Inventor Emik Avakian

The photograph shows Emik Avakian seated in a wheelchair, wearing a suit, in front of a desk with a large screen and a device with buttons. Text and a drawing are visible on the screen.

The modern hand-operated wheelchair was invented by Emik Avakian, who was himself disabled from birth. He was born in 1923 in the city of Tabriz (Iran). Doctors diagnosed him with a severe form of cerebral palsy. To help the child, the family moved to Russia, then to Germany, and finally settled in New York. Avakian patented 57 inventions, and in 1961 he received from John Kennedy the award “For the most outstanding contribution to the employment of the disabled”. He died in July 2013 at the age of 89.