Interview: Gary Karp – Life on Wheels

Disability Awareness expert Gary Karp is an internationally recognized author, keynote speaker, trainer, and facilitator. Gary injured his spinal cord in a fall from a tree in 1973 at the age of eighteen, paralyzing him from the hips down. He has lived a full personal and professional life since his injury. Having earned a graduate degree in architecture, Gary worked for eleven years in the presentation graphics industry as a designer and production manager. In 1993 he began providing ergonomics training and consultation services to companies in the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his wife Paula. He is the author of four books: Life On Wheels: For the Active Wheelchair User, Choosing A Wheelchair: A Guide For Optimal Independence, From Here to There: Stories of Adjustment to Spinal Cord Injury and Disability & the Art of Kissing: Questions and Answers on the True Nature of Intimacy. All four are widely-reviewed as definitive guides for people with disabilities. I caught up with Gary during a break at the September NSA/NC Pro-Track program and we discussed how Pro-Track has focused his career as well as the plans he has for October, which is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. To listen to the interview, click on the podcast icon below.