Lowcost keyguard for disabled people

They founded (these)abilities, a design & technology startup that aims to "Disable Disabilities" by designing & building products that level the playing field for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) at work, at home and during play.

A keyguard is a plastic or metal plate placed on top of a keyboard, with holes aligned to the keyboard's keys.
It makes the keys recessed, making it easier for people with upper-limb mobility issues - such as those who have suffered strokes or have Parkinson's disease or muscular dystrophy - to use a keyboard.

They changed the manufacturing process by using a new technology in which the scanned image of a keyboard layout can be sent to a laser cutting facility to cut the plastic according to the layout. This means keyguards can be customised to any keyboard, and costs are halved.

"I felt it was social injustice. People are born differently abled, not disabled, but because society has minimal inclusion for such people, it renders them disabled. I found it to be a design problem," he said.

(these)abilities was recently selected for a programme which helps start-ups that tackle challenges faced by people with disabilities, and it received seed funding of $10,000 from Singtel earlier this year. Singtel's vice-president of group corporate social responsibility Andrew Buay said: "Their business model focused on simple and cost-effective accessibility solutions for persons with disabilities."

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/1Y0D7gs

More info: http://www.theseabilities.com/

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