Items related to Alford, Mike
Mike Alford was born in 1959 in Dallas, Texas. While in high school in 1975, he broke his neck
in a diving accident, acquiring quadraplegia. He completed his last year at Carter High School
as a homebound student, graduating in 1976....
Alford, Mike
Mike Alford was born in 1959 in Dallas, Texas. While in high school in 1975, he broke his neck
in a diving accident, acquiring quadraplegia. He completed his last year at Carter High School
as a homebound student, graduating in 1976. The Texas Department of Assistive and
Rehabilitative Services paid for his undergraduate and graduate education. Alford completed
his first year of college at Eastfield Community College in Mesquite, Texas.
After meeting with Jim Hayes and learning about UT Arlington’s high level of accessibility and
its attendant care program to enable disabled students to live in the dorms, Alford transferred
to UT Arlington. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1980 and a Masters
degree in Social Work in 1981. As part of the adapted P.E. classes mandated by Jim Hayes,
Alford also took part in an early form of power soccer. During his time as a graduate student
at UT Arlington, Alford began working for Cedar Valley College in the Dallas Community
College District. After spending 38 years working for Cedar Valley College in a variety of
positions, Alford recently retired. He continues to be an avid fisherman—a passion that he
shared with Jim Hayes, who helped Alford design adaptive fishing equipment.