Peer & Family Support Spotlight: Addis Gonte

Addis Gonte believes that whenever you have a defined goal, you learn to appreciate life more — and he has a lot of goals.

“I see my life experiences as a blessing in disguise,” says Gonte. “They have allowed me to be part of a more creative and diverse community and to think differently about how I approach things.”

Originally from Ethiopia, Gonte moved to the United States as a toddler. In 2008, at the age of 16, he sustained a T4 complete spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury from a car accident.

“I was in a coma for a month,” says Gonte. “Having both a physical and mental injury was a double whammy. My memory, speech and vision were all affected. I had to relearn everything from reading to speaking.”

Gonte set a goal to distance himself from negative thoughts and put his energy toward navigating the right attitude to try new things. He finished high school, started community college, and became active in a variety of adaptive sports, including handcycling, rugby, bowling and water sports. He found the activities not only improved his overall wellness but also gave him great networking opportunities.

In 2012, he met TJ Griffin, who later became a program coordinator for the Reeve Foundation Peer & Family Support Program at a local community rec program; two years later, Gonte became a mentor. In the almost ten years since, Gonte has mentored about a dozen people, including one with whom he remained in contact for nearly seven years.

“We all need an advocate,” says Gonte. “I wouldn’t have gotten this far without others. People need to know that they are not alone. We are all capable of doing anything we put our mind to. You can live a better quality of life.”

Gonte certainly embodies this belief. Over the years, he has become a strong community advocate, speaking about his experiences and sharing Reeve Foundation resources at workshops and programs in libraries, hospitals and support groups across Dallas and the surrounding areas. In fact, the mayor of Sachse, Texas, proclaimed November 16, 2011, as Addis Gonte Day in recognition of his tireless work in the community before and after his injury.

Yet Gonte also had bigger goals in mind. In 2020, during his last semester at the University of North Texas, he founded Able Mindset, a nonprofit focused on cultivating disabilities into fruitful life experiences through mentorship with creative arts and sciences.

“This vision came to life after reflecting on two previous visits to Ethiopia before and after my injury,” says Gonte. “These trips motivated me to return to Texas and focus on rehabilitation and education goals for better life opportunities.”

After graduation, he decided to focus on the overwhelming need to improve access and awareness for people living with disabilities in marginalized countries.

“During my second trip, I visited a YMCA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, and saw that there was no way for people with disabilities to get into the building,” says Gonte. “I took the initiative to work with the program to get a ramp built. Soon after, they made me an ambassador of the program, working to promote awareness for accessibility and inclusion by connecting with local universities and rural community centers. My planned two-month visit became a six-month trip.”