About Brian Shaughnessy

In 1983 Brian Shaughnessy walked into surgery and awoke paralyzed – never having been warned of the risk of becoming a quadriplegic. Shaughnessy survived by enduring the horrors of his disability with hope and humor.

He exchanged chilly Minnesota for New Mexico, traveled, worked, entertained, returned to school, earned Bachelor’s degrees in English and Theater before moving to Hawaii where he received a Master’s degree in Theater. He founded Open Door Theatre, which produces plays by, for and about persons with disabilities.

Opting for a “simpler” life, Shaughnessy enrolled in law school and graduated in 1999. In the same year, Brian married his wife Amy and has since been an attorney, public speaker, and writer of The Squeaky Wheel – An Unauthorized Autobiography.

Brian considers his most important role to be father to his son Amadeus.