards Including
Samples of the Following Types:* Standard Keyboards
* Special Keyboards
* Children's Keyboards
* Speech Keyboards
* Reading-Assistance (phonetics) Keyboards
* Musical Keyboards
* Interpreter Keyboards
* Quiz Keyboards
* Game Keyboards
* Talking Storybook Keyboards
* Scanning and Auditory Scanning Keyboards
* Exploratory Keyboards
* Puzzle Keyboards
* Scanning Keyboards
* Performance-Aid Keyboards
* Template Keyboards
* Secret-Code Keyboards
* Point/Click Motor Skills Keyboards
* Memory Assessment Keyboards
Note: Microsoft Text-to-Speech is included and it requires 20+ MB on the "c" drive, a sound card, and Windows®95 or ®98. Other sounds require a sound card.
Other Current and Planned Internet Options
Internet Keyboard Exchange™
(CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION) When this web page is finished, you will be able to list REACH Keyboards that you have created so that other people can find out how to get and use them. You also can get the e-mail addresses of other keyboard authors so that you can get copies of the keyboards they have made!
Internet Keyboard Library™
This web page lets you find out what keyboards are available from Applied Human Factors™, Inc. Keyboards will be available in different keyboard categories (e.g., Storybook Keyboards™*, Quiz Keyboards™, Performance Aid Keyboards™, Reading Assistance Keyboards™*, etc.). (Go To Keyboard Library™)
Internet Dictionary Exchange™
(CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION) When this web page is finished, you will be able to list REACH or SoothSayer Word Prediction™ User Dictionaries that you have created so that other people can find out how to get and use them. You also can get the e-mail addresses of other User Dictionary authors so that you can get copies of the dictionaries they have made!
Internet Dictionary Library™
(CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION) This web page will allow you to download free User Dictionaries from Applied Human Factors™, Inc. User Dictionaries will be available in different categories (e.g., Speech Dictionaries™*, Performance Aid Dictionaries™, Professional Terms Dictionaries™, Academic Dictionaries™, etc.).
Click Here for the Smart Key™ Technology Page!
Click Here for the Keyboard Library Page!