Like many young men, Todd Stabelfeldt grew up with technology. But for him, technology wasn’t just video games, and mp3s, and HD TV — it was a life altering tool which helped him regain his independence after becoming paralyzed in a shooting accident when he was 8. Todd’s experiences and passions have led him to open a charitable foundation aimed at helping other mobility limited individuals take independent control of their lives. through the use of assistive technology The Bainbridge Review has conducted an in-depth and inspiring interview with Todd.

Like many others in his line of work, Todd Stabelfeldt grew up with technology.

Eventually he plugged in, taking classes and landing a job at Cortex Medical Management Technology, a Seattle software company.

As a quadriplegic, it is technology, combined with initiative and ingenuity, that affords Stabelfeldt his most prized possession — independence.

“That’s a word that for me that is bold, italicized, underlined and capitalized,” said Stabelfeldt, surrounded by the various devices at his Wyatt Way apartment that allow him to work and live, for the most part, on his own terms. “There’s no dollar amount to solve for that.”

Funded by several technology companies, the Todd Stabelfeldt Foundation is slated to launch in the next few months. Its aim is to connect people with disabilities to new technology and other help that might otherwise elude them, and to reach out to occupational therapists in an effort to continually improve available care.