ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Try the trackball with balled fists.
This is a good test for the accessibility of an interactive requiring a
degree of user dexterity. I learned it at one of the accessibility
workshops Sally Middlebrooks was running for ASTC, so it has good
endorsement.

I saw a game in an electronic game arcade in San Francisco that
simulated bowling--in a way-- in unusual locales (like the deck of a
ship at sea!) via projection and a user-controlled bowling ball-sized
track ball.
Pretty cool.  (...but obviously the opposite of what you're talking
about...)

jasonJayStevens
exhibitDevelopment
annArborHands-OnMuseum
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interactiveArt
potterBelmarLabs
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On 29 Mar 2004, at 6:54 PM, Allan Ayres wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> ***********************************************************************
> ******
>
> Is anyone aware of how the physical size of a trackball affects
> accessibility for a computer kiosk?
>
> I just noticed a new (to me, at least) 1.5" diameter trackball in the
> Happ Controls catalog.  We've used the 3" diameter ones in the past,
> but the mounting plate for those ones is so big that the button has
> to be relatively far away from the trackball.  Their mounting depth
> is also considerable, requiring a thick 'counter' or 'desk' structure
> to house them.
>
> Are there any worries that a 1.5" trackball would require too much
> manual dexterity for visitors to use effectively?  Casual googling on
> the subject hasn't provided much guidance.  I'd appreciate any
> insight.
>
>
>
> --
> ~~
>
> Allan Ayres
> Exhibit Developer
> Lawrence Hall of Science
> University of California, Berkeley
> Berkeley, CA 94720-5200
>
> ***********************************************************************
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