Patrick Segal

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Vocation

Traits

French sportsman, writer, moviemaker and politician. As a young man, Segal was highly active in athletics; including ski, rugby, and the martial arts (he earned a black belt in karate). That all changed at the age of 24 when a shotgun accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite the life-changing mishap, Segal's spirit remained unbroken. From 1974 to 1976, he traveled the world in his wheelchair, recounting the adventure in his book,L’homme qui marchait dans sa tête (the man who walked in his head). The book has been translated into ten languages, and was awarded le Prix des maisons de la Presse in 1977. Photographs Segal took of his journey have been displayed in the museum Pompidou in Paris. His first movie, la nuit ensoleillée, documented the 1980 paralympics, and was nominated for both the Cannes film festival and the 1981 Hollywood Oscars. In 1988, he competed in the equipe of France handisport and the paralympics in Seoul. Active in humanitarian causes, with emphasis on the disabled, Segal became vice-president of 'Handicapped international' in 1983. Currently, he holds the office, 'general inspector of social affairs'. Link to Wikipedia (French)