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“As a Person With a Disability, I Feel Like a Valuable Employee”: Tammie Cantrell, One of Blue Shield’s Over 400 Employees Who Self-Identify as Having a Disability

The nonprofit health plan was recently recognized for the fourth consecutive year by the National Organization on Disability as a Leading Disability Employer.

by Beth Trimarco

This news story is also available in Spanish.

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Tammie Cantrell, Blue Shield of California

Tammie Cantrell, a customer service representative at Blue Shield of California, has beaten cancer twice. Her cancer is in remission, but the disease is still in her lymph nodes, which means ongoing care — and a lot of healthcare paperwork. Cantrell has a visual processing disorder, which can make it challenging for her to handle all these documents.

Cantrell is also one of Blue Shield’s 400+ employees who self-identifies as having a disability. One year into her customer service role, she says that her disability has been an asset, providing her with empathy. “It awakens an understanding, compassion and willingness to help,” she said. “When members call in, I tell them, ‘I’ve been there, so I know how to help you.’”

Due to her visual processing disorder, Cantrell has had to find tools to help in her job. During conversations with members, she uses one of her two screens to write bullet points for each of the member’s concerns, and then addresses them one at a time. This not only prevents what she calls “brain overload,” but also allows members to feel heard by someone who cares about them.

Following her cancer recovery a few years ago, Cantrell turned to Berkeley-based nonprofit Computer Technologies Program, which supports people with disabilities entering or re-entering the workforce with training, career counseling, resume help and mock interviews. For the past few years, Blue Shield employees have regularly volunteered for mock interviews with the nonprofit.

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Blue Shield mock interview volunteers. Cami Gatenby (left middle), director of Talent Acquisition, met Cantrell at the job fair (photo credit: Computer Technologies Program)

Cantrell had technical skills from her previous career in IT, but felt a pull to work with people, not machines. The mock interviews piqued her interest in health care, and at Blue Shield’s hiring event with the nonprofit, Cantrell found herself drawn to the health plan’s customer service department.

“Customer service seemed really rewarding, and it is,” she said. “When members call, they're often spinning out because they're overwhelmed. But by the time we’re done, 99.9% of the time, they leave calm. I’m here to be their advocate.”

With over 7,000 employees, 6% of Blue Shield’s workforce self-identifies as having a disability, a number that aligns with the percentage of people with disabilities in the eligible workforce in California.* Saffy Johnson, co-chair for Blue Shield’s Disability Inclusion Alliance, one of eight Blue Shield employee resource groups, says the real number of Blue Shield employees with a disability is likely higher due to under self-reporting. The Disability Inclusion Alliance has 639 Blue Shield employee members, comprised of employees with disabilities and caregivers of people with disabilities, as well as allies.

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Disability Inclusion Alliance members at “Making the Invisible, Visible” event, July 2024

“Not everyone who has a disability identifies as a disabled person,” said Johnson. “Some people have invisible disabilities like ADHD, disabilities like temporary conditions, or disabilities they don’t feel comfortable talking about. That’s why it’s important for our employee resource group to represent all our employees, as well as our 4.8 million members by extension. Our goal is to make our employees comfortable at work, and our environment accessible to all.”

Blue Shield’s work in the disability community, including promoting an accessible workplace, has earned two awards from Computer Technologies Program: the Disability Inclusion Award, and the Business Leadership Award. Blue Shield has also been recognized nationally for the fourth consecutive year by the National Organization on Disability as a Leading Disability Employer. This seal recognizes companies with the highest performance in disability inclusion practices and policies, including measuring and achieving strong talent outcomes for people with disabilities.

Of course, there is always more work to be done. Johnson identifies future opportunities to be more accessible, like a sign language interpreter at events and captions in video meetings. This is not only for the hearing-impaired, but also employees with processing disorders or ADHD.

Today, Johnson said the biggest thing everyone can do is to be more aware. “There are so many disabilities out there that are invisible, and we need to make them visible,” she said. “Take a step back and look at things in a different way, and think about if your environment allows the disability community to belong.”

For Tammie Cantrell, she’s found a place to belong in Blue Shield’s customer service team. “As a person with a disability, I feel like a valuable employee,” she said. “I’ve beaten adversity and I have strength to share with others.”

This National Disabled Employment Awareness month, Blue Shield proudly supports its employees and members with disabilities, and encourages everyone to carry that awareness all year.

For more on what Blue Shield is doing:

The Blue Shield of California Disability Inclusion Alliance employee resource group's mission is to support and empower employees and caregivers of people with apparent and non-apparent disabilities. The group advances disability inclusion and acceptance through education, advocacy, professional development and community partnership. It is led by co-chairs Karen Clark and Saffy Johnson, and executive sponsors Tim Evans and Jennifer Christian-Herman.

*from the U.S. Census American Community Survey and the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey