I figured it out. I'm an idiot... but at least i'm not the only one
When you're at the logon screen, look VERY close at the bottom right corner of the screen. You'll see the keyboard expander icon. Now... WHY microsoft didn't leave it in the center like they did in almost every other program, and WHY they picked a color scheme where the button is 2 indiscernable shades different than the backgroun bar - that's beyond me. BUT, its there, and it works. hope my grey hairs help someone else!
-ben