Mark Felling, Executive Director. C5 Quadriplegic Electrical, Rehabilitation, & Marine Engineer, MBA

Mark Felling (EE, MBA), Executive Director 

Professional Speaker Profile & Personal Story

Chronology & History

Netherlands Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Conference

Assistive Technology Introductory & speaking tour of Bahrain, Qatar, & UAE with Broadened Horizons' Middle East Distributors.

August, 2014: Mark performed Keynote speech and hosted Broadened Horizons' Accessibility Arcade for Canadian National Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) biannual conference in Vancouver Canada 

June, 12, 2014: Article: SCI Superstar: Mark E Felling - Reposted from SPINALpedia.org 

April 2014: Mark traveled through Costa Rica, meeting with Physiatrists (rehabilitation specialist doctors) and occupational therapists within both Costa Rica's public and private principal rehabilitation centers in San Jose.  Mark stayed with a quadriplegic customer, retired from managing a Canadian independent living center who operates Tranquillity Hill a small hotel with 2 accessible rooms.  Mark enjoyed experiencing the significant advances in accessibility encouraged through strong government regulations including excellent rapid growth of wheelchair taxi's available in almost every medium to small town.

April 9, 2014: The Inspiration of Possibility - What is Rehabilitation?  By Mark Felling, Minnesota Capitol Rotunda supporting legislation under consideration.

April, 2013: Mark had opportunity to experience and review with his parents and significant other the 'nearly' fully inclusive accessibility aboard the world's largest and newest Royal Caribbean cruise ship, The Oasis of the Seas.  Only two front decks and the exercise center could not be reached by wheelchair.  The Comfort Carrier proved far faster (2 minutes) and easier compared to the large hot to lift on inner pool (20 minutes) to use the infinity hot tub hanging over the side of the ship which did not have a lift.

November, 2012: On the generous invitation of Mac Holtz family, Mark, his brother Greg, and significant others visited Emerald Isle, NC staying in the Holtz family's beautiful wheelchair-accessible rental beach house during the off-season, bowling in Mac's Bowling Alley, and catching our limit of Trout on Mac's Accessible Pontoon with his high school friend who is a professional fishing guide. Mac is a avid gamer with the Accessible Arcade 2, often hosting gaming parties with friends.  Mark enjoyed getting Mac setup with a Van's EZ-Cast and Power Reel to fish independently.

September, 2012: Hosted Accessibility Arcade at ABIL Center (Arizona Bridge to Independent Living) in Phoenix Arizona to rave reviews.  Thanks to a generous quadriplegic local resident, Mark had an opportunity to go 'Duning' in the desert in a Polaris Razr.

January, 2012: Mark toured India, experiencing the growing accessibility movement there for 19 days thanks to the wonderfull wheelchair-lift Van, driver, and local travel Personal Care Attendant services provided by Prasad, Janki, and Vikrant from Samantha Travels. In Delhi Mark met with Major HWS Ahluwalia, Chairman of the Indian Spinal Injuries Center in Dehli, Quadriplegic Veteran of the Indian Military, & fellow Adventure Traveler who from his wheelchair organized a caravan to transverse the ancient silk Road through Central Asia. Mark also met with Updadhyay Nekram, now director of the new 2000 ft.² assistive technology center created since Mark's visit.

September, 2010: Bogotá, Colombia

2009: Honduras

2008 Mexico: Mark and his father Earl tried to pioneer a new route for wheelchair-friendly travel tour driving across Yucatán Peninsula Cancun with easy direct flights from many parts of the world to Chichen Itza, to Campeche, to Freedom Shores, a fully wheelchair accessible and inclusive 12 room resort and RV Park owned by the Bussier family in Isla Aguada, just across the bay bridge from Cuidad del Carmen. Unfortunately the drive involved 8 hours of headache inducing bouncing in the back of a full-size van with wheelchair lift.  A great trip and experience but much easier to fly into Cuidad del Carmen even at greater cost.  Also met with _ wheelchair-friendly travel services in Cancun operated by _.

January 15, 08: Mark Felling, President of Broadened Horizons was elected Chairman of the Minnesota Governor's Advisory Council on Technology for People with Disabilities.

October 25th, 07:   Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota State Governor, appointed Mark Felling, President of Broadened Horizons, to the Governors Advisory Council On Technology for People with Disabilities for a 2 year term. Appointment & Press Release PDF The Governors Advisory Council on Technology for People with Disabilities administers the Minnesota System of Technology to Achieve Results (STAR) program.  The STAR Program is federally funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration in accordance with the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.  Council consists of 16 members including 11 public members appointed by the governor and five members of designated state agencies.   Disability Minnesota - Gateway for Disability Information in Minnesota

March, 2007: Broadened Horizons Incorporated

May, 2005: Broadened Horizons founded in response to future customer requests to make 3 products designed originally while in rehab available to the mobility impaired public: the patented Comfort Carrier, PowerGrip, and Vocalize 

May, 2013: Mark completes and begins using prototype PowerGrip before leaving rehab.  This early version using prosthetic components required constant repairs nearly every month.  Current version is extremely durable, utilized by hundreds of quadriplegics across the country for more than 8 years and less than 2% ever ever having yet replaced a major component.

December, 2003: Mark completes development and starts using his first wheelchair-integrated voice control cell phone system, a precursor to the Vocalize system while in rehab at Courage Center, Golden Valley, Minnesota. Other rehabilitation patients frequently inquired where I got it and demanded to get one for themselves.

August, 2003: Mark conceptually designs most of the details of the Sky Chariot Wheelchair Accessible Private Airplane and Road Chariot Wheelchair Accessible Motorcycle as a mental exercise while staring at the ceiling the first week of lucidness after 1 months in ICU. Mark's goal with the Sky Chairiot remains to be the world's first quadriplegic to fly independently cross-country as pilot in command!  The 1st gasoline-powered Road Chariot manufactured in Brazil was delivered to a 70-year-old US veteran who lost his legs in Vietnam in Iowa, November, 2013. after customs assurances to the contrary and special authorizations, the US DOT and EPA put up ridiculous bureaucratic restrictions, things derived from lobbyists as protectionism for the US automotive industry but stifling all innovation since there is no accommodations for manufacturers of unique, low-volume vehicles but instead expect to treat all as though they are Toyota importing 10,000 units.  This ridiculous bureaucracy where the EPA insisted on crushing and adding waste to landfill stifles the freedoms these veterans fought for and lost their legs and mobility for!  Mark has stopped all deliveries of Road Chariots with more than 15 US veterans waiting due to this restrictive, stifling bureaucracy and as of June, 2014 discovered a new partner enabling redesign the Road Chariot as a modern lithium-polymer electric wheelchair motorcycle.

July 2, 2003, 9:50 PM: Mark was piloting his own modern 2 seat experimental aircraft.  Due to engine failure shortly after takeoff, he was forced to crash “land” in the trees of the Minnesota River Valley. 40 feet above the ground, the super-strong all composite wing impacted a tree that did not budge, stopped the aircraft in midair which flipped over upside down.  Mark landed on his head with the airplane on top of him causing a spinal cord injury which left Mark a C4-C5 level quadriplegic. A publicized, harrowing rescue by state patrol and medevac helicopter pilots during the middle of a thunderstorm that evening is remembered by many.

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