Over 20 years ago, our aspiration for the Clevy Keyboard was to see it become the first keyboard every child uses; a kid-friendly introduction to typing. But over the years, we watched it transform into a life-changing assistive-technology tool. Hearing real stories from families shows us not only that the product works, but how thoughtful design can genuinely unlock autonomy and new possibilities in people’s lives. One of those stories is about Leo and his mother Felice, and this use case explores Leo’s challenges and how they came across our brand.
“Leo is autistic, has ADHD, and falls into the PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance / Pathological Drive for Autonomy) profile. It is suspected that he has dyslexia as well. He also has various comorbid limitations, such as (fine) motor deficits and a visual impairment. All of this leads to various barriers to writing.” Felice explains.
“It takes a very long time (for Leo) to write down a word on paper, and the letters are often reversed and difficult to decipher. Out of sheer frustration, he often even tears up or crumples the pages. It quickly became clear that it would be a relief to type on a computer instead. This type of accommodation is often granted in schools so that affected children can keep up with their non-disabled classmates.” Dealing with even one of the challenges Leo faces would be difficult, let alone all of them at once. It’s encouraging that schools provide accommodations for children like him, but as we know from other stories, digital solutions alone aren’t sufficient for everyone.
“A conventional keyboard (for Leo), led to some difficulties. Because they are so confusing, compact, and literally crammed with keys. The key arrangement makes no comprehensible sense for Leo. It took a long time to find each letter, sometimes even impossible. And once he did find it, it was easy to accidentally press it multiple times or press the adjacent key instead. So, here too, meltdowns were a regular result due to excessive demands, in which even the technology was not immune to violence.” Felice explains about Leo’s experience with standard, conventional keyboards.
“So, we parents looked for a solution that would enable Leo to write independently and with satisfactory results without frustrating or overwhelming him. For neurodivergent people, due to their special perception and the resulting individual needs, conventional methods and objects are often unusable. In this respect, it’s not uncommon to look for alternatives and have to be creative to achieve the desired result.” Finding the right solution for a loved one with special needs can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re not sure where to begin. Felice’s dedication to seeking the perfect alternative is truly inspiring, especially hearing about her creative hacks.
“My first thought was whether it might be possible to remove unnecessary keys from a conventional keyboard and cover them with stickers or paint them to make them more visible. But that wasn’t entirely satisfactory.” Felice explains.
“Next, I looked at options for gamers, as they often assemble their own equipment. But that was technically beyond my capabilities. So, I searched online for special keyboards with large buttons on cell phones. I did find a few results, but they were still mono-colored and had all the unnecessary Function (Fn) keys, etc., and would be correspondingly huge. There are plenty of keyboards specifically for children on the market, but random colors make them confusing.”Â
It is at this point that Felice found our Clevy Keyboard designed to cater to people who need special guidance. Here’s how she found our brand:
“Luckily, I found the Clevy Keyboard on internet and was immediately impressed. It was exactly what I had tried to make myself. Only even better! Every key is larger than on conventional keyboards, but the keyboard itself isn’t. Because rarely used keys were simply left out. The keys are color‑coded according to function, and even the vowels (or syllables kings, as they’re called at school) are highlighted, which my son particularly liked! And the frame is white, which looks much friendlier than the usual black.”
“Furthermore, the letters are arranged straight underneath each other rather than offset, which makes it look much clearer and more harmonious. There’s even a switch to turn off character repetition. And the entire keyboard is very robust and even constructed in such a way that, in an emergency, even a minor accident like flooding won’t result in total damage.” Felice explains. Hearing that the often unnoticed features of Clevy make a real difference for someone like Leo is exactly why our team is so committed to helping as many people as we can. It’s the small details that truly make our keyboard stand out from regular ones.
Felice was also nice to mention how we’ve helped her out when she reached out to us for help: “When we recently had a minor (self-inflicted) damage, customer service immediately offered support. I’m particularly pleased about that. Unfortunately, there are often companies in this industry that want to make money off the suffering of others. That’s not the case here; you can sense that the desire to help is truly what drives the company.”
As a conclusion, Felice wrote: “I am really impressed (by the Clevy Keyboard). You can tell that someone put a lot of thought into its design. And even seemingly small details have a huge benefit for people with special needs! All in all, I’m very satisfied with Clevy and thank the employees for their dedication.”Â
We are so grateful to Felice for sharing her story and the story of her brave son. We hope our keyboard will continue to support Leo for many years to come!
