Yuval Wagner

Yuval Wagner was born in 1965

Wagner was born on February 6, 1965, the elder of two brothers. His father, Dan Wagner, was injured in a training accident after the Sinai Campaign and met Wagner's mother, a nurse, in a rehabilitation ward. He grew up in Ramat HaSharon and attended Rothberg High School.

He joined the pilot course in 1983 and finished it in 1986 as an attack helicopter pilot. On March 18, 1987, his helicopter crashed south of Beit She'an during a training flight because of a technical fault, and he was left paralyzed from the neck down. After a year of rehabilitation he returned to active service in 1988, held command and management roles, and managed projects from 2004 until his discharge at the end of 2014.

In 1999 he founded Access Israel with Rani Binyamini, with the encouragement of President Ezer Weizman. The association promotes accessibility and the inclusion of people with disabilities and their families, initiates legislation and advises on making places accessible. He has also served on public bodies, including the World Economic Forum's Schwab social entrepreneurs forum from 2006.

Since 2012 he has hosted a weekly internet radio program on accessibility. He is divorced and lives in Hod HaSharon with his three children.