One of the most frequently requested resources that I receive from technology teachers and elementary school teachers alike is strategies for learning to type with low vision and typing for visually impaired students. Since I run my own website and take a lot of virtual classes, I spend a lot of time typing and using my keyboard to communicate, though learning to type with low vision was not something that always came naturally to me— I spent many hours frustrated with inaccessible typing programs and feeling like I was assigned extra work, but once I found a keyboard that I could comfortably use and learned where the keys were, it wasn’t long before I was typing anything and everything. Here are my favorite tips and strategies for learning to type with low vision, along with a mix of paid and free resources for teaching touch typing to visually impaired students (inclusive of low vision and blind).
Important typing skills for visually impaired students
As a student with low vision and dysgraphia (a condition that impacts my handwriting), I spend a lot of time typing every day in various contexts, especially when it comes to school and work. Based on my own experiences and the experiences of the students I work with, the most important typing skills I have identified for students with visual impairments include:
- Recognizing proper posture and hand positioning for typing. Ensure the student can type comfortably and that they are sitting in a position where they can comfortably view the screen/position their hands without straining or pain
- Typing across multiple devices: students should feel comfortable typing on a computer, phone, tablet, and any other devices they interact with regularly
- Learning to type on both a touch screen and physical keyboard, or identifying alternative input options for text input
- Setting up a document and taking notes while typing
- Learning to type an email, text message, or other communications
- Using keyboard hotkeys
- Applying text formatting (headings, bold font, etc.)
- How to increase font sizes in typing programs
While I don’t encourage students to be fully reliant on these types of tools, I personally use several text shortcut tools to make typing easier for myself, especially since dysgraphia impacts my typing as well. Some examples of strategies I use include:
- Autocorrect, which includes adding my own custom dictionary for words that I frequently misspell in the same way
- Text expander tools for writing definitions or sentences (especially helpful for notes or for words I write a lot)
- Custom keyboard shortcuts for opening programs
- Hover Text/Hover Typing for enlarging what I am typing on iOS
Related links
- How I Manage Dysgraphia In Online Classes
- How To Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows
- How To Use Hover Text For iPad With Low Vision
- Tips For Using VDWrite In The Classroom With Low Vision
Choosing a keyboard with low vision
Many students type on both physical and touchscreen/digital keyboards, and it can be challenging to identify an accessible keyboard option for students with visual impairments. I personally use and love the Keys-U-See and Apple Magic Keyboards for typing on my computer and iPad respectively, and use the default GBoard keyboard with large print on Android. I also have another wireless keyboard with large print stickers that is compatible with all of my devices, and also have the Keeble app on my iPad for typing with low vision.
When it comes to choosing an accessible keyboard for low vision, features to consider include:
- Size of keyboard and keyboard layout
- Types of keycaps and their spacing on the keyboard
- Connection type: wired or wireless may be more appropriate in specific contexts
- Keyboard letters/font size- can the user identify the location of keys on the keyboard? Font style can also be significant for digital keyboards, this can often be customized or changed to system fonts.
- Color of keys and letters. Digital keyboards often have options for customizing this as well.
- Backlit keys/RGB keys. Keys with additional light may be easier to read or identify
- Support for a dictation shortcut and other shortcut keys, or operating system specific keys
- Use of a stand/adjustable angle for making it easier to type
If a student already has a keyboard they like but that they have trouble seeing, there are a few options for keyboard adaptations, including:
- Add vinyl stickers with large print letters
- Use braille stickers on top of keys
- Place bump dots or tactile dots on F and J, or on other keys to help with positioning hands
- When first learning the layout of the keyboard, use a video magnifier to enlarge individual keys
- Add additional task lighting in the area of the keyboard, such as a lamp
- Use color-coding as a landmarking tool, adding colors to keys so they are easier to identify (this strategy worked especially well for a student who has CVI)
- Consider enabling an on-screen keyboard for computers, which can highlight the location of keys as they are pressed on a physical keyboard
Another tool I used when working with two different students that have CVI was a large paper keyboard, which I edited to match student text preferences and also to match their keyboard colors. Each student walked around to examine the keys and understand where they were located on the keyboard, and the larger layout helped reduce some of the visual clutter that comes from trying to read a bunch of small keys at once. I’ve linked a keyboard template from Erintegration that I used— one student preferred having the “keyboard” on the floor, while another preferred having it on the wall or a vertical surface.
Related links
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Keyboards
- Choosing An iPad Keyboard For Low Vision
- Lighting And Low Vision
- Make Android Easier To See With Large Print Apps
- Keeble website
- Erintegration printable large keyboard
Typing programs for low vision students
Many students in K-12 classrooms often use typing programs or structured typing lessons to develop typing skills. These programs can be inaccessible for visually impaired students due to small font sizes, flashing animations, or not being compatible with screen readers. Some examples of accessible typing programs that can be used by low vision students include:
APH Typer Online (free)
Typer is a free web-based app from the American Printing House for the Blind that allows users to practice their typing skills. Typer uses existing assistive technology settings to help users learn how to type and familiarize themselves with a keyboard so that users can practice typing with familiar tools such as their favorite screen reader and screen magnification tools. Users don’t need to create an account to use Typer, though they will need to note what lesson they are on as the app does not store progress.
On the Typer website, users can access over 30 different lessons that cover different sections of the keyboard, including different sections of the keyboard as well as punctuation and special characters. Typer works with any on-screen or physical QWERTY keyboard, and can be used with screen magnification or screen readers. Screen reader users will need to configure their screen reader settings to ensure that punctuation is read out loud so that the entire line of words or characters can be read accurately, and may also need to adjust the pronunciation of key combinations such as asdf or fdsa.
There is also an iOS app called Talking Typer developed by APH that is designed to be used with a Bluetooth keyboard and VoiceOver, but I have not personally used this.
Typio Online ($60 USD per year)
Typio Online by AccessiByte is a self-voicing high contrast web application that teaches typing to students with visual impairments and provides rewards/incentives in the form of a “typing pet” that gives encouragement to the user. Typio offers several typing modes for learning to type with a QWERTY keyboard or for learning braille, and does not require students to enable a screen reader or external magnification to access lessons (though students can certainly use their own).
One of the best parts about Typio is that it is designed with universal design for learning principles (UDL) in mind, so that the application can be used by students either nonvisually or without any audio at all. There are also customization options for all visual and audio settings so that users can have control over how they access their typing lessons.
For users that aren’t interested in a typing pet or other games, Typio Pro is the same price and offers all of the same customization options for accessibility. Typio Pro is designed for teens and adult users, though anecdotally many of the high school students I have worked with shared that they liked the motivation of having a typing pet.
TypeAbility ($150 USD, one time purchase)
TypeAbility is a typing program for computers designed to be used with JAWS, Fusion, or MAGic screen magnification. Lessons are displayed in dialog boxes and text documents, so students can practice with typing letters, numbers, punctuation, and learning how to navigate/edit dialog boxes and text documents in the process. TypeAbility offers a free trial for exploring the program, and also offers games and other features for helping students get excited about typing.
Related links
- APH Typer Online website
- Talking Typer app for iOS
- Typio Online website
- Typio Pro website
- TypeAbility website
Exploring keyboard alternatives
While visual impairment alone does not prevent someone from using a standard keyboard, some users may find it difficult or impossible to type on a mainstream or traditional keyboard for other reasons. While students will still need to practice typing with alternative keyboards or alternative input methods, other options for authoring text can include:
- Using a one-handed keyboard technique or a specialty one-handed keyboard (such as a wearable keyboard)
- Choosing a keyboard with a keyguard, which adds additional spacing between keys
- Learning to use dictation or speech-to-text
- Typing with a braille keyboard/using braille input
- Ergonomic keyboards that have different spacing options for keys
- Using other access strategies such as eye gaze or switch access
I strongly recommend working with an occupational therapist, physical therapist, and other allied professionals to determine appropriate solutions for alternative input devices.
Related links
- How To Use Dictation As Assistive Technology With Mainstream Devices
- Computer Mice and Mouse Alternatives For Low Vision
- How I Use Technology To Improve Handwriting
Encouraging students to practice typing
How can students learn to type without it feeling like extra homework? When I was first learning to type, my teacher encouraged me to write a story in Microsoft Word, which was a great motivation since I loved creative writing and had difficulties with copying text from the typing program that the other students were using due to the too-small font. Other strategies I have used with students over the years have included:
- For a student who was a huge fan of a particular band, they would write out different lyrics to songs from memory, or write out songs from several artists to create a lyric book or playlist. They later customized the appearance of text to create posters for their room.
- Typing lists of items, such as a list of favorite foods/meals, plans for a birthday party or fun vacation, or an infodump about a particular topic. I had a student who gave me a list of movies and shows they thought I should watch and why.
- Writing letters, emails, or messages to friends or family members. When I was learning to type on a touchscreen braille keyboard for an assignment, I would text my friends about various things since this was an easy way for me to write short messages.
- Many nonprofit organizations hold creative writing contests throughout the year for blind and low vision students, including competitions for braille.
Another great motivation tool was learning that my words per minute speed was increasing— sometimes, this information was also presented in too-small font in the mainstream typing programs that were used in my classes. Being able to type quickly has been a tremendously helpful skill for school and for blogging as well!
Related links
- How I Organize Emails In College With Low Vision
- Tips For Writing Letters To Visually Impaired Recipients
- Choosing Greeting Cards For Visually Impaired Recipients
- Texting and Low Vision
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
More tips for learning to type with low vision
- Looking for more ideas for teaching typing to students with visual impairments? Perkins School for the Blind’s Paths to Technology blog maintains a list of free keyboarding activities in their lesson library at Keyboarding | Lesson Library (www.perkins.org)
- For students that know how to type but need help with academic writing, I highly recommend checking out my Writing Success series at Writing Success Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes
- Want more resources on reading and writing with low vision? Browse Reading And Writing Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes
Published April 25, 2020. Updated December 2024