Empowering every adventure, no matter your mobility needs
We’re building a world where personal mobility is celebrated, not stigmatized, where mobility devices are thoughtfully designed to be premium, adaptable, and personal. In this world, people choose tools that reflect who they are, guided by clear insights, inspired by powerful stories, and supported by spaces that meet the highest accessibility standards.
What we're working on
Delivering trusted, accessible guidance
We curate and share clear, practical insights to help people navigate the world with confidence. From lived experiences to expert advice, our guidance is designed to be easy to access, grounded in real needs, and trusted by the communities we serve.
Rating spaces for real-world accessibility
We’re developing a global grading system for spatial accessibility, designed to evaluate and certify how inclusive a space truly is. By making accessibility measurable and transparent, we’re laying the groundwork for universal accessibility standards.
Re-engineering canes, crutches, and walkers
We’re creating mobility devices that are premium, adaptable, and empowering. Through thoughtful design, advanced materials, and input from real users, we’re building tools that reflect identity, not disability.
Our guiding pillars
These are more than values, they’re the foundation for everything we do. They guide us with integrity, hold us accountable to our mission, and shape the future we’re building together.
01
Resilience
We’re designing products, systems, and relationships that can adapt, evolve, and endure. By building with foresight and flexibility, we’re creating a company and a movement that can weather change and keep moving forward.
02
Empathy
We design with empathy for everyone: our users, our team, and the environments we affect. That means listening deeply, creating with care, and prioritizing dignity in everything we do.
03
Sustainability
We’re building a company designed to last—not just years, but centuries. We care for our team, stakeholders, customers, and the planet because a business that neglects its impact is a business with a built-in end.
04
Transparency
We believe trust starts with honesty. From how we price our products to how we make decisions, we operate in full view. Transparency helps dismantle the greed and secrecy that have undermined capitalism.
Leading with lived experience
Kaheawai Kaonohi, the Founder of The Disabled Soloist, was diagnosed at 18-months old with Cerebral Palsy, a neurological disorder that affect his movement, muscle tone, and posture. He’s undergone 8 corrective surgeries, often relying on wheelchairs and walkers during recovery. For the past 26 years, he's permanently used crutches. This lived experience drives him to fulfill the mission of The Disabled Soloist, to empower any adventure, no matter your mobility needs. He is committed to reimagining mobility in ways the market has yet to deliver.
Our advisory team
California-licensed attorney with 14+ years in business formations, funding, licensing, M&A, nonprofit governance, and estate planning. Provides legal structure and protection for long-term growth.
20+ years leading global HR and benefits programs for multinational teams. Ensures workforce wellbeing, compliance, and sustainable organizational design across all markets.
Enterprise-level SEO strategist with nearly a decade of experience. Drives global visibility, audience growth, and search performance through proven digital strategies.
Experienced portfolio manager specializing in equity strategies, macroeconomic research, and high-net-worth investments. Brings over a decade of service as treasurer for multiple nonprofit organizations and guides financial planning and sustainable capital growth.
Provides tax strategy and preparation, monthly Accounting and Fractional Controller/CFO and advisory services, across diverse industries for 40+ years. Partnering with businesses and their owners to build successful and profitable companies.
PhD candidate in bioengineering focused on physiological data analysis and device innovation. Brings technical expertise in medical product design and healthcare integration.
Experienced in rehabilitation, acute care, and patient-centered treatment planning with clinical roles at Cedars-Sinai, UCSF Health, and OHSU. He brings a valuable perspective to guide product innovation and ensure solutions meet real-world mobility needs.
Become an Advisor
Help shape the future of personal mobility with your expertise and insight. Join our advisory team and guide our mission forward.
Let’s build an accessible future together
We’re looking to connect with innovators, advisors, and changemakers who share our vision for reimagining mobility and accessibility. Whether you have insights to share, people we should meet, or ideas worth exploring, your input can help shape the path forward. Prefer email? Contact us directly at contact@disabledsoloist.com
- Lived Experience with Disability
- Spatial Accessibility Standards
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biotech Sales
- Brand Strategy
- Content Strategy
- Grant Writting
- Industrial Design
- Investor Relations
- Legal & Intellectual Property
- Operations & Systems
- Rehabilitation Specialties (PT, OT)
Share your expertise and insights
Frequently Asked Questions
Can’t find what you’re looking for? We’d love to hear from you at contact@disabledsoloist.com
The Disabled Soloist is re-engineering personal mobility. We’re developing beautifully designed, premium canes, crutches, and walkers that adapt to your lifestyle, not the other way around. Alongside our products, we’re building the world’s leading informational website for personal mobility and accessibility, designed to be radically inclusive, deeply informative, and easy to navigate. Our goal is to make mobility devices aspirational, not clinical, and to provide people with the confidence, tools, and resources to take on life’s adventures without compromise.
The company was founded by Kaheawai Kaonohi, a lifelong and permanent user of mobility devices who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, a neurological condition that affects movement, muscle tone, and posture. After undergoing eight corrective surgeries, Kaheawai gained firsthand knowledge of the mobility industry's limitations. Professionally, he’s a User Experience Designer and Information Architect with a history of entrepreneurship. He won first place at the University of Oregon’s 2017 New Venture Championship (high school division) and again at Techstars Startup Weekend in 2018 and 2019. Kaheawai also organized Oregon’s first Createathon, a hackathon-style weekend where creative teams build real solutions for nonprofits. He recruited 45 students and 8 nonprofits, raised $10,000, and produced over $18,000 in creative assets in just 48 hours. His lived experience, technical expertise, and track record of purpose-driven leadership position him to build a company that is both visionary and practical.
We’re assembling a founding team of passionate, mission-driven individuals who bring bold thinking, design excellence, and empathy to the table. We’re actively looking for industrial designers, biomedical engineers, accessibility professionals, and strategic advisors. Team members receive formal titles and equity through a four-year vesting schedule. Board members receive lighter equity packages, and advisors share their insights in good faith or may request compensation as contractors. If you believe your experience or perspective can shape the future of personal mobility, we’d love to connect.
We’re in the early ideation and sketch phase: refining concepts, exploring form factors, and aligning our direction with real user needs. We're also building the foundational structure of our website, which will house accessible, trusted mobility guidance and resources. So far, the work has been founder-funded. We’ve started a concept note for The Hans Foundation and are working closely with a grant writer to pursue aligned funding opportunities. We’re now seeking strategic partners, advisors, and investors to help us move into early prototyping and research phases.
If you're interested in joining the team, supporting as an advisor, investing in the company, or exploring a board position, fill out the inquiry form provided above. If you have questions, ideas, or just want to learn more, please email us at contact@disabledsoloist.com. We are building a new world that demands the courage, care, and creativity of those who believe in better.
We chose this name to reclaim and elevate two powerful identities. “Disabled” acknowledges the community we’re designing for, people whose experiences are often overlooked but whose insights are essential. “Soloist” speaks to independence, individuality, and strength, the freedom to move through life with confidence and pride. Everyone, regardless of ability, deserves to be the soloist in their own story.
Our products and resources reach people across every corner of the world. Everyone who uses a mobility device chooses one designed by us, because we have become the gold standard for form, function, and trust. We lead the world in redefining how physical spaces are designed, making accessibility universal and expected. Our name is the first thing people think of when they think about mobility, not just because of what we create but because of the way we do business, with deep empathy, transparency, sustainability, and resilience. This is not just about now, it is about building a company that lasts for centuries.