In 1988, David was shot in a hunting accident resulting in a serious head injury that left him with permanent paralysis of his left side, limiting mobility and no use of his left hand. In the process of his rehabilitation, David became aware of the importance of recreation for rehabilitation –to improve mobility and mental well-being. This life-changing event developed into his personal crusade. David went back to school and received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Florida State University. In 1990, he formed the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association which would become the SportsAbility Alliance which is celebrating its 35th year anniversary this year.

David is a long-time advocate of people with disabilities and is a relentless crusader of inclusion into leisure activities and outdoor accessibility. He is nationally recognized for his involvement in ADA compliance, consulting and for successes in promoting community based accessible and inclusive recreation.

David has worked with national, state, county, and city agencies and other recreation providers to improve accessibility in their programs.

He completed ADA training with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Justice. He has assisted in the programmatic outdoor access training of personnel of fifteen of the National Wildlife Refuges from Florida to California. He assisted Florida State Parks in their self-assessment and transition plans and has continued to provide consulting to improve the usability of all of our award-winning State Parks.

David has worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in developing their accessible boating and fishing programs, and initiated and helped lead the development of one of the nation's first and finest Mobility Impaired Hunt programs.

David continues to promote and establish recreation opportunities and events such as the annual highly recognized "SportsAbility Expo” and Samplers. These events are presented in multiple Florida cites and are attended by thousands of families, professionals and also by our very important recreation providers. The SportsAbility events include accessible recreational activities, advocacy, education, and helpful resources, especially for people with disabilities.

David serves or has served on many boards and committees to help provide a common sense and expert voice for the inclusion of people with disabilities in outdoor recreation and to the conservation of our natural resources for the benefit of all, humans, plants, and animals

One of David’s passions is to share the importance of inclusive recreation to individuals of all ages and all abilities. He conducts presentations on disability sensitivity and advocacy with a focus on opportunities to access inclusive leisure activities for better health, rehabilitation and wellbeing.
“Active Leisure for Life” is more than a mantra or motto; it is David’s life’s work.