 On November 6, 2007, Dean Kamen, inventor of the INDEPENDENCE® iBOT® 4000 Mobility System, was inducted into the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) SCI Hall of Fame at a ceremony and gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Kamen was inducted for his role in advancing assistive technology, in large part due to his invention of the iBOT® Mobility System.
Launched by the NSCIA in 2005, the SCI Hall of Fame honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the quality of life and advancements toward a better future for individuals with spinal cord injury or disease.
“We are proud to recognize the pioneering role that Dean Kamen has played in bringing major innovation to wheelchair design and function,” said Marcie Roth, executive director and CEO of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA). “In the field of assistive technology, the iBOT® Mobility System is considered to be in a class by itself, with functions like Stair Climbing, Balance and 4-Wheel that expand the independence of people who use wheelchairs. Above all, he has made using a wheelchair cool!”
Kamen was among fifteen of the most accomplished and extraordinary members of the spinal cord injury and disease (SCI/D) community to receive the honor. Other inductees included: Dana Reeve (1961-2006), founding board member of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation; Craig H. Neilsen (1942-2006), former chairman and CEO of Ameristar Casinos and founder of the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation (Benefactor); Ron Cohen, president, CEO, founder and director of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Corporate Executive); Mark Johnson, Advocacy Director for the Shepherd Center and early member of ADAPT (Disability Activist); and Gary Karp, author, journalist, editor, speaker and trainer (Disability Educator). |
