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Nothing holds Joe Coleman back as he battles through adversity

The Hawk Eye - 10/16/2017

Oct. 16--Joe Coleman is a Burlington celebrity.

His sister, Kimm Coleman, said she can't go anywhere with Joe without getting stopped at least once by what she calls his "paparazzi."

"I guess it is just my personality," Joe joked.

His fans had much to celebrate when Joe won the Personal Achievement Award at the Iowa APSE Summit in Des Moines last month. The organization, Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst, aims to integrate people with disabilities into the workforce with equal wages and benefits.

Joe was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and mild mental condition at a young age. After wearing metal braces on his legs at night and using crutches through most of his childhood, Joe walked on his own at age 11, said his older sister.

"I taught him how to talk and how to walk and all that kind of stuff," said Kimm. "I used to put his feet on mine and we would walk."

When Joe turned 13, he was able to take his head protection off he told Kimm he was "just regular" now, and focusing on his disability became a thing of the past.

Eva Castillo, Hope Haven's employment services coordinator, nominated Joe for the award, a decision she called a "no-brainer." Joe went through all the steps she said, starting in a segregated work environment, moving to group employment supported by Hope Haven, and finally taking the position of environmental aide at Great River Medical Center in 2014.

"I started at the bottom, and I am working my way up to the top," said Joe.

Joe cleans wheelchairs, stocks supplies and ensures patient folders are easily accessible to nurses with a smile on his face, said his boss Kevin Dameron.

"Joe is just a great guy to work with ," Dameron said. "When Joe comes down the hall he knows everyone's name and they know his."

But, Joe is not all work. He plays checkers in national tournaments. He collects autographs of movie stars. He bakes the best cookies in his family. He roots for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers.

He plays on the Midwest Magic basketball team, which plays an annual game each Spring against the Burlington police. That's where he met Darren Grimshaw of the police department, who he now calls his best friend.

Of course Grimshaw, as most others who know Joe, had only glowing remarks about him.

"He is a lot of fun and brings a light mood to anything going on," said Grimshaw.

Joe's personal achievements go far beyond his work. Kimm said every year on vacation Joe checks something off his bucket list, a list of things he never thought he could do.

He spreads his smile to those around him, and he knows it.

"I just love to make people laugh and smile whenever they are having a bad day," said Joe.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and those who know Joe said he epitomizes a success story of the importance of different perspectives and talents in the workplace.

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(c)2017 The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa)

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