Paris, Tenn.—Keri Dougherty of Paris has really hit the big time now.
Dougherty is one of four people profiled in an article published January 26 in The Wall Street Journal.
The article, titled “Lost Labor Now Found” highlights the steady increase in hiring people with disabilities across the country. Disabled workers are joining the job market at the highest level in years amid low unemployment and stricter rules for claiming Social Security benefits, according to the article.
Dougherty works at the Goodwill donation center located on Tyson Ave. in Paris and she was honored as the 2018 Achiever of the Year by Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee.
The other three people profiled in the article are from Michigan and Washington D.C. The article, written by Eric Morath, also interviews economists from Harvard and MIT and federal officials.
In the article, both Keri and her aunt, Laura Dougherty of Paris, are interviewed.
Here is the portion of the article about Keri:
“But the deeper jobs pool has been particularly crucial for improving the economic outlook of the disabled Americans who have been denied benefits at a higher rate in recent years. Take Keri Dougherty, of Paris, Tenn., a 23-year-old with autism who qualified for Social Security payments as a child but was denied when she applied for disability benefits as an adult. Her family didn’t appeal the decision made in 2013. “We didn’t have the money to fight it,” said Laura Dougherty, Keri Dougherty’s aunt, who raised her since she was 5. “But that’s OK, we had bigger aspirations for Keri anyhow.”
Keri Dougherty, whose disability prevents her from driving, completed high school and two years ago received employment training at the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center in Smyrna, Tenn. Days after finishing her training at the center, she attended a job fair and was soon hired to work at a trailer that collects donated items for the Goodwill Industries charity.
The job allowed her to move into her own apartment in December and to buy an old car, even though she’s unable to drive it. She leaves it parked near the unheated trailer so she can warm up during breaks. She earns about $9 an hour and works 40 hours a week. “I’ve wanted to live independently for a long time,” Ms. Dougherty said. “I wanted to experience how the real world works.”
Photo of Keri Dougherty at work at the Goodwill donation center in Paris. (Goodwill photo).