ONE JAMES—THE FULL SCOOP

When it comes to web design, One James is all-thumbs…and that’s a good thing. You see, James Peth — the principal of One James — creates designs and websites primarily using his right thumb. Why does he work this way? It’s a story that began in the summer of '99.

On Sunday, August 1, 1999, while completing the final obstacle in a mountain biking/running/obstacle-course race, James broke his neck and sustained a severe spinal cord injury. James was rendered quadriplegic by the accident.

Before James‘ accident, athletic performance—particularly in the outdoors—occupied his professional and personal life. He was an avid mountain biker, triathlete, hiker and skier; he was pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Sciences; he taught courses in exercise science and anatomy & physiology; he had coached and trained athletes.

It is an understatement to say that the accident changed everything. However, with the support of his family, friends, and then-girlfriend (and now wife) Ashley, James slowly regained strength and function through physical rehabilitation.

It was during rehab that James began to use a computer again. True, he had to do things a bit unconventionally, but he learned to navigate the screen by rubbing the side of his wheelchair glove on a programmed trackball. To type, he initially tried using voice software, but the program was inaccurate and continually crashed. So he began to hit one key at a time with his paralyzed thumb—'til he got it right.

A year after the accident, James and Ashley founded Rapid Motion, an organization dedicated to two goals: helping athletes with disabilities and increasing awareness of spinal cord injuries. To help Rapid Motion to reach out into the world, James and Ashley realized they needed a website. The problem was that Rapid Motion had no funding. So James bought a book about web design and created a website for Rapid Motion. It took about six months to finish the site (these days James has a much quicker turnaround!).

Though he had intended to create the single website for Rapid Motion, James discovered that he really enjoyed the process of web design. He began to think it might make a good career.

Six years and many, many clients later, James created One James. He answers your calls and designs your websites from his studio, in the home where he lives with Ashley and their dog Dewey.

ASHLEY PETH

Although, she would rather be dancing or doing yoga or Pilates, Ashley is an integral member of One James. Since day one, Ashley has been the glue that holds the company together, providing far more than back-up support. Whether making runs to the print shop, taking pictures, building a wireless network, or installing memory or hard drives in our computers, she ensures that our daily workflow can continue without interruption. Ashley has recently become our official head of “human-billboard” marketing, by constantly wearing her 1james t-shirt for the world to see.

DEWEY

Dewey is more than just the studio mascot; she is a full-fledged working dog. Trained by Service Dogs of Virginia, Dewey can perform dozens of tasks on command, including opening and closing doors, picking up dropped objects, and fetching the telephone. Recently Dewey had fun on a visit to Washington DC, where she nearly had us ejected from the National Archives when she jumped on the display case for the declaration of independence—it was a bit crowded that day and maybe the case seemed like the best escape route?