After being employed for seventeen years and married for sixteen, Gretchen Buckalew showed that being born differently does not have to define who you are. Born with Diastrophic Dwarfism, Gretchen is currently 3 feet tall. She has had at least 25 surgeries since she was born and cannot travel far distances without an electric wheelchair. However, Gretchen did not let these challenges define her.
Along with her dwarfism, Gretchen also has a learning disability called Dyscalculia. This causes her to have trouble with certain math problems and equations. One of her biggest challenges in life was proving to others, despite her disability, that she was smarter than people thought. According to recent findings at Cornell University, out of the over 19 million working-age adults (ages 21-64) in the United States with disabilities, only 15.2% percent have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher. Gretchen overcame the odds by earning a bachelor’s degree in history and eventually a master’s degree in human resource management. She also achieved a certificate in paralegal studies.
Gretchen has been employed at Georgia Power since April 2004. She was very impressed with the company from the interview process as before she arrived at the interview, they prepared an open water bottle in the interview room, which might seem insignificant to most, but to Gretchen, it meant everything.
“I don’t have a lot of dexterity in my hands and hate asking for help when opening bottles, especially in a job interview,” Gretchen said, “So to know that they thought of that ahead of time just out of courtesy, made a great impression on me.”
According to Gretchen, making simple things easily accessible, such as bathrooms, interview rooms, and even the front door are things that companies can do to make people with disabilities more comfortable as they start new jobs.
Gretchen is one of Georgia Power’s customer service representatives and helps customers with questions they have about their accounts. She also gives the customers professional tips about how they can save money and energy in their homes. In addition, Gretchen is also a part of their social media team and helps manage their numerous social media accounts. With the love of research and problem solving, Gretchen aspires to become an analyst within Georgia Power’s technology or land department, where she can apply her skills at a deeper level.
One of Gretchen’s proudest achievements is that she has been married to her “high school sweetheart” since 2005. She is also proud that despite her disabilities she is a homeowner, has had a steady job, and can help others through her job. Gretchen has worked hard for everything she has and her advice to others is to never give up despite incoming obstacles that you might face.
As her employers have been very accommodating to her, Gretchen believes every business should put the same effort to make employees as comfortable as possible. Gretchen and many other persons with disabilities have worked hard to overcome so much to get where they are, which is why it is important we continue to educate others on how to make all people feel welcome everywhere they go.