Kurt Kohlstedt

We’re excited to celebrate the 5th anniversary of The 99% Invisible City, a NYT Bestseller by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt, with a guided audio tour of beautiful downtown Oakland, California. Together, we’ll dive into different everyday designs, using examples from the blocks around our old office as jumping-off points. You can also order the

Last year, 99pi‘s Kurt Kohlstedt suffered a serious injury that initially rendered his right arm and hand both completely numb and paralyzed. Tests revealed severe damage to his right brachial plexus, an essential network of nerves between the arm and spinal cord. Kurt was told to expect a partial recovery spanning years, and has since

As a design writer seeking a one-handed writing solution for myself, I expected to research and test various adaptive options, settle on one best suited to my needs, and then write about it. But as my search progressed, to my great surprise, I came to realize that it would be easier, faster, cheaper, and better

Last year, an accident left my right arm and shoulder numb and paralyzed. After extensive testing, doctors determined that I had severely injured my right brachial plexus — a crucial nexus of nerve pathways carrying signals back and forth between my spinal column and right upper extremities. It was made clear that I shouldn’t expect

I’ve worn a lot of orthoses over the past year, the designs of which have varied more widely than I would have anticipated, considering that each one addresses aspects of the same injury. There are soft slings made mostly of cloth and hard braces that incorporate metal and thermoplastics; off-the-shelf designs and custom creations. Some

Each of the five pieces in this miniseries, leading up to this one, has considered a different subset of adaptive design problems for people dealing with one working hand, like I was in the wake of a serious accident. We’ve covered various solutions I researched, evaluated, and adopted along the way; some of which I

A severe arm injury can leave you with a lot of time on your hands, while simultaneously limiting your recreational options. For me, two-handed video games were out, at least until I had the time and patience to research and learn to use accessible gaming controllers. At the same time, physical therapy soaked up any

A severe arm injury can leave you with a lot of time on your hands, while simultaneously limiting your recreational options. For me, two-handed video games were out, at least until I had the time and patience to research and learn to use accessible gaming controllers. At the same time, physical therapy soaked up any

I’m a backpack person. Whether for everyday carry or for travel, I’ve always preferred backpacks to sling, messenger, duffel, and, above all, roller bags. But after I severely injured my right arm, I was forced to cycle through alternatives, particularly for day-to-day purposes. I found smaller, single-shoulder bags uncomfortable to wear for long periods; most

I’m a backpack person. Whether for everyday carry or for travel, I’ve always preferred backpacks to sling, messenger, duffel, and, above all, roller bags. But after I severely injured my right arm, I was forced to cycle through alternatives, particularly for day-to-day purposes. I found smaller, single-shoulder bags uncomfortable to wear for long periods; most