Access for the Elderly with IntelliKeys

It's Never 2 Late and Clicksilver, two organizations dedicated to helping senior citizens learn to use computers, find IntelliKeys to be the perfect tool for teaching older first-timers how to use a computer and the Internet.

It's Never 2 Late, founded in 1999 and based in Englewood, Colorado, provides computer systems, Internet access and training for seniors in nursing homes, assistive living and retirement communities and adult day care centers. The organization realized that a standard computer and keyboard wasn't sufficient to meet the needs of many seniors, who may face reduced mobility or deteriorating eyesight, or varying degrees of disability.

It's Never 2 Late uses IntelliKeys, noting that the adaptive keyboard provides large, well-spaced keys in high-contrast colors that make it easy for users to locate letters and numbers, as well as overlays that provide customization capabilities to meet each senior's unique needs. The organization recently provided a hands-on demonstration of IntelliKeys to Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant Secretary for Aging with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Meanwhile, Clicksilver, a nonprofit organization of volunteers in the San Francisco East Bay , teaches computer and Internet use to older novices at senior centers, skilled nursing facilities, and residential retirement communities. Clicksilver was founded in 2000 by two retirees, Gloria Bayne and Anita Goldstein, who made it their mission to help seniors gain computer access.

The two gained much of their recent computer training knowledge through a five-month internship at the Center for Accessible Technology in Berkeley, where they were introduced to solutions for senior and disabled learners.

"One of the most dramatic tools that we learned about is IntelliKeys," explains Goldstein, in a Contra Costa Times article about their efforts. She notes that navigation, from Web browsing to word processing, can be made easier with IntelliKeys. And she likes the free templates that can be downloaded from the IntelliTools Web site, providing, for example, a keyboard in an alphabetical setup for new typists not familiar with the traditional "q-w-e-r-t-y" arrangement.

It's Never 2 Late: http://www.itsnever2late.com.

If you live in the San Francisco East Bay and would like to volunteer to teach lively, fascinating, eager seniors how to use the Internet and send e-mail, or if you are interested in bringing Clicksilver tutors to a senior residence or senior center - anywhere there are computers and a high-speed connection - contact Clicksilver at: Clicksilver@aol.com.