Items related to Hernandez, Willie
William Hernandez was born in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1970. At the age of three months he contracted polio and in 1977 his mother moved the family to California seeking better treatment. Mr. Hernandez attended Salvin Elementary, Whitney...
Hernandez, Willie
William Hernandez was born in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1970. At the age of three months he contracted polio and in 1977 his mother moved the family to California seeking better treatment. Mr. Hernandez attended Salvin Elementary, Whitney Junior High and Fairview High Schools. During these years Mr. Hernandez appeared as a Poster Child for Easter Seals and was featured in television advertisements for the McDonalds restaurant chain. He also performed cameo appearances in several popular television series.
In junior high, Mr. Hernandez was introduced to wheelchair basketball by Les Hayes, which led to the first full athletic scholarship to a student with disabilities awarded in the United States at the University of Texas at Arlington. During his career with the U.T.A. Movin’ Mavs the team won three consecutive National Wheelchair Basketball Championships and Mr. Hernandez graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
After college, Mr. Hernandez founded Per4Max Industries, a manufacturer of high performance sports wheelchairs. In 2014, he was awarded the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities’ Lex Frieden Employment Award.