One wrong jump, a broken neck vertebra – and suddenly everything is different. David Constantine was 21, athletic, full of plans. The diving accident that left him in a wheelchair could have slowed him down. But David didn't want to stand still.

He studied product design, bringing his own experience to bear – not from theory, but from the everyday life of a person with a disability. He understood early on that if medical aids don't fit into your life, you have to make them better.

A study project became an idea. The idea became an organisation: Motivation. With simple, robust wheelchairs adapted to the reality of countries with few resources, David started something that goes far beyond technology: he gave people the opportunity to move again – and often a piece of their dignity.

From those affected to co-creator

David has spent over 30 years building up Motivation and establishing its international network. His wheelchairs are now in use in over 130 countries. But his work is never loud, never heroic. It is characterised by the question: ‘What do people really need?’

Today, David is involved in a number of roles, including as President of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO), contributing his expertise to WHO committees – and has created a new platform called Freedom through Design to continue his work. Not because it is his job, but because it is his conviction.

A man who sets the tone

On Monday, 16 June 2025, David Constantine will open the I.S.P.O. World Congress in Stockholm. It will be a quiet but significant moment, because his journey represents everything that this congress aims to convey: that good treatment is not just about technology. It is about attitude.

David has never forgotten where his journey began. And that is precisely why he inspires so many today: not with grand words, but with the courage to take life into his own hands – and make it better. For himself. For others. For everyone.