Calvin was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 30 1948. His mother, Gertrude Peterson, accepted the challenge of raising, loving, and caring for her son, in spite of the doctor’s orders. Three days after Calvin’s premature birth, resulting in a condition called Cerebral Palsy ( C.P.), doctors at Grady Hospital advised his 18-year old mother to leave him at Grady and they would send him to a state facility. Doctors diagnosed that his defect would render him helpless for the rest of his life and he would only be a burden to her.

In addition to his mother, Calvin received unlimited support from his grandparents, Mr. John and Mrs. Lizzie Harris. Calvin acknowledges and appreciates his immediate family’s love and compassion for him. Calvin’s grandfather always encouraged him to “strive for higher heights regardless of his accomplishments”.

Mr. Peterson attributes all his accomplishments to God and his family. Calvin attended C.W. Hill Elementary. School. His mother was able to enroll him in the first Special Education Class for black children in 1954. Calvin was named by his teacher, Mrs. Muscia White, as “Mr. Personality”. Keeping his grandfather’s teachings and up bringing in the center of his thought process, he graduated from the 7th grade elementary school in 1960. His aspiring attitude energized his mother to enroll him in the 8th grade at Booker T. Washington High School. Considering the fact that there was no public transportation for the disabled, Gertrude Peterson rose against all odds. She worked for a white couple, taking care of the disabled daughter who also had C.P. Sometimes his mother worked over night just to have enough money to send him to school by the only means of transportation at that time, a taxi cab. The cab driver that took him to elementary school everyday also continued to take him to high school daily. His mother received her strength from his enthusiasm and determination to go to school, and was excited to pay $ 15.00 a week for transportation for her son to get his education. To show his appreciation for his mother’s sacrifice. Calvin endured the mockery of students teasing him about his condition. Calvin graduated from B.T. Washington High School in 1967. After achieving this major hurdle, his focus became limitless going beyond the mind set and understanding of the people who are different.

Calvin alone with his speech defect, embarked on a search for employment. Doors were closed repeatedly in his face. He decided to form an organization to address these issues for others with
disabilities living in poverty. In 1968 Calvin formed “ The Advanced Association For the Physically Handicapped, Inc. (AAPH). His efforts in the formation of the AAPH were acknowledged by Governor Lester Maddox in the form of a proclamation, as being a vital and needed organization for the people in poverty with disabilities. During this time Peterson took a high school classmate as his wife, Delores Ann Rasin. This marriage ended in divorce.

In 1969, Peterson received his calling to preach the gospel. He received his Ministerial License after his trial sermon at his mother’s church, Antioch Baptist Church South. He was introduced to an exclusionary environment in the church.

In spite of all of the miracles that God had revealed to him and through him, Rev. Peterson’s aspiration continued to go higher as his grandfather instructed him as a child. He was the first African American born with a disability to go to college outside of the State of Georgia. Rev. Peterson persuaded the State to sponsor his college career. As he pursued his quest for a higher education, his only support system ( immediate family) began to get sick and passed away while he was away in college. The AAPH still existed, but it was not active. One of Rev. Peterson’s motivating factors to go to college was to better equip himself to carry out the goals of the AAPH. As soon as he graduated from Long Island University in 1978, he didn’t waste any time in getting back to Georgia to continue to open doors for people living in poverty with disabilities.

His voice became louder and more people began to take heed. Before he knew it, he was appointed to serve on the Handicapped Task Force for the City of Atlanta. To Rev. Peterson’s surprise the Task Force’s agenda did not include provisions for people in poverty with disabilities. Rev. Peterson therefore introduced to the Task Force an urgent need for streets in low income areas to have curb cuts at the beginning and at the end of each street, to conform to the Architectural Barrier Act of 1968. Rev. Peterson introduced to the Human Resources Committee a Voters Registration Drive in 1979. In 1980, he became a member of MARTA’s Ad hoc Committee on Disabilities and a part of Grady Hospital’s Reconstruction Team in 1991.

Rev. Peterson later was ordained as an A.M.E. Minister in 1985 and became one of the Associate Ministers on staff Hunter Hills AME Church. Another idea came to his mind, to create a cable TV show entiled “ Lets’s Plant A Seed”. The program was created to illustrate to the community that people with disabilities are not limited just because they are different. The program ran for 13 years.

Rev. Peterson was able to get a lot of support in the formation of Disabled In Action, Inc. (DIA) in 1986. In 1988, Rev. Peterson testified to a subcommittee of the U.S. Congress on Housing and Urban Development, on the need for the Federal Government to make provisions for the poverty-stricken disabled to have accessible, decent, safe, and sanitary housing opportunities for every low income person with a disability. Rev. Peterson’s grandfather’s words were still echoing in his spirit, “There is something you can do!” Rev. Peterson’s stepped down from the position of President of DIA to pursue public service as a candidate for the Public Service Commission in Georgia and was appointed by Dr. Lenora Fulani in 1988 to be the National spokesperson for the New Alliance Party.

He organized and led a demonstration against S.C.L.C. His only intentions were to educate them about the needs as well as the conditions of the poverty-stricken disabled. The results were favorable S.C.L.C. along with DIA, conducted a march and hosted a forum to raise the awareness and sensitivity focused on the poor and disabled.

In 1992, he was appointed by Governor Zell Miller to serve on the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. He was also asked to serve on the Georgia State Advisory Council. An oral documentary video tape of Rev. Peterson’s life was accepted by the African American Department within the Smithsonian Institute in 1992. In 1994, he authored the manual entitled
“Responding to the Abuse of People with Disabilities”, in collaboration with Morehouse School of Medicine.

The 2005, Rev. Peterson was featured as the first disabled speaker at the Hungry Club Forum, a historic weekly luncheon at the Butler Street YMCA, that became a prestigious ‘soapbox’ for addressing the relevant issues for local leaders.

Presently, Rev. Peterson is being motivated by echoes of his Grandfather to implement a
“ Campaign Towards Inclusion ” for all people with disabilities living in poverty. He is a member of the Board of Directors of KES Day, Inc., a daycare program for disabled youth and adults. He is also a part of the ministerial staff at the International Christian Fellowship Church, where he met his wife, Hannah Harris Peterson of Liberia, West Africa.

Rev. Peterson is committed to leaving a memory of his parents and their sacrifices to and for him in the form of his life’s story entitled, “Nothing Is Impossible”. Rev. Calvin E. Peterson became the first locally born African American disabled author to dedicate his book by request of the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American History and Culture on May 18, 2006. He also received a Proclamation from the State of Georgia General Assembly proclaiming May 18 as the “ Day Of Inclusion”, that recognizes the achievements of Disabled In Action. Inc.on behalf of the disabled.

On May 21, 2006, Rev. Peterson was the first African descendant that was born with a severe case of Cerebral Palsy to be the guest speaker for a “Day of Inclusion with Dignity” at The First African Presbyterian Church, a black nationalist congregation.

In 2007, he was the first minister born with a disability to give the benediction for a National Human Rights Breakfast., that was a featured event during King Week 2007. Rev, Peterson continues to serve as a guest lecturer at the Interdenominational Theological Center in the Atlanta University Center.