Tribute To Courage

Emek Alexander Avakian, the Handicapped American of 1961, is the subject of this film. Despite being born with a severe physical disability, he overcame all obstacles to become a respected engineer and inventor. Through his iron will and insatiable curiosity, he created an automatic railroad bridge and a typewriter he could operate with his breath. He went on to take a master’s degree from Columbia University, and then began working with the United Cerebral Palsy Association and Resources Unlimited. He pushed for tax abatement for all handicapped people, and is currently a unit leader for the Teller Register Corporation of Stanford Connecticut, and director of a task force developing advanced data communication systems. He may one day be known as the Jonas Salk of cerebral palsy.

We digitized and uploaded this film from the A/V Geeks 16mm Archive. Email us at footage@avgeeks.com if you have questions about the footage and are interested in using it in your project.