SYM key. Can it be modified or disabled?

[funutation]

The SYM key on the spacebar makes it difficult to type in numbers.

To type numbers, you have to do ALT-ALT. When I start typing in the
numbers, and then I hit the space bar, it brings up the SYM menu instead
of making a space

I enter numbers a lot, so this is a terrible feature for me.

Is there a way to either modify the SYM table so that the first option acts
like a space, or disable the SYM feature all together?

thanx
ted