The specific cause of Pineda's muscle weakness was identified as collagenopathy VI, resulting from an extremely common genetic mutation.
Pineda attended Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, California, and was selected by his graduating class as a commencement speaker.
Pineda received his PhD with distinction in 2010 for his dissertation entitled, The Capability Model of Disability: Assessing the Success of UAE Federal Law No.
[7][8][9][10] and has subsequently used film as a platform to discuss human rights issues in Serbia, Bosnia, Thailand, Yemen, Kenya, Syria, Qatar, Armenia and other parts of the world.
[11] The mission of the group was to aid in the development of artists across a variety of disciplines including literature, music, film, and textile arts.
Through successful partnerships with UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Pineda Foundation has elevated global attention on including youth with disabilities into development programs.
[17] 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.
[20] Also in 2011, he received the prestigious Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by a Young Alumnus/a, Cal Alumni Association[21] for his work in education and human rights.