-----Original Message-----
From: main@jfw.groups.io <main@jfw.groups.io> On Behalf Of Ann Byrne
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020 5:49 PM
To: main@jfw.groups.io
Subject: Re: Laptop mouse question

I use an external keyboard with my lap top. that way I don't inadvertently
hit the touchPad. Some computers you can turn it off and on easily, but
some you can't.
At 04:17 PM 11/15/2020, you wrote:

On Sun, Nov 15, 2020 at 03:51 PM, Mark Arnold ABG wrote:
Often times I inadvertently touch the mouse area and JAWS loses focus.Â
Do most users turn off the mouse and connect an external mouse if
sighted users want to utilize a mouse? Any input would be
appreciated…

-Mark,      My recommendation of over a decade not to every
one of the clients I've tutored is NOT to disable the mousepad, because
having real left and right click hard buttons is just so useful, but to
mask off the "thumbpad"
area that causes the mouse pointer to move. I have most commonly done
this using a piece of cardboard of the thickness you typically find on
the back of a notepad, cut to the necessary size, taped down on the
left like that side is a book spine and on the right with a smaller
tape tab, that can be easily lifted if desired to expose the "thumbpad"
area for sighted assistants.      It is just so handy to
have real left and right click rather than using screen reader
emulation to achieve same, and you can get that while easily preventing
the issue you describe by masking off the area responsible for pointer
movement. --

Brian - Windows 10 Pro, 64-Bit, Version 2004, Build 19041 Â

The purpose of education is not to validate ignorance but to overcome
it. Â Â Â Â Â Â ~ Lawrence Krauss