Meet Carter (Tennessee)!

“Individuals with disabilities have served an extremely vital role … during the pandemic. Carter is only one of many individuals with disabilities still working. These roles are vital in keeping the hospital running!”

CARTER'S STORY:

Carter Beatty works as a Specimen Transporter for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  She has been working in this role since 2007.  During the Pandemic, not only was she deemed essential, she actually received a promotion and inherited some additional responsibilities from the Phlebotomy lab.  As a Specimen Transporter, Carter is responsible for picking up various specimens (medical instrumentation/patient samples/patient lab results) from specific labs and clinics and delivering them to the corresponding locations.

During the pandemic, Vanderbilt University Medical Center has added extra precautions for staff working on campus.  Certain doorways and entryways have been closed off, and more people are working from home.  This has been a challenge for Carter because her job requires her to travel throughout campus.  She has had to re-learn how to get around campus and is now required to interact with different people when picking up or dropping off specimens.

Carter’s position makes a HUGE impact on the hospital.  She did this job as an Intern while participating in Project SEARCH and the Department determined that it was absolutely essential to the success and efficiency of the hospital.  Therefore, this position was created for her and remains an extremely important role.

Carter in front of a cart outside of the medical center.
NDEAM 2020 Poster in English.
Cartel del Mes Nacional de la Concientización Sobre la Discapacidad en el Empleo 2020

Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month!

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We Salute Essential Workers!