Assisting people with multiple disabilities to improve computer typing efficiency through a mouse wheel and On-Screen Keyboard software

•Standard mice can be used as high performance assistive technology devices.•Redesigning the mouse driver can allow mouse functions to be made more effective.•A mouse wheel can be used as a precise thumb/finger poke detector.•Participants can rapidly improve their typing efficiency by using a mouse wheel. The main purpose of this study was to find out whether three students with multiple disabilities could increase their keyboard typing performance by poking the standard mouse scroll wheel with the newly developed Dynamic Typing Assistive Program (DTAP) and the built-in On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) computer software. The DTAP is a software solution that allows users to complete typing tasks with OSK software easily, quickly, and accurately by poking the mouse wheel. This study was performed according to a multiple baseline design across participants, and the experimental data showed that all of the participants significantly increased their typing efficiency in the intervention phase. Moreover, this improved performance was maintained during the maintenance phase. Practical and developmental implications of the findings were discussed.