Disability no barrier to doing a good job
Goose Creek resident Robert Ridge holds an important job at MUSC—managing 10 floors worth of patient lab work.
Robert
Ridge explains to his job coach Barbara Wilson how he logs the specimens.
Ridge picks up lab work from various departments, logs the specimens, and makes sure they get to the correct lab for processing. Ridge works at a fast pace to cover all 10 floors, and his attention to detail and exceptional work ethic ensure he will not only get the job done, but he’ll also do it right.
Ridge lives with a lifelong developmental disability, but has been given an opportunity to cultivate his many talents and abilities.
“I hired Robert six years ago,” said Early Griffin III, manager for support services and Ambulatory Care at MUSC. “He has been an exceptional employee and very dedicated. He likes to come to work, and he has an important role in our organization. We’ve given him a job that holds a lot of responsibility. Robert provides a very valuable service.”
When Ridge wanted to find work, he contacted the Berkeley Citizens Inc. (BCI) Job Coach program. The job coaches worked with Ridge to help him find a job, provide ongoing training and assistance free of charge. Now he is a hard-working, tax-paying citizen earning his own money. In fact, Ridge is saving to take a vacation sometime soon. Being a huge sports fan, he would love to save up enough money to take a trip to Atlanta to watch the Atlanta Braves play. Ridge also plays for the Charleston Big Dogs Special Olympics Basketball team and scored six points in their last game.
“The individuals we serve are just like anyone else. They have dreams, goals and ambitions,” explains Alice Shook, executive director for BCI. “Too often, employers tend not to consider individuals with disabilities because either they don’t think the person has the abilities, or their company doesn’t have the time or resources to train or work with the person. At Berkeley Citizens, we take the burden of extra training off of the employer. Our job coaches happily come on-site to work with the individual as often as needed.”
What is BCI?
Berkeley Citizens Inc. (BCI) is a non-profit human service organization
whose mission is to provide individuals with lifelong developmental disabilities
the opportunity to develop and maintain productive, self-fulfilling lifestyles.
BCI is funded through the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Trident United Way, grant programs, and donations from private companies and individuals. BCI manages a variety of residential options and an adult day workshop which provides employment opportunities to individuals with developmental disabilities.
Additionally, BCI provides service coordination to more than 600 individuals and offers early intervention services to families of children, from birth to three years old, with developmental disabilities.
For information, or to inquire about volunteer or sponsorship opportunities, contact Gina Smith at 761-0316.
Friday, June 11, 2004
Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated
as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations
for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South
Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107
or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst
Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu
or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community
Press at 849-1778.