Kyle Gossett is determined to help others by sharing his story

“I am writing this book in hopes of encouraging and helping others to overcome challenges they may have and to have the best life possible, no matter the circumstances. — Kyle Gossett from a draft of “Kyle’s Walk”

Kyle Gossett knows that when many people look at him, they only see his wheelchair.

He’s hoping to change that, not only for himself but for others with disabilities.

“I feel like they just look at the chair and don’t look at the person inside the chair,” he said. “They automatically assume things. I want them to focus on me, not my physical disability.”

Kyle, 22, is determined to make sure his voice is heard — and he’s working on writing a book about his life with cerebral palsy. Although the project, titled “Kyle’s Walk” is in the beginning stages, he is hoping it can be published one day.

“I want to maybe open people’s eyes up a little bit,” he said.

“People tell me that I deal with (cerebral palsy) a lot better than they would…I break down from time to time, but I have learned how to adapt. My rule is, you just have to not be upset and keep a smile on your face no matter how hard it is, you have to keep your spirits up.” — Kyle Gossett from a draft of “Kyle’s Walk”

A 2013 graduate of Newark High School, Kyle moved to Licking County when he was 12.

Since then he’s received support from the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

“They’ve helped me with more things then I can count,” he said. “I’ve got their number on speed dial.”

In 2013, Kyle got a job as a greeter at Meijer on 21st Street. He loved the position and was devastated when the store closed, causing him to lose his job.

Since then, he’s had some health problems that kept him out of the job market. But with support from his LCBDD Service Coordinator Kim Burke and his Employment Specialist Denise Rose, he’s starting the process again and he’s hoping to find a position where he’ll get to work with people.

He recently took a big step and moved out of his mother’s home. He now lives with a roommate and his service dog, Ramsey, in Heath.

So far, he has learned a lot about being on his own. He’s hoping to share some of those lessons in his book to help other young people with disabilities who want to live on their own.

“I just want people to know to ask more thorough questions before you go jumping into anything,” Kyle said. “I just want people to know to speak up.”

Kyle said he’s grateful that LCBDD has helped him transition into a new living situation while helping him take steps to plan for the future.

“I’ve got to take care of things on my own,” he said. “I want to be as independent as possible.”

“I always try to tell people all the positive things in life…My goal in life is to make people happy and make myself happy.” — Kyle Gossett from a draft of “Kyle’s Walk”