I was born in 1959, 14 February in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Before my paralysis I used to work at our family’ s company as a jeweler. Actually, I was a jewels engraver. My career has to do with diamonds and brilliants.

I was young, handsome with an active life, expensive cars, interesting hobbies and too many thoughts and dreams. I wanted to be the best in my profession. I wanted to make the first artistic jewels gallery in my country.
In January of 1983 I had to go to Italy for a business voyage to meet other colleagues and jewels factories. I met too many people and companies. I bought also my first balance, a very nice tiny balance for brilliants.
In February 10 while I was returned at home from Italy the bus had an accident. In this accident, I broke my neck and I became a tetraplegic (C5 complete).

In Greece there wasn’t any reliable hospital neither a rehabilitation center for high lesion quads like me.
But I was lucky. My parents came in Beograd and with the help of the Greek Embassy they transferred my paralyzed muscle mass in the UK.
Luckily, I couldn’t understand anything. I was in a comma. I spend the first days in ordinary hospitals, but because my spinal injury wasn’t for rehabilitation amateurs they transferred my body to a private spinal clinic.
The complications became worse and worse and the doctors decided to move me at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. That transferce was the beginning of the end of my hospital career.

I had my rehabilitation in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. I spent 10 months in the Spinal Cord Centre. I liked the Rehab but I also liked to be free at my own home.

In 1994 I returned in Greece… were everything was inaccessible, without a spinal specialist, without trained attendants, powered wheelchairs, condoms, leg bags, computers, splits, urine bags etc.

But I was lucky. I am coming from a quite prosperous family and I had the opportunity to invest some money to create a friendly environment for me and for my severe tetraplegia.
In 1984 Greece was totally inaccessible. I had to order my own rehabilitation aids from the other countries and to convert my own van. I had to do everything myself.
I had to be a nurse for my own everyday needs, a physiotherapist for my own body, an occupational therapist for my own environment, a computer specialist for my computer adaptations, a mechanic for my powered wheelchairs, a businessman for my own supplies etc.

I started to read. I read a lot. I read everything about every aspect of the paralysis: from the management of the neurogenic bladder and the intermittent catheterizations to the sexuality.

• In 1985 I started to write articles for the magazine “Difference is a Right” of the Spastic Society of Northern Greece. I wrote too many articles for the publications of that association.
• From 1984 till now I use to write articles, books and various documents for many Greek publications. Some of these articles are online at http://www.disabled.gr/nikos
• In 1986 with some other friends we started the first disability rights and culture group under the name “Group for the Rights of the PwD”. I wrote too many articles for that group an we published many support publications.
• The same year I converted a terminal program for the data communication (Telix) and I made the first Greek TDD system with compatible character set for the help of the deaf. After my first attempt I made too many IBM compatible programs and utilities for the help of the Greeks with disabilities who are not able to use programs and utilities in English.
• In 1988 with the help of my close colleague Vagelio Kampilaki (she is a medical doctor and has a paraplegia) we made the first accessible radio station. We also started the first (2 years) radio program for the disabilities and for the special educational needs.
• In 1988 I started also the first disability related Bulletin Board System under the name Disabled Hellas. With that system I used to poll for email the US BBSs and then I distributed these echomail to the other European and Greek BBSs. At that time I was the national coordinator for the IntlNet and the ADAnet (American Disabled Association Network).
• In 1989 I made the first public service to the internet for the Greeks with disabilities and the first European distribution site for the disability related software.
• In 1993 I became the president of the Paraplegic Association of our country. I stayed in that position for 9 months.
• During my presidential in the Paraplegics Association I started the Disability Now magazine.
• In 1994 Disability Now magazine became a nonprofit organization. All the articles of the magazine are accessible at the http://www.disabled.gr/anapiria.htm
• In 1995 I started to write articles about the disability marketing. Also, I support many companies with rehabilitation products and services.
• In 1995 I uploaded the Disabled Hellas on internet at http://www.disabled.gr/
• In 1999 with the help of many friends we started the first virtual Center for the Independent Living http://www.disabled.gr/lavda and the first Attendant Care and Rehabilitation Nursing Care services for the people with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and brain injuries.
• In 1999 I wrote a book for the tetraplegics with instructions for ergonomics, using computers and home businesses. This book is also online at http://www.disabled.gr/compbook
• In 1999 I started the first searchable and accessible digital library with disability related publications. At the present there are online 617 documents in English and 1343 books, articles and other related documents in Greek. The library is accessible at http://www.disabled.gr/books.html
• Till I have published more than 10.000 pages at various greek and international publications.

I am just an active quad. I have never received financial support from the government or any other private or public source. Only my family, my friends and me support all these activities.

Keywords:
disability, disabled, Greece, greek, hellas, Hellenic, nikos voulgaropoulos, special needs, sexuality, spinal cord, spinal cord injuries, spinal injury, nursing, attendant care, personal care, rehabilitation, rehabilitation medicine, medical rehabilitation, wheelchair, wheelchairs, magazine, independent living, center for independent living, special education, therapeutic recreation, physical education, access, accessibility, universal design, adaptive technology, surrogate sex therapy, surrogate partners, surrogate partner, national health service, health, physical disability, disability marketing, medical marketing, sociology, ecology, sexual politics, disability library, disability articles, disability studies, disability rights,

Λέξεις Κλειδιά:
αναπηρία, αναπηρίες, άτομα με ειδικές ανάγκες, ειδικές ανάγκες, επαγγελματική κατάρτιση, νοσηλευτική, νοσηλευτική αποκατάστασης, σεξουαλικότητα, σεξ, αποκατάσταση, πολιτική αναπηρίας, πολιτισμός, υγεία, ηλεκτρονικοί υπολογιστές, πληροφορική,