Hand tremor, which affects millions of individuals worldwide, can make it difficult or impossible to operate computers that rely on a mouse, or similar pointing device, for controlling the user interface. We describe an assistive adapter that, when inserted between the mouse and the computer, provides digital motion-smoothing filtering, rejection of inadvertent mouse button clicks, and enhanced double clicking. Because its behavior closely emulates a standard mouse, this setup is operating-system independent and requires no special software on the computer.

People who suffer from Parkinson’s Disease face many challenges using computers, and mice are particularly problematic input devices. This article describes usability tests of standard peripherals for use by people with Parkinson’s Disease in order to search for optimal combinations relative to the needs of this user group. The results are used to determine their effect upon inertia, muscle stiffness, tremor, pain, strain and coordination and show that widely available equipment could significantly improve mouse pointer control for many users.