Ralph Braun is the founder and CEO of the Braun Corporation. Diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy in 1947, he began using a wheelchair for mobility. Determined to maintain his independence, he engineered the world’s first motorized scooter and followed with the first accessible vehicle a few years later. The company grew substantially over the next decades, and today, the Braun Corporation is the worldwide leader of wheelchair accessible vehicles and wheelchair lifts in the mobility industry. What started as a part-time business operated from his parents’ garage has grown into an international corporation with over 800 employees. Ralph is now 71 years old and is the father of five adult children. He still lives and runs the Braun Corporation from his hometown of Winamac, Indiana with his wife, Melody. Ralph Braun is being honored as a Champion of Change for leading education and employment efforts in science, technology, engineering and math for Americans with disabilities.