Alvin Law (born 1960 in

Yorkton Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about north-west of Winnipeg and south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province. Yorkton was founded in 1882 and incorporated as a city in 1928. ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

) is a

motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...

and former

radio broadcaster Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

. Law was born without arms as a consequence of his mother's use of

thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is an oral administered medication used to treat a number of cancers (e.g., multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and many skin disorders (e.g., complication ...

while pregnant. His birth parents put him up for adoption, and he was raised by foster parents Hilda and Jack Law. Law learned to perform routine activities using his feet alone, including eating, dressing and grooming himself, driving, sewing, playing sports, and playing drums, piano, and trombone. He attended regular elementary and high schools, even though at the time disabled children were usually placed in institutions or special education programs. After graduating from college, Law embarked on a successful career in

radio broadcasting Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...

. He expressed an interest in moving to

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, but network executives were unsure of how the public would react to an armless

news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

. Law began dabbling in

motivational speaking Motivation is an mental state, internal state that propels individuals to engage in goal-directed behavior. It is often understood as a force that explains why people or animals initiate, continue, or terminate a certain behavior at a particul ...

in 1981. In 1988 he made this his full-time occupation with the founding of AJL Communications Ltd. He is the subject of two award-winning documentaries, and is the author of a book, ''Alvin's Laws of Life: 5 Steps To Successfully Overcome Anything''. He has also dabbled in acting, his most notable role to date being a preacher in the ''

X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, on Fox, spanning nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A tenth season of six e ...

'' episode "

Humbug A humbug is a person or object that behaves in a deceptive or dishonest way, often as a hoax or in jest. The term was first described in 1751 as student slang, and recorded in 1840 as a "nautical phrase". It is now also often used as an exclamat ...

". In 1986, Law ran as a

Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a conservative political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Founded in 1905 by former Northwest Territories Premier Frederick Haultain, the party was first known as the Provincial ...

candidate in the 1986 provincial election, losing to John Solomon in the constituency of Regina North West. Law served on the national board of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. For many years, Law was a mainstay on the annual telethon

Telemiracle ''Telemiracle'' is an annual telethon organized by the Kinsmen and Kinettes in Saskatchewan, Canada, for the benefit of the Kinsmen Foundation. Initially broadcast on both CTV and CBC affiliates in Saskatchewan, it is now broadcast, commerc ...

. In 2018, Law was inducted into the

Canadian Disability Hall of Fame The Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (formerly the Terry Fox Hall of Fame), recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadi ...

Citations

References

*Alvin Law. ''Alvin's Laws of Life: 5 Steps To Successfully Overcome Anything''. . *Lynne Swanson.
Alvin Law: Every Reason to Celebrate Life
". ''Abilities'', No. 59, pp. 14–15, Summer 2004. *''Alvin, His Best Foot Forward''. Television documentary, 1978. *''Broken Promises'' (later renamed ''Extraordinary People''). Television documentary.

External links

AJL Communications Ltd
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Law, Alvin People without hands People from Yorkton 1960 births Living people Canadian radio reporters and correspondents Canadian motivational speakers Candidates in Saskatchewan provincial elections Canadian Disability Hall of Fame