Giorgi Dzneladze — Chairman of “Coalition for Independent Living”, founder of “Georgian Wheelchair Workshop”, Tbilisi, Georgia

Giorgi is 62 and from Tbilisi. As an activist, he has been defending the rights of people with disabilities since 1989. Giorgi is also in charge of the non-governmental organization “Coalition for Independent Living”. Despite his age and physical conditions, he still fights for people with disabilities in Georgia to be treated as equal members of society. 

Due to a spinal cord injury in his teenage years, Giorgi has relied on a wheelchair ever since. He has faced many challenges in his life but managed to overcome them successfully. 

Working on different projects, Giorgi also started social entrepreneurship. He founded the “Georgian Wheelchair Workshop” in 2009. Giorgi wanted to create a space in Georgia, where high-quality products (such as wheelchairs, ramps, etc.) would be available to people with disabilities. 

The “Georgian Wheelchair Workshop” is the first local enterprise, which provides individually tailored wheelchairs and other assistive products. It aims to employ people with disabilities and promote their socialization. Today, Giorgi’s son Giorgi Jr manages the enterprise. Giorgi himself is a consultant there, gives recommendations and continues working in the field of human rights of persons with disabilities.