Getting the Job Done — Single Handed

By Wendy Campbell

Paperwork is the term used for what really is data screen work these days. Many of us are glad we took that "bird course" in high school -- typing class -- because today keyboarding is an essential skill in any office environment. Work can be done faster and more efficiently, and fewer trees are sacrificed.

An advantage to us all! Or is it?

What about those of us who predominantly use one hand? Suddenly where we could have been competitive with written paperwork, we are not competitive, because paperwork now requires two-handed keyboarding. Technology, heralded for making the workplace accessible, is excluding people from the work force. These are people who primarily use one hand due to a disability such as cerebral palsy, paralysis or amputation.

Although a statistical breakdown of the number of people included in this category is not available, we do know that approximately four people per thousand have cerebral palsy. Of course, not all individuals who have cerebral palsy would fall into this category. So with adjustments for all possible inclusions and exclusions, let’s say that approximately three to twelve people per thousand would rely on one hand for operating a computer.

You may question why two-handedness is so important. After all, Ms. So-and-So three cubicles away from you can only hunt and peck with her index fingers. Surely someone knowing the fingering for one-handed typing could do better. You’re right.

However, the entry level office worker will probably have to start in a more production-oriented job where strokes-per-minute, words-per-minute or information-sheets-processed-per-hour
is the requirement. Ms. So-and-So’s job description probably does not identify keyboarding as a major task. And her job is probably not at an entry level.

The Ontario March of Dimes in Waterloo has frequently worked with job searchers who primarily use one hand for daily living and work tasks. These individuals approach us for help breaking into the work force or re-entering into a new career.

Sometimes vocational counsellors find themselves in the role of "reality therapist", explaining to the young woman fresh out of high school that her plans to be a secretary may not materialize. Technology has not caught up to her aspiration.

A one-handed typist may develop a typing speed of 25 to 30 words per minute, but employers require 45 to 60 words per minute. So a hard look is taken at her likes and dislikes, her abilities and interests. Alternatives are identified: receptionist, inquiry clerk, switchboard operator (yes, there still are some jobs in this field), and numerical data entry clerk, to mention just a few.

For those not keen on working with the public or for those with a predilection for arithmetic and numbers, the numerical data entry clerk is a viable choice. Take a look at that number pad on the far right of your keyboard -- that’s right -- you can operate it with one hand, preferably the right. But with a little desk top shifting, it is over on the left for the left-hander. New technology can mean it detaches and can be reattached on the left side of the keyboard.

But just when you begin to think a competitive speed of data entry can be reached and you begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel into the bastion of office careers, you realize that there
is more to a data entry job than just entering numbers.

The numbers come from somewhere, don’t they? Now we’re back to the sacrificial tree issue. The numbers are on papers -- invoices, cheques, financial statements. These papers need to be shuffled and stacked, turned over and filed. This is where the challenge lies for people using one hand.

Imagine you are an internal teller for a bank. You enter an account number and a deposit amount, and hit a balance total key. You’ve finished the transaction using a keypad for all of it. Now you turn over the deposit slip and do the next one. When you use one hand, you have to take your hand off the keypad, flip the paper, and reposition your hand. When you are finished the stack, you need to file the papers. Did you ever try filing with one hand?

The point is not that it is impossible. The point is that it requires some thought, some ingenuity, some flexibility on the part of the employee and employer, and some accommodations.

In the experience of job coaches at the Ontario March of Dimes, one of the best accommodations was a large work surface with a lip around the edge. This allowed the worker to spread out documents and kept them from falling onto the floor. Other helpful tools are large-size paper clips, a document holder with an adjustable arm, a playing card holder, a clipboard, a rubber fingertip cover, and knees. Yes, knees are excellent for holding cheques while you bundle them with an elastic.

It can be done. But where’s the proof?

Derek Koebel approached the Ontario March of Dimes in July of 1990. He had completed a Grade 12 education. He had the option of further high school courses, but preferred to start working.

He said he liked working with computers and would like to get a job as a data entry clerk, word processor operator, or any position where he could use a computer. He knew how to type one-handed (with his left hand). He did not know how to perform numerical keypadding.

Derek started a vocational assessment, training and work experience process which ended with (guess what, you don’t have to wait until the end of the article to hear the good news) full-time, permanent employment at a major insurance company. He was able to focus his skill development in areas where he could be competitive in the labour market while also fulfilling his desire to work with computers.

Derek’s first keyboarding test resulted in a speed of negative 7.2 words per minute. Derek ruled out word processing.

He researched three local companies that hired accounting clerks and found that two out of the three required a college level education. Further labour market information gathered through
the Ontario March of Dimes revealed that accuracy was emphasized more than speed. Derek decided to continue his high school courses so that he could get a Grade 12 accounting credit. This also afforded him the opportunity to take part in a work experience. He began practising his typing and keypadding speed, concentrating on accuracy. His numeric keypadding speed began
to climb -- 44 strokes per minute, then 45 and then 58.

His work experience was at the head office of an insurance company. The most important aspect of this was the opportunity to let him show what he could do. It was not the sterile, on-your-mark, get-set, hit-those-keys timed test. It was real work.

"Inspirational" was how Pat Hague, job coach with the Ontario March of Dimes, described Derek. "The dedication and practice that Derek devoted to improving his keyboarding speed and accuracy were phenomenal. Derek accepted each challenge head-on, overcoming obstacles such as limited work space, computer glitches and temperamental keyboards," said Pat.

Derek did an excellent job. His supervisor reported, "In some instances, [Derek]completed tasks or assignments much quicker than expected. We were impressed with how quickly Derek was able to develop a good working knowledge of the PC systems he worked with." With this experience and his extra high school courses behind him, he began his job search in June 1991.

By September Derek had enrolled in a Job Entry Program sponsored by Employment and Immigration Canada in conjunction with the Waterloo County Board of Education. The program was aimed at unemployed youth.

Derek was placed with a different insurance company, where he again proved his excellent work skills and talents. He was hired, first on a temporary basis and then permanently, as a data entry clerk in Dental Administration.

On January 27, 1993 Derek celebrated his first anniversary as a permanent full-time employee. What are his reflections on the process that led to employment? "I used to come in [to the Ontario March of Dimes] every Tuesday and Friday to use the keypadding computer program
to help me get faster."

He said the staff had helped him select the right kind of work and then to pursue it. "They helped me a great deal in finding a job, with the resumés and cover letters."

Derek’s future plans? "To move on to different departments and do the best I can." When asked what accommodations made his job so successful, he said the most important one was moving the keypad to the left of the keyboard. The second? The electronic stapler supplied by his employer. Now, did you think of that one?

(Wendy Campbell is a Placement Counsellor in the Waterloo Regional Office of the Ontario March of Dimes.)