Xann - Mastering the Lost Art of Morse Code!

November 2007

Xann is an enthusiastic student in Grade 7 who has mastered the lost art of Morse Code.

From childhood, Xann has had weak muscles in his hands and gripping a pen or pencil to print proved difficult and tedious. His printing was difficult to read and Xann relied on a scribe to help record his thoughts and answers. As he moved up in grades and his writing tasks increased, his school team went in search of a written output method that would alleviate the hardship of using a pen or pencil.

The school team turned to technology and introduced Xann to keyboarding on a computer in hopes that it would help increase his speed and efficiency in getting his thoughts out on paper. Although easier, Xann still found it difficult. He was a one-handed keyboarder. His keyboarding speed was not able to keep up with the many ideas he wanted to get out.

In ongoing assistive technology trials, Xann was asked if he would be interested in trying Morse Code. He was eager and curious to give it a go.

Morse code was developed as a method of transmitting information telegraphically. Each letter and numeral is represented by a combination of short and long elements usually called dots and dashes.

With 3 pieces of technology, Xann is able to use Morse Code as his primary written output method. Xann has a Darci interface which gathers the information from his two switches and transmits that information into the computer as a letter or a number. The two switches each represent a ‘dot’ or a ‘dash’. By tapping the switches in combination, Xann is able to generate letters using only 2 fingers.

At first, the learning curve was a steep one and it took many hours of practice before Xann was proficient with Morse Code. But with countless hours of practice and support from his school team, Xann is a keen Morse Code user and avid writer.

Today, Xann knows all his letters and numerals and even some basic computer commands in Morse Code and rarely needs to look at the cheat sheet hanging on the resource room wall. Xann has also begun using Morse Code in combination with word prediction software to accelerate his written output. He is totally thrilled with the technology.

When asked whether or not he likes Morse Code and finds it useful, Xann’s response is a resounding ‘yes!’