Long Island Man Defies Odds, Celebrates 93rd Birthday After Lifetime of Challenges

A disabled LI man defies the odds and marks 60 years working for the same company.

A disabled Long Island man who was once offered handouts when he applied for work is now marking 60 years with the same employer.

"I just couldn't believe how, when I went to see people to tell them what I could do, they didn't believe me," said Alex Alazraki, born with no hands and without fully formed arms and legs.

Alazraki, now 93, has spent the last six decades working for the well-known center for the disabled in Albertson, N.Y. now known as Abilities!. It was founded by the legendary advocate for the disabled, Dr. Henry Viscardi.

Viscardi hired Alazraki in 1952 to work for a pioneering company made up largely of disabled employees.

Starting in a West Hempstead garage, the company handled subcontracting work for larger firms like Grumman and Western Electric.  Workers there specialized in producing cut glass items that were once handed out by the White House. 

Along the way, Alazraki and his co-workers helped change public perceptions about what the disabled could accomplish. The Harlem native was even photographed alongside dignitaries like Eleanor Roosevelt and Richard Nixon.

"I don't think there's such a thing as obstacles. I always believe there's something you can do," said Alazraki.

Alazraki worked as a product technician and maintenance supervisor, performing tasks even people with hands would find difficult, according to Abilities! CEO John Kemp.  He drove a car for 50 years, raised three children and has enjoyed a life many thought impossible.

"I proved them wrong," Alazraki said.

Alazraki stayed with the company even after it halted production work in the 1980s.  He's now serving as a stockroom clerk for the agency that teaches and trains thousands of disabled adults and kids.

"Alex is the one who teaches us all that, no matter what you come as, there's a place for you," said Kemp.

Alazraki's co-workers serenaded him with "Happy Birthday," as he turned 93 Wednesday.  He has no plans to retire and remains an inspiration to those around him, living proof of what can be achieved despite big obstacles.

"If it wasn't for this place, where would I be?" asked Alazraki.

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