About this initiative
Why we exhist
Personal mobility devices shape far more than how people move. They influence where people go, how long they stay active, how they participate in public life, and how they see themselves in the world.
Yet for decades, non-motorized mobility devices have been treated as purely functional tools; designed primarily for clinical settings, standardized use cases, and short-term needs. In practice, this has left many people navigating daily life with devices that technically work, but fail to support dignity, adaptability, and sustained independence.
This initiative exists to challenge that status quo.
We believe personal mobility devices should support real lives; lives that are active, varied, social, and constantly changing. Devices should move with people across environments, evolve alongside their bodies, and respect personal identity rather than diminish it.
Our focus is not on quick fixes or incremental improvements. It is on rethinking how personal mobility devices are designed, evaluated, and integrated into everyday life; with long-term independence, confidence, and continuity as the guiding priorities.
This work begins with listening, learning, and building deliberately; alongside people who understand the stakes and want to help shape something better.
Informed by lived experience
This initiative is informed by the lived experience of its founder, Kaheawai Kaonohi, who was born with Cerebral Palsy affecting the muscles in his legs. Walking has always required adaptation; and personal mobility devices have been a constant presence throughout daily life.
Over time, those devices have changed. As a child, Kaheawai relied on crutches. During high school and college, motorized mobility devices became necessary to move between classes efficiently. As an adult, non-motorized devices remain part of everyday life; shaped by work, travel, and the realities of navigating public spaces that are not always designed with accessibility in mind.
Living with mobility support has never meant living cautiously. Kaheawai travels alone, spends time outdoors, and participates in activities like mountain biking, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Each phase of life has required different tools, different compromises, and repeated adaptation; not because needs are static, but because bodies, environments, and ambitions change.
That experience informs how this work is approached. The goal is not to solve for one person’s needs, but to translate lived insight into systems that better support a wide range of people over time. Mobility looks different for everyone; and it evolves across a lifetime. The work ahead reflects that complexity.
What’s been missing from mobility design
For many people, personal mobility devices are introduced at moments of necessity; injury, diagnosis, or transition. What follows is often a narrow set of options designed to solve an immediate functional problem, rather than support a life that continues to unfold.
Dignity and identity
Mobility devices are frequently designed to disappear or conform; prioritizing neutrality over expression. In practice, this can strip away personal identity at precisely the moment when confidence and self-definition matter most.
Design choices carry meaning. When devices look clinical, temporary, or stigmatizing, they shape how people are perceived and how they perceive themselves. Dignity is not an aesthetic add-on; it is a prerequisite for sustained independence and participation.
Autonomy and portability
Many non-motorized mobility devices work well in a single context, but become burdensome across the rest of the day. They are difficult to transport, awkward to store, or impractical in environments that were not designed with accessibility in mind.
True autonomy depends on portability. Devices should support movement across homes, cities, and social spaces; without forcing people to plan their lives around the limitations of the tool meant to support them.
Continuity through change
Bodies change. Strength, balance, endurance, and needs evolve over time. Yet most mobility devices are designed as static solutions; fixed for a moment, rather than adaptable across phases of life.
This lack of continuity forces repeated compromise. People are asked to replace, abandon, or outgrow devices instead of being supported by systems that evolve alongside them. Adaptability should be foundational; not reactive.
Take part in what we’re building
If this work resonates with you, there are meaningful ways to engage; whether by staying connected as the effort evolves, or by contributing your time and expertise more directly.