As an addition to its Gboard keyboard, Google has announced that it is bringing Morse code as an input method in Gboard, for both Android and iOS. The company first integrated Morse code into the Android version of Gboard. Along with the debut on iOS, Google says it has made numerous improvements to the Android experience too. When activated, Morse code fills the keyboard area with two large dot and dash icons. As one taps the icons, word suggestions appear at the top of the on-screen keyboard just as they do in the QWERTY version. It would be surprising to many that Tania Finlayson, a tech developer with cerebral palsy, has collaborated with Google to come up with the project that has significance for people with disabilities. She has written down her experience with Morse code in a Google blog post. She writes, “My experience with the Morse code communicator led me to partner with Google for the project. Working with the team, I helped design the keyboard layout, added Morse sequences to the auto-suggestion strip above the keyboard and developed settings that allow people to customise the keyboard (sic).” Most technology today is designed for the mass market. Unfortunately, this can mean that people with disabilities can be left behind. Developing communication tools like this is important because, for many people, it simply makes life liveable.
