HACKER Q&A
📣 andre-pierre

Helping disabled people coding easily


Hello,

We mostly work on Java with the ItelliJ IDE and use the Google Workplace.

I have a colleague who is disabled. I really feel bad for him as he struggles typing the code he has in mind : It's really hard for him to keep his head up all the time. As for his hands, he can move them but his control of his fingers is difficult.

Are there good programming tools that could help disabled people to code easier ?

Regards

  👤 vanusa Accepted Answer ✓
Don't know about the typing part - but perhaps some combination of pillows (like the semi-circular kind people us on airlines) + DIY constraints on head movement could help? In any case it's definitely worth investing some serious cash into, given the (very severe) risks that will follow from not having this situation corrected ASAP.

Sorry I don't have any better tips for you, but all I can say is: "Ouch" - typing (and crappy corporate work environments) hurt for a lot of people, so (for the sake of his livelihood) I really, really hope you figure something out for him.

BTW a small grammar fix: title should say "Helping disabled people code more easily", or perhaps "type and code more easily". (Only offering that so your post won't get so quickly overlooked). "Coding easily" doesn't parse, English-wise, in any case.

👤 axljjn
I have an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). There’s a bunch of issues I got, but specifically for coding, my right hand is paralyzed enough where I gave up on using it. Luckily, my left is fine for the most part. What got me by was learning shortcuts, making my own, and getting a Stream Deck XL. After that it’s just about practice. My accident happened before I really got into coding, so I was about to give up, but just about everything sucks once you’re “disabled” and we just learn to live with it. Having people like you that care helps a lot.

There are tools like Alfred and newer ones like Raycast. Basic ergonomic stuff will help like mounting monitors. If there’s not much that can be done in one area, it’s worth focusing on making other areas easier to reduce the overall load.

Honestly, I would just ask politely. The person with the disabilities will know exactly where their pain points are. I met a bunch of guys with an SCI and it affects us all differently.

👤 beforeolives
On the more extreme end there is Voice Driven Development - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKuRkGkf5HU