I met Victor Pineda at the University of California at Berkeley's International House Café for our interview. Very appropriate. A Venezuela native with mixed heritage (he's a quarter Serbo-Croatian, among others), Victor grew up in Southern California. He is quite international himself, but it is Victor's filmmaking and activism that are making waves around the globe.

At least 10 of Victor's friends interrupted us to greet him during our interview. He is well known around campus. But Victor wasn't always this popular and successful. Like many young people with disabilities Victor overcame challenges to achieve all that he has today.

Me - Disabled?
It wasn't until Victor hit junior high school that his disability started to change his life and have an effect on who he was. "I didn't even realize I was disabled until I was about 13, or so," said Victor. "At that age guys started kissing girls, people were invited to dances, and I wasn't part of it. I realized something didn't fit, and it was me," he added. Then things got worse.

Teenage boys started harassing Victor, overpowering him by grabbing hold of the joystick on his power wheelchair and 'riding' it. Fortunately this didn't go on for long. Victor's older brother - who attended the same school - made a public example of one of the guys who 'rode' on Victor's chair. Then Victor's brother reprimanded him for not respecting himself. From that day on any teenager looking for a laugh at Victor's expense got whipped around and flung off the chair before the 'ride' began. "I began to respect myself so others started to respect me too," Victor remarked.

Body Image
The Pineda family immigrated to the United States when Victor was just seven years old. Victor spent a good part of his childhood in Orange County's Newport Beach - a town better known for its tanned hard bodies and surfing than its accessibility and knowledge of disability culture.

Victor knew he looked different than the other guys in high school and he had a healthy attitude about it. "One has to look in the mirror and love who they are or they won't be able to get through the day," said Pineda. Of his 75-pound body and the 90 percent curvature in his spine Pineda remarked, "I like to think, hey, there are not many guys out there who have these curves."

In high school Victor had relationships with girls in the most popular social circles in school. He earned respect from his classmates and ended high school on a high note. Victor received a standing ovation for his presentation as keynote speaker at graduation.

After graduation one door was closing in Victor's life, but others were opening. Victor was eager to go to college, get out of Newport Beach, meet new people, learn about different cultures, and challenge himself. He chose to move to Berkeley, California to go to college.

Independent Living
Leaving home was harder for Victor's family than it was for Victor. His mother feared for his safety being so far away from home and his grandmother was worried about what would replace her homemade Venezuelan meals. But Victor was ready to live on his own.

"I didn't know anyone in Berkeley so I had to create a social network right away," Pineda said. He added, "On a practical level as a disabled person this was necessary because I can't do everything on my own."

Victor started introducing himself to people riding in the elevator at his dormitory. At the end of the semester Victor was on a first-name basis with 2,000 of his neighbors. Shortly thereafter he was regularly carried up the steps into the inaccessible frat houses for parties.

Today Victor has established a community and a home in Berkeley. He has a close group of friends who formed an art collective. The artists support and market each other's work. The international group of friends (Arabs, Israelis, Japanese, Latin Americans, etc.) includes painters, photographers, writers and musicians. Victor is the filmmaker.

Documentaries on Disability
Victor's first film, "In Cuba, Disabled," (2002) is the product of three weeks he spent in Havana documenting the conditions affecting people with disabilities in Cuba. The film was recognized with an award at the SuperFest International Media Festival of Disabilities.

"The Disabled Balkans: Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Kosovo" (2003) is Victor's second film in a series of documentaries Victor plans to make a series of films examining the social and economic challenges that affect people with disabilities in different parts of the world.

His most recent endeavor provides a snapshot of the experiences of disabled people in Bulgaria and Croatia. Screenings of the latest film will begin in summer 2004.

Advocating on Many Levels
Despite his natural affinity for the arts, filmmaking is just a hobby for Victor. Currently he is pursuing a master degree in city and regional planning at the University of California at Berkeley. Ultimately, Victor would like to work in economic development to empower people with disabilities around the world. "I want to work with multi-lateral organizations to address disability in international development. I want to help disabled people get more control to define their lives," said Victor.

Victor's varied interests have him doing advocacy work from the international level on down to community work. Last summer Victor was a delegate at the United Nations Convention on the Human Rights of People with Disabilities. "I am amazed that governments create democracies that exclude 10 percent of their populations. No nation can achieve its full economic potential by excluding some of the brightest members of its population," Victor commented.

As chair of outreach of the National Council on Disability's Youth Advisory Council Victor is working with presidential candidates to develop policy for disabled students in the United States.

Victor also is involved in his community at the local level. As vice president of the Disabled Student's Union at UC Berkeley, Victor is working to create a space for disabled students to socialize and develop leadership skills.

Finally, in an even smaller world, Victor is a loud and proud disabled person during his regular Salsa dancing outings. Victor remarked, "I know I stand out on the dance floor at the clubs, but I use it to my advantage."