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Hawking Toolbar

Makes the web accessible for users with motor skill impairments

Latest release: Hawking Toolbar 0.2.1

You must read the disclaimer before downloading.

Download Hawking Toolbar - External Download Page.

Download Hawking Toolbar for all platforms (0 kB): release 0.2.1

First public release. - Read more

The Hawking Toolbar is a plug-in for the Firefox web browser that frees individuals with severely limited motor abilities to explore the internet, without limits.

Unlike expensive commercial products, it is free and customizable. Published under the open-source GPL license, it can be enhanced or customized by anyone with the appropriate technical skills. By using a Firefox plug-in we can deliver a robust product:

    * extensibility: it can be enhanced or customized by others
    * non-obsolescence: this standard Firefox plug-in will work with any new version of Firefox. The user is not dependent upon developers to upgrade the plug-in for each new web technology or new version of the browser
    * standard view: the user sees the same web page as others. This plug-in enhances a popular browser instead of requiring a specialized one!

For too many centuries, people with physical disabilities have been treated as inferior by society. Considering that one of the greatest geniuses of our time, physicist Stephen Hawking, lives with a debilitating form of Lou Gehrig's disease and yet continues to live a rich life and makes giant contributions to our understanding of the universe, it is obvious that this unfair treatment hurts all of us. Technology makes it possible for Mr. Hawking to communicate his ideas to us; he shows us that there is no definite correlation between physical ability and the greatness of the human spirit. This toolbar is a small tribute to him and all individuals who face the biggest challenge of all: our own prejudices.

Note:

To add the toolbar to Firefox just drag and drop the file into an open Firefox window. It took me some time to find out how to do this!

David Colven

Programmers

Interested in helping to develop this project? Go to the forge page for more information.

Switch Interfaces

Posted by David Colven at 2007-01-16 16:20

I would like to see the joystick fire buttons added as an interface option. Also some switch filtering (tremor etc) would be a good addtion.

Switch Interfaces

Posted by Brett Clippingdale at 2007-01-19 08:23

Agreed. Presently, the limiting factor is Firefox, since it doesn't currently have any built-in support for joystick input. I've found a couple MS Windows-only hacks, but I haven't been able to get any source code yet. Anyone with more information?

windows-only: control firefox via joypad

Posted by Anonymous User at 2007-11-11 13:37

through an additional piece of software like JoyToKey, you can use a joystick/joypad and assign it keyboard shortcuts...thus making it possible to use firefox and co. see my small experiment here http://www.splintered.co.uk/experiments/60/

Help files

Posted by patrick clancey at 2008-06-27 08:53

Are there any help files or a simple 'how to use' intro somewhere? (Also, a FireFox 3 version?)
thanks

Help files

Posted by Brett Clippingdale at 2009-07-10 20:31

this is a good idea, overlooked b/c it was development code. the documentation is in the code -- not acceptable for a public release, thanks for mentioning this. i'll do a release for FF 3.5, and will include a human-readable doc file.

Outdated

Posted by Anonymous User at 2009-07-10 19:17

Hi,

This looks wonderful. Are there any plans of updating it to work with Firefox 3.5?

Outdated - revision

Posted by Brett Clippingdale at 2009-07-10 20:32

Yes, I will release a FF 3.5 version within a couple of months. Stay tuned! What is your particular use case, perhaps I can consider that as I make changes. Thanks.

Outdated - revision

Posted by Anonymous User at 2009-10-11 03:51

Hi,

Still eagerly waiting for a Firefox 3 version. We would like to use it for a child with severe cerebral palsy, who has difficulty with fine motor control and is learning to use two switches. We know a lot of other children who could use such a useful tool.

Thanks a lot, and keep up the great work!