Dr. Todd Schmiedl

Dr. Todd Schmiedl graduated high school at the bottom of his class and didn't have many goals for his future. But a horrific car accident that killed his friend and left the then 18-year-old Todd with severe brain and spinal cord injuries turned him "right around."

Now 40, Todd recalls the ensuing several years as a "nightmare" of painful rehabilitation and depression. The injuries resulted in Todd becoming legally blind and quadriplegic, relying on a voice amplifier to speak. While his mother encouraged him to stay safely at home in his wheelchair, Todd yearned to do more with the life he had almost lost. His hopes soared when a neighbor told him about RFB&D.

To better understand his brain injuries, Todd immediately began borrowing RFB&D textbooks on neuropsychology, an interest he decided to turn into his profession. But many doubted his ability.

"One college administrator said he was reluctant to accept me because the college had had blind students before, and quadriplegic students before, but never a blind quadriplegic," recalls Todd, who eventually was accepted.

Another time, he personally approached a former governor of Illinois. "I bluntly told him that he could help me get into a nursing home - or into a university, where I could benefit society," Todd says. His dogged determination paid off. With very impressive grades, Todd not only earned a bachelor's degree in premed psychology but, just this year, a doctoral degree in clinical psychology as well.

Todd is now involved with the Arizona Governor's Council on Head and Spinal Cord Injuries, as well as the American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. Papers he has written on neuropsychology and assistive technology have been published in numerous journals, and he has been a presenter at many national conferences.

"I became very goal-oriented after the accident and was intent on proving my skeptics wrong," says Todd, who has listened to close to 150 RFB&D textbooks. "I've learned that, with persistence and the right resources, anything is possible."