Spotlight on Success: Francisco Barrientos

"Failure isn't in my vocabulary," says Francisco Barrientos, who was paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident on December 15, 2001. He was driving up to northern Minnesota to see his daughter when he unbuckled his seatbelt to take off a sweater and hit a patch of black ice. His vehicle rolled and he was thrown about 50 yards. His "can do" attitude and seeing his children again got him through after the accident.

"I needed to see my daughter; I needed to help her out. She was having some trouble just then. I prayed to God to let me live."

In May of 2002, Barrientos went to recuperate in his home town of Geronimo, Texas. He returned to Minnesota in 2003, and was ready to go back to work, but his family thought it was too soon. Barrientos's family was taking care of him, but he was determined not to have them wait on him hand and foot. He wanted to get back into experiencing life.

After completing some retraining, Barrientos went to the local WorkForce Center which connected him with Life Track Resources where he got help with resume writing and applying for jobs. Once he started looking for a job, it took him about six weeks to find his current job at Carmike Cinemas where he works in the box office. "I decided I was going to get something; I was persistent."

Barrientos, who is bilingual, likes providing customer service. He meets all kinds of people in his job. "Even though I have a disability, I know how to get around. There are many people who live here who hardly speak English, but I know how to communicate."

Barrientos thinks coworkers and supervisors have been good about accommodating for his disability. "They have made reasonable accommodations, and everything is accessible. We just do what we have to do to work together."

Barrientos dreams of being an "extra," in a movie. "I will do a sitcom, but I will never do stand up comedy…"

To people with disabilities who are looking for jobs, Barientos says "Don't sell yourself short. Get out and give yourself a chance. If you don't try you'll never know. At first I thought I would be embarrassed, but I like to be the center of attention!"

When asked if there was anything else he wanted to add, Barrientos quipped, "I want to meet Oprah."