Logitech trackball and Kensington Trackball

Using a regular computer mouse has never been fun thing for me to do. My hand is gets uncomfortable from being in a unnatural position, I have difficulty pressing the buttons at the right time and most annoying is that I usually run out of desk space and end up dropping the mouse on the ground.

It was not until I got my first PC when I was starting college that I was introduce to a trackball. The first trackball system that I used was a Kensington Expert Mouse. As you can see the ball sits on a base and therea four buttons surrounding the ball. The base does not move allowing the user to focus on controlling cursor movements through moving just the ball, not the entire device. The four buttons on the base are for left clicks and right clicks but in some models the buttons can open different programs on the system.

The Logitech Trackman mouse is also a trackball system that I have used with a great deal of success.The design is more narrow so that the user can place their hand around the base or as I do just use the ball to move the cursors. Again the base does not move, allowing the user to just move the ball or click the buttons without the worry of running out of desk room as with a regular mouse.

For me, as an individual with Athetoid and Spastic Cerebral Palsy, these two trackball systems have been the answer to a lot of difficulties I had using a regular computer mouse. I could know cut and paste text without the worry of losing the text half way to its destination because my hand slipped off the mouse or because I was not able to drag and hold the buttons at the same time. Using the trackball system also allowed me to be on the computer for longer periods of time as my hand would not be as cramped up as it was with a regular mouse.

Many people use trackball systems for different reasons, not just physical disabilities. I have seen people who have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as it alleviates the pain on their wrists. Also those who have or are experiencing fine motor difficulties due to accidents or the onset of  disability.