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Special Olympian makes goals, reaches them
McCOOK, Neb. — Amanda Kinne is not afraid to try something new.
The 25-year-old has been involved with sports and Special Olympics since she was a child and recently earned first and second places at the regional swimming meet, qualifying her for the state meet in May. As well as swimming, she also competes in bowling and bocce ball.
But now, she’s up for something out of the ordinary: throwing the javelin.
“It was different so I wanted to try it,” said Amanda, who will also compete in the 400- and 200-meter walk.
Making and reaching goals is not new for her. When she recently lost her job as salad bar attendant due to downsizing, a job she had for nearly a year, Amanda and her support specialists went right to work.
Stacie Aufrecht, an employment specialist with Goodwill Industries and an agency provider, practiced interviewing skills with her and a week later, Amanda aced the interview and started the next day as breakfast bar attendant at the Cobblestone Inn in McCook.
She works three days a week from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m., making slightly more than minimum wage, setting up the breakfast area, cooking various breakfast items like eggs and sausage and gravy, making sure food items are stocked for guests and making coffee — lots of coffee.
It’s a job she’s had barely a month and already she’s been given a $2 tip by a hotel guest. And a lot of that has to do with Amanda’s positive outlook, her providers said.
“She has a great attitude … she’s easy going and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Aufrecht said.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone, said Natalie Alred, Cobblestone Inn general manager.
“I’ve worked with Stacie before, at Hillcrest (Nursing Home), and the clients she trains are always hardworking and dependable,” Alred said. “We needed someone part-time and Amanda does a great job. The guests enjoy getting to know her.”
Amanda is a prime example of a disability not being the defining characteristic of an individual, but one of several aspects of the whole person. It’s not so much about what a person can’t do, but what they can. About 54 million Americans — one out of every five individuals — have a disability.
Working with Leila Koetter, developmental disabilities service coordinator with Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, along with independent providers, who help her build relationship and safety skills, Amanda’s now aiming for another goal: getting her own apartment.
She’s learned to use public transit for getting around and when that isn’t available, relies on her independent providers, family members or Aufrecht with Goodwill Industries for transportation.
Currently living with her parents and younger brother, Amanda is working on skills needed to live on her own, such as cooking, cleaning and shopping. She’s already nailing down the cooking part, having made several of her favorite dishes such as pizza, spaghetti and, what every good Nebraskan loves, runzas.
People with disabilities constitute the largest minority group in the United States, simultaneously the most inclusive and the most diverse, said Courtney Miller, director of Nebraska’s Division of Developmental Disabilities. It includes all genders, ages, religions, socioeconomic levels and ethnic backgrounds.
Seeing people succeed and helping them reach their goals is what makes her job great, said Leila Koetter, Amanda’s service coordinator.
“I’m so tickled for Amanda and excited about the future success she will have in the next six months,” she said.