About Patrick
Licensed Pilot. Assistive Technology Professional. Author.
A life spent helping people with severe physical disabilities find the right equipment — and understanding his own brain along the way.
The Origin Story
A single moment of wordless certainty.
Growing up, Patrick Boardman was the kid who couldn't sit still, couldn't focus, and couldn't figure out why everyone else seemed to find school so effortless. He was told he was smart but lazy. Distracted. Difficult. The path forward came not from a cockpit, but from walking into a wheelchair equipment store and watching a young woman drive her power wheelchair using a straw held in her mouth. In that instant, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do with his life.
That single moment of certainty launched a 31-year career as a licensed Assistive Technology Professional specializing in complex wheelchair seating and rehabilitation technology — helping people with severe physical disabilities find the right equipment and seating interventions for their bodies. Flying and his ADHD diagnosis came later, adding new instruments to a life already built on the belief that every person deserves the tools to move through the world on their own terms.
"I didn't choose this work. It chose me — in a single, wordless moment I've never forgotten."
Credentials & Background
The flight plan behind the book
Licensed Pilot
Holds a private pilot certificate. Has logged flight time primarily in Cessnas and light singles, with some right-seat experience in complex and multi-engine aircraft.
Assistive Technology Professional (ATP)
Licensed ATP with 31+ years of experience in complex wheelchair seating and rehabilitation technology — helping people with severe physical disabilities, including power wheelchair users, find the right equipment and seating interventions for their bodies.
Author & Speaker
Author of ADHD: A Pilot's Guide to Flying a Brain Like Mine. Now booking his first speaking engagements — bringing 31 years of clinical experience and an original aviation-based framework for ADHD to conferences, schools, and organizations nationwide.
ADHD Advocate
Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, Patrick has made it his mission to reframe the conversation — from deficit and disorder to difference and potential.
"The cockpit didn't fix my brain. It taught me my brain was never broken."
The Mission
Every brain deserves the right instruments.
Patrick's work sits at the intersection of aviation, neurodiversity, and lived experience. Through his book, his speaking, and his 31-year career in rehabilitation technology, he helps people see themselves not as broken — but as pilots who've been flying without the right instruments. The goal is simple: give every brain the tools it needs to fly.
Ready to read the full story?
ADHD: A Pilot's Guide to Flying a Brain Like Mine is available now.