Identical at Heart

Liane Beaird inspires her twin, attorney Lisa Shoalmire, to advocate for disabled people
by Katie Stone

Sisters Donyea McNabb, Lisa Shoalmire and Liane Beaird (standing) pose for a picture with their grandmother, Millie Gray.

For twin sisters Liane and Lisa Beaird, childhood was as normal as it could be. They played with their sister, Donyea, and other neighborhood children. They took family road trips and went camping at Lake of the Pines. Liane was involved with all that the family did, and she participated right alongside Lisa. Everything seemed normal to Lisa until she was about eight-years-old, when she began noticing some of Liane’s differences—the traits of Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD). Other children began noticing, too. “I learned it also from the teasing that comes along with kids,” Lisa recalled, “speaking to things they don’t understand exactly.”

Lisa, Donyea and Liane celebrate Easter in 1975.

Both twins required specialized educational settings: Liane attended so-called special education schools in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana, while Lisa was enrolled in gifted programs and magnet schools. “My parents had to deal with different ends of the education spectrum,” Lisa said. “They always knew that Liane would need a special care environment.”

Liane moved into a residential care facility when she was 15-years-old, where she still lives. There, she attends classes, spends time with her friends, and is still involved in family events. “Liane considers it her college,” Lisa said. “She has a roommate, a boyfriend, and a social life.”

Liane (front) spends time with Donyea and Lisa every year during the Christmas season.

When Lisa was in college, she considered pursuing a career as a teacher of IDD students. “I know a lot of people are less comfortable with the disability and special education spectrum, and I didn’t have any issues with that, but after looking into special education, I realized that I am more of a special-education advocate than an educator,” she said. She instead went to law school. 

Lisa didn’t know the type of law she would one day practice, but she knew that there had to be something she could do in this field to contribute to the disabled community. Although law school did not cover topics on disability rights or “Special Needs Trusts” at the time, she knew that she could use her legal expertise to be an advocate for others. 

Liane traveled to Texarkana to attend a football game with her twin sister, Lisa, when Liane’s nephew, Mason Shoalmire, played football for the Texas Tigers.

“There is always someone who could use an advocate or champion,” she said. 

Lisa continued to see her sister as much as she could when Liane moved into her residential facility. She volunteered there often as a helper with their swim program. In college, she acquired the certifications needed so that she could teach swimming during the summer to the residents of the facility.

Liane, Lisa and Donyea with their mother, Linda Young, in 1990. (Photo by Olan Mills Photography

When Lisa started private practice, focused on helping families and business owners with estate planning, she noticed a recurring topic with her clients—that of planning for disabled individuals. This had been a concern of her own parents as well. “When Liane was an infant, my parents were told that she likely wouldn’t live past age 30, so they never thought about estate planning for her or what could arise,” Lisa said. “As a family member, I knew this concern, but I didn’t really know what to do about it as a professional until I just dug in.” 

Since then, Lisa has helped hundreds of families with estate planning, setting up Special Needs Trusts as a Senior Partner at Ross & Shoalmire, PLLC.

Liane, like her sister, loves serving others. When she comes to Texarkana to visit, she often volunteers alongside Lisa’s mother-in-law, Sherry Ross, at Our Place Day Respite Center, operated by Alzheimer’s Alliance Tri-State Area. In general, she enjoys staying busy, giving back to the community, and socializing. “Liane remembers everyone she meets,” Lisa said. “Once she meets [someone], she will always ask how that person is doing. She knows all the gossip at home and who is dating whom.”

Lisa and Liane stand with their older sister, Donyea, on her wedding day in 1982.

In addition to their mutual community-mindedness, Lisa and Liane also share a love for all things “Brady Bunch” and Elvis Presley. As sisters—and twin sisters at that—they have an indescribable bond. Sprung from this bond is Lisa’s dedication to ensuring that people like her sister receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Though Liane and Lisa are fraternal twins with their own distinct lives, they are made practically identical by their shared love and passion for helping others in the best way they know how.