Special needs · Physical disabilities

Take part fully, whatever way they use a device

Pencil Spaces lets students with physical disabilities take part from home or hospital, with touch, stylus, keyboard or mouse, typed answers, locked materials and no installs.

Get a demo Try Pencil Spaces

Share it with your child’s tutor Teaching at home? Try it

Free for 2 weeks on any paid plan. No credit card required.

Area

Physical and medical needs

Who it helps

Students with physical disabilities or limited mobility, including muscular dystrophy, spina bifida and joint conditions, tutors, schools and families

What lessons need

Flexible input, less fine-motor effort, rest, access from anywhere, no travel

In Pencil Spaces

7 features available today, 1 coming soon

Part of

Special needs, need by need

What do students with physical disabilities need from an online lesson?

Physical disabilities range widely, from limited mobility to difficulty with hand control and fatigue. Online lessons can remove travel and stairs. They still need to work with the way each student uses a device.

Any way of using a devicePen & Touch · AvailableTouchscreen, stylus, Wacom pen, mouse or keyboard all work, so students use what suits their body.
Bigger targets, fewer of themChild Mode · AvailableChild Mode leaves five big tools and hides the rest, so there are fewer small targets to reach. It works at any age.
Keyboard controlKeyboard Shortcuts · AvailableMore than 30 keyboard shortcuts cover tools, cursors and locking items, so less depends on precise mouse control.
Join from anywhereAny Device · AvailablePencil Spaces runs in the browser on Chromebooks, laptops, tablets and phones, with touch and stylus input.
Typed answers countText · AvailableTyped text goes anywhere on the board and stays editable, so nobody has to handwrite to take part.
Materials that stay putLock Items · AvailableFix a worksheet or diagram in place, so students write on it instead of dragging it around.
Help with setupRemote Desktop Control · Coming soonRemote Desktop Control will let a tutor ask to take control of a screen the student shares, and only once the student agrees.
Rest, then reviewSession Recording · AvailableStudents can rest and watch the lesson again later, pausing and rewinding.

The features behind it

Why can online lessons be hard for students with physical disabilities?

Getting to lessons can be the hardest part: transport, access, pain and fatigue. Online lessons remove much of that, but many tools assume quick, precise mouse work.

Students who use switches, eye gaze or other assistive technology may also find parts of a busy interface hard to reach.

What does a lesson look like in Pencil Spaces?

A student with limited hand movement joins from a tablet on a mount. She writes short answers with a finger and uses typed sticky notes for longer ones.

The tutor locks the worksheet so it can’t slide. After forty minutes she rests, and she watches the last part of the lesson again later.

How do therapists use Pencil Spaces with students with physical disabilities?

Occupational therapists work on access as much as skills: finding the input, seating and setup that let each student use a device on their own. Pencil Spaces works with touch, stylus, mouse and keyboard, so the therapist can test what fits.

A second camera on the desk shows how the student reaches, grips and positions, and aides can join the Space to learn the setup. Persistent Spaces keep each activity ready for next time.

Tips for teaching students with physical disabilities online

Ask the student how they use their device, and adapt the lesson to it.
Cut down on dragging and precise drawing.
Plan rest breaks and shorter lessons where fatigue is an issue.
Check the setup before the first lesson, including mounts and assistive technology.
Offer typed and spoken answers alongside handwriting.

Good to know

Our accessibility audit used a keyboard and the NVDA screen reader. If a student uses switch access, eye gaze or speech input, try Pencil Spaces with their setup first. Keyboard shortcuts can’t be turned off or remapped, and speech input may trigger them by accident.

Questions people ask

Can students with limited hand movement use Pencil Spaces?

Yes. Pencil Spaces works with touchscreens, styluses, Wacom pens, mice and keyboards, and has more than 30 keyboard shortcuts. Typed text, sticky notes and the Equation Editor reduce the need to draw.

Does Pencil Spaces need to be installed?

No. Pencil Spaces runs in current Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge on Chromebooks, laptops, tablets and phones, with nothing to install. Students join from a link, so there’s no software to set up on a school or hospital device.

Does Pencil Spaces work with assistive technology?

Pencil Spaces has been audited against WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA using a keyboard and NVDA. Results for switch access, eye gaze and other screen readers aren’t published, so try your setup first and tell us what gets in the way.

Can a tutor help with a student’s setup remotely?

Remote Desktop Control is coming soon. It will let a tutor ask to take control of a screen the student shares, and only once the student agrees. Today, tutors guide setup with Screen Share and live annotation.