If you don't touch type, or if you already type at a fairly high WPM rate, then no, an optimized layout doesn't really matter. Personally, I have been learning

If you don't touch type, or if you already type at a fairly high WPM rate, then no, an optimized layout doesn't really matter. Personally, I have been learning to touch type and used the opportunity to use an optimized layout. I have recovered almost all the speed of non-blind Qwerty within a month and plan to stay. Not being able to use it everywhere is not a drawback to me. For those rare events where I cannot use it, I still have more than enough muscle memory for Qwerty.