Selection Keyboard

A text entry interface where characters are displayed in a grid on screen and users select them by navigating a cursor or highlight to the desired character using an alternative input device such as a joystick, switch, or eye tracker. Selection keyboards are commonly used by people with motor impairments who cannot operate a standard physical keyboard. The user moves through the grid — either by direct navigation or through automatic scanning — and activates a selection mechanism when the desired character is highlighted. While selection keyboards make text entry possible for many assistive technology users, they are inherently slower than physical keyboards because each character requires multiple input actions to select.