Older Posts
David Constantine MBE, a quadriplegic from the UK and Australia, is best known as co-founder of Motivation, an award-winning charity that creates and donates low-costs wheelchairs to developing countries. Motivation is no small charity. In a single year, they can donate up to 26,000 wheelchairs.Read on to learn more about this fascinating man who’s dedicated his life to helping others with disabilities.
Why He’s Fearless
It was 1982 and one of those perfect holiday summer days when David Constantine, who was 21, was on break from his studies from agriculture college. He and some friends were camping on Fraser Island in Australia when David hit his head and broke his neck at C4-5 after diving into the ocean.
David was shipped off to the UK for rehab, and returned to Australia a changed man. Knowing agriculture was a field that would pose a lot of obstacles as a chair-user, he switched his career aspirations to using a computer in some capacity, which was a new gadget at the time in the mid 1980’s.
He gobbled up the first Mac he could once they became available, loving how the first Macs made everyday computer use a lot easier; removing the need of having to input DOS-like commands to use it (which was required by other computers at the time). He decided to major in industrial design, a field that combined his love of computers with building new things.
And David didn’t stop at making industrial design his career. He went on to become an accomplished photographer as well, and he’s perfected the art of the sitting viewpoint. His photography site, Sitting Images, is critically acclaimed and shows hundreds of his best photos. The reactions of strangers (when they see him) are some of his most memorable photos, showing insight into humanity.
But his biggest success in life by far has been co-founding Motivation in 1991 with Simon Gue and Richard Frost. While the they were in college, they teamed up to design an easy-to-produce and inexpensive wheelchair as part of a contest. They won and they used the money to travel to India, to a SCI rehab unit, and there they saw just how badly-needed wheelchairs were there.
What’s Next?
The two went on to run this life-changing charity for over 30 years, donating wheelchairs to individuals in over 34 countries, and the charity continues to gives wheelchairs till this day. Back in 2013, Motivation won the prestigious International Development Achievement Award from the Guardian for their life-changing chair. They’ve also setup wheelchair workshops in many countries to build their own wheelchairs. Today, the charity continues to deliver 13,000 wheelchairs to people each year.
It’s not very often a man with so much fortitude comes along, and David Constantine is that man. In 2021, while home during COVID and wanting to focus on his health, he decided to step down as founder/director of Motivation. He is still deeply connected to the charity however, and continues to give his insight whenever needed.
And he is currently the President of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics, and a longtime former chair and current board member of the International Society of Wheelchairs professionals. David also does consultancy and mentoring at the Royal College of art.
Oblivious to his own limits in life, David has only focused on his abilities as he’s lived his life as a quadriplegic. He’s tried to make the world a better place in the process, which he succeeded at hugely. Bringing such a life-changing device like a wheelchair to people who need it is a profound thing. He is now re-focused on photography and new philanthropic endeavors.
– Visit his site: Sitting Images
ideas@spinalpedia.com
