In 1986 Tom Street moved from Wisconsin to Florida to help run Street Electric Corp, a machinery repair company. In 1988, at the age of 29, he was seriously injured while unloading his rail dragster from his truck, which left him paralyzed from his shoulders to his toes. He never regained the use of his arms or legs. One year later, Tom formed Street Electric Mfg. Co. and served as a consultant for repair of heavy electrical equipment. In 1993 he returned home to Wisconsin and designed and developed the QuadJoy, an orally-controlled Mouse, for his own use.

When Tom realized that his invention would be a godsend to anyone unable to manipulate a hand-held mouse, he collaborated with his brother Bill, an electronics engineer, and his friend Jerry, a machinist, to launch the QuadJoy via the Internet in 1994. The QuadJoy has since been refabricated using upgraded materials, but the heart of it is the same as Tom’s original prototype.