In early March, 2015 I had a chance to attend a National Speaker Association presentation in Dallas, TX with a unique human being, Mr. Alvin Laws. What makes him unique is how he does not allow his differently-able abilities to define him or limit his capacities and lifestyle. You see Alvin’s disability was a result of a drug called thalidomide and the children of the mothers who took this drug were born with all sort of defects. In Alvin’s case he was born without any arms and as a consequence he had to survive in a world which had deemed him a pariah with a hopeless future.
He tells a riveting story about the difficulties he faced in his life being born without any arms. The challenges he faced existing in a world were arms and hands were necessary to survive, but somehow he manage to train his brain to find an alternative way to complete everyday task. Being giving up for adoption at birth, Alvin’s foster-mom Hilda, realized at early infancy his ability to adapt when she looked in and witnessed Alvin holding his baby bottle using only his feet. In amazement she called to her husband to witness this extraordinary feat (pun attended lol). His mom never allowed him to feel sorry for himself and assigned him daily choirs ranging from vacuuming to washing the dishes—with his feet!I was proud to give him a true “sole-Brother” hand shake at the end of his presentation.
Today Alvin does everything for himself from dressing to driving an automobile he does not allow anything to hold him back. Alvin takes doing things a step further by being able to play musical instruments such as the trombone, drums, and keyboard—-with his feet! He executes an impressive drum roll that any average drummer with two arms would find it very difficult to do. And his keyboarding skills are equivalent to a cool jazz player in a smoky jazz joint in Harlem, NY. His presence just goes to show us that the human mind combined with will and faith can reach many heights.
Although we are amazed when an individual such as Alvin comes along and astonishes us with what seems impossible, he only reminds us of qualities which formulate us as human beings like creativity and determination. [W]e are some of the frailest creatures on the planet physically, but our cunningness and resourcefulness sets us apart in the animal kingdom. People like Alvin Law reminds us that just about all obstacles we encounter can be altered or adapted in alternative ways. And that ingenuity with determination can make the impossible, very possible. Alvin Law truly embodies the concept of being differently-able.
Thanks Alvin for sharing your energy/spirit, from one Sole-Brother to another keep doing you’re your doing…….raising the consciousness!
J. E. Corbin