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| We all experience problems
with memory and concentration, feelings of physical
weakness and fatigue, distractibility and difficulty
focusing on the activity at hand. There are large
groups of people, both adults and children who
experience greater or lesser degrees of learning
disability, attention deficit disorder or physical
strength or tone problems.
In some cases, people
with these characteristics are referred to as 'high
incidence' due to the more common nature of these
problems. This is simply a method of distinguishing
people with less severe problems from those with severe
disabilities, who are fewer in number, and sometimes
referred to as having a 'low incidence disability'. |
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Some important concepts for your
seating and positioning needs if you experience some of the
'high incidence' challenges discussed above:
Body position and posture:
is important for everyone, but even more important if you have
difficulty concentrating or fatigue quickly.
Stability, stability,
stability !!!: This is a point that cannot be
emphasized enough. Make sure your feet are firmly on the
floor, arms supported on the table or arm support block on the
table, your thighs are fully supported by the chair, and back
supported with a lumbar support. See detailed information
about ergonomics and positioning here.
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For many
users, providing more table space in front of the
keyboard for resting the forearms will help with stabilizing
arms. |
Click on picture to see larger
view... |
Click on picture to see larger view... |
| Forearms
or wrists rested on arm
supports (such as a wrist rest or larger
arm supports on the desk in front of the keyboard)
can be helpful in providing a stable surface for
support thus reducing tremors or helping stabilize
poorly controlled movement. Proximal stability
(of arms) will almost always help with increased
accuracy with initial key hits. |
Hearing: If you
get overwhelmed or distracted by environmental sounds, wear a
headset covering both ears and play some white sounds through
the headsets. Once you've become used to having the
headsets on and the sound, you may find that you are able to
focus on work and cope better with a busy work or school
classroom environment. For distractible students in a
classroom, sometimes FM
hearing systems can make a significant difference in the
students ability to focus, concentrate and respond to
instructions.
Vision: Likewise,
for visual distractibility or difficulty coping with a busy
environment or light sources while trying to work, place the
computer in a strategic position, further away from the busier
parts of the room if possible. If not, use a screen or
large board to block off some of the room. Make sure the
computer screen does not have any light sources behind or in
front of it. Windows or lights should be at right angles
to the screen.
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