A man born with a rare neurological disorder is becoming a social media sensation as he advocates living life to the fullest, regardless of whether or not others see you as different.
Austin Halls was born with Moebius syndrome, a neurological disorder caused by underdeveloped cranial nerves. His main symptom is facial paralysis. He also can’t move his eyes from side to side.
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Halls didn’t let his illness stop him from going to college to get a degree in psychology or pursuing his dream of becoming a pop star, even participating in modelling and catwalk shows. And it seems his dreams are just getting started.
He now uses his own experiences to challenge perceptions about people living with disabilities and specific physical issues.
Most of us take for granted our ability to communicate through facial expressions; Holes says that lacking this ability drew him to other forms of expression, including music. He also says that for a long time he had to confront people’s assumptions that he lacked intelligence and should be spoken to “like a baby.”
Through social media, he educates people about prejudices and preconceived ideas.
For example, in this video, he talks about how he used to hate his illness, but as a teenager he realized he couldn’t change it and that he had to accept it. Instead of trying to change his body, he had to change the way he thought.
“what happened?”
In this recent video, he asks people to think twice before saying to others, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Wrong” is a loaded word that carries a lot of stigma, he points out. Just because someone is different doesn’t mean they’re “wrong,” and that’s something everyone in the LGBTQ+ community needs to understand.
Speaking of which, in honor of Pride Month, Holes tagged a recent video with “#gay,” showing how proud he is of his sexuality.
Halls’ passion is music and challenging perceptions.
He previously told The Montclarion, the newspaper of Montclair State University in New Jersey: “I hope that listening to my story motivates everyone to go and do what they’re passionate about and what they dream about. You can do anything you want to do. Don’t let anyone stop you from chasing your passion and your dreams.”
“I do social work because I want to inspire people to love themselves and feel that every part of them is theirs and everything they own is theirs.”
“My syndrome is actually very rare, it affects about 2 in a million people. I advocate by sharing myself, my image and my music on social media. I also advocate by raising awareness of self-love and self-esteem through my personal story and expressing it in my music. Grow through it and do what you’re passionate about.”
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