inspiration sharing innovative user generated videos and success stories for disabled youth, and the Open Hands Initiative Comic Book, which launched in Damascus, Syria on August 1, 2010, and brought together disabled rights advocates from the US and Syria to work with disabled Syrian children to develop a new comic book character. Co-sponsored by Liquid Comics, with the endorsement of former President Bill Clinton, the project led to the creation of the comic book, Silver Scorpion. Publications Pineda has authored work for diverse audiences from children's material to academic journals to the mainstream media. Through a partnership between his World Enabled Initiative and UNICEF, in 2007 Pineda authored an educational publication for children, "It's About Ability", to generate increased attention on youth with disabilities and to explain the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities. The booklet was translated in 8 languages (English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Khmer, Russian, Arabic, Serbian) with the goal of teaching disabled children about their rights. In 2010, Pineda published a substantial research project, The Capability Model of Disability: Assessing the Success of UAE Federal Law No. 29 of 2006 in the Emirate of Dubai', for his dissertation. Awards and honors In 2009, Pineda was awarded the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Paul G. Hearne Award. Pineda's "It's About Ability" project was honored on February 17, 2011, in Montenegro for the Best Humanitarian Action by UNICEF. Also in 2011, he received the prestigious Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by a Young Alumnus/a, Cal Alumni Association for his work in education and human rights. References American disability rights activists 1978 births Living people Venezuelan emigrants to the United States University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni People from Caracas