My Special Olympics Life
This is my first post of many more to come. I Hope you can learn from reading this story that you can do what you set your mind to!
Hi my name is Garrett Barnes but everyone calls me Garrie. I have worked at Special Olympics for 17 years. Here are some things I like to tell you as you get to know me. I would not be the person I am now if it were not for all the people that have helped me get to where I am now.
Let’s start at the beginning. I was in high school when I would come down to Special Olympics office and meet with my sister Dillon on Wednesdays after school. I would ride the metro all by myself and it made me feel like I didn’t have a disability, and that I could do something without a lot of help. I got to do little things to help out my sister and her boss Dave Lennox with some copying. I also liked getting to know some of the athletes who work at the office, like Ben Collins and Bobby Jones. Fun fact, Bobby and my sister shared an office together back then!
When I first started in Special Olympics as an athlete I did skiing it was a lot of fun and I got a chance to make some friends. Since in school I really only had one friend. In the spring, I tried swimming and track and field. But I loved the pool. I just loved the water. And the coaches were very helpful. I got the chance to learn something new. I may not get it the first few times, but when I got it, I got it. And that summer my first state games were wonderful. I did a great job at the games and the day after I started working for Special Olympics in the mailroom, with Theresa Simms-Smith. It was my first real job! I was very nervous and most of all, I hoped that everyone would like me.
So when you have a disability, learning things can be hard like reading or just learning to tie your shoes. I know this because I had a hard time with reading the emails here at the office. My friend and co-worker David Evangelista would help me with going through all of the emails. He would read them to me to make sure that I understood everything. Sometimes it felt like being in school. I have been able to learn and grow here a lot. One of ways was getting a teacher to come in and teach some of the employee-athletes basic skills from reading, to a little math, spelling and writing. That is how my Mom and Dad found out about reading with audio books on CDs, because I learn better when I hear and see the written word.
After working in the mailroom for a few months, I was asked if I would help Tim Shriver out while Donna, his assistant at the time, was out on vacation. I did a great job! And they had me move over to work with them. So I helped Tim and Donna with coping, office supplies and other things too. I now work as the receptionist where I help greet guests and call staff when they have visitors. Over the past year I have been working with the Legal Department and I have been learning how to file, make labels, and I have been helping with making a list of the resolutions from when the Special Olympics Board started. This fall I started working with Sally Cohen with writing my own blog of stories about Special Olympics from an athlete’s point of view.
I have been working here at SOI for 17 years, and I am ready to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself more. As I have been working with legal team I have found that they see me as Garrie, and not someone with a disability. I am a happier person now because people are able to see me be brave and try new things. And I hope to inspire people like me to do the same.
