Influential Women Showcases LaShae Flowers: A Career Rooted In Precision, Service, And Meaningful Access

MANCHESTER, TN, UNITED STATES, October 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- From Court Reporting to CART Captioning, LaShae Has Built a Professional Journey Centered on Accessibility, Mentorship, and Purpose

Manchester, Tennessee – LaShae Flowers, RPR, CRR, CRC, has built a career centered on precision, service, accessibility, and a genuine desire to help others. As a Remote Staff CART Captioner for the University of Illinois Chicago, she provides real-time captioning for classes, meetings, events, and campus activities, helping ensure communication access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, employees, and guests. Her professional journey has included court reporting, CART captioning, and work across educational, medical, business, and government settings, giving her a broad understanding of the importance of accurate and timely communication.

LaShae began her career after earning an Associate of Applied Science in Court Reporting from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where she studied from 1986 to 1988. The demanding education she received during those formative years became an important foundation for her professional development. Although she did not always appreciate how tough the training was at the time, she now recognizes how much it prepared her for the realities of the profession. The instructors kept her focused and on track, while teaching her how to approach the responsibilities of the field with discipline and professionalism.

Her early career included freelance court reporting in legal environments throughout the 1990s. She covered civil cases, workers’ compensation matters, and depositions, gaining firsthand experience working with attorneys and navigating the professional expectations of legal reporting. The experience also taught her how to manage some of the challenges associated with the profession, including burnout and the need to maintain a professional approach while working in demanding circumstances.

After stepping away from the profession to focus on raising her children, LaShae eventually returned to the field with a renewed direction. Her career increasingly focused on CART, or Communication Access Realtime Translation, allowing her to apply her technical skills in service of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. This transition became an important part of her professional story and ultimately connected her work with a larger purpose centered on accessibility, inclusion, and equal access to information.

LaShae credits much of her development not only to formal education but also to the experienced professionals who surrounded her throughout her career. Captioners who had already established themselves in the industry took her under their wings and became mentors, providing opportunities to learn and develop her skills. She is particularly grateful for relationships with professionals who were among the first to caption on television and who shared their knowledge with her. For LaShae, learning directly from top-notch professionals provided valuable insight that could not be gained from education alone.

Mentorship remains closely connected to the advice she offers young women entering the industry. LaShae encourages those beginning their careers to pursue strong, disciplined training and remain committed to continuous learning. She believes that finding mentors who can provide guidance, support, and perspective can make a meaningful difference as professionals develop their skills. Maintaining a high standard of professionalism is equally important, particularly in a field where accuracy, reliability, and communication are essential.

Another lesson that has remained important throughout LaShae’s career is the value of balance. She believes professionals should not allow work to consume their entire lives, even when the financial rewards of taking on additional work may be appealing. Working day and night can eventually take a physical and mental toll, making it difficult to sustain a career over the long term. For LaShae, maintaining a social life, home life, family connections, and other meaningful interests is an essential part of avoiding burnout.

She experienced the importance of this lesson particularly during COVID, when captioning demands increased significantly as organizations relied on Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams meetings, and other virtual events. While the increased volume of work reflected the essential role captioners played in maintaining communication, it also contributed to widespread burnout. LaShae found maintaining balance difficult earlier in her career as a court reporter, but she has found it easier to manage as a captioner. Her approach remains straightforward: work hard, but leave room for life outside of work.

Technology has also transformed the profession throughout LaShae’s career. When she first entered the field, stenographic notes and typewriters were central to the work, requiring reporters to sit and type page after page of transcripts. Today, sophisticated software and computer systems have changed how professionals perform their responsibilities, creating new opportunities while requiring continued adaptation and education.

LaShae has experienced these technological changes firsthand within captioning. Modern software can incorporate AI that assists captioners in real time, including during classes. When a word or phrase is misheard or difficult to spell, technology can provide possible spellings on the screen, even when the word is not already included in the captioner’s dictionary. The captioner can then select the suggestion and place it directly into the captioning.

While LaShae finds these developments remarkable, she also understands that emerging technology introduces new challenges. AI remains relatively new within this aspect of the field, and professionals are continuing to learn how to use these tools effectively. For LaShae, ongoing training is therefore essential. She has continued learning as software, computers, monitors, projection technologies, and other tools have evolved, recognizing that staying current is part of maintaining a successful career in a changing industry.

At the center of LaShae’s professional philosophy are service, integrity, and purpose. She has always wanted to do work that genuinely helps people, which ultimately led her toward CART captioning and a long-standing commitment to supporting the disability community and DEIA principles. Her work is not simply about producing accurate captions. It is about helping provide meaningful access to information and participation. That sense of purpose has remained a consistent thread throughout her transition from court reporting to captioning.

Her experiences have reinforced the importance of adaptability while also reminding her of the people at the heart of the profession. Precision and technical skill are necessary, but LaShae believes those qualities are most meaningful when they are used in service of others. Her career demonstrates how specialized professional expertise can become a pathway toward greater communication access and inclusion.

Outside her professional responsibilities, LaShae places considerable value on family, balance, and well-being. She enjoys spending time with her family and dogs, staying active through swimming, workouts, and pickleball, and traveling whenever she can. These interests provide an important counterbalance to the concentration and responsibility required by her work.

With certifications including Certified Real-Time Captioner, Registered Professional Reporter, Certified Caption Provider, CRR, and CRC, as well as membership in the National Court Reporters Association, LaShae continues to bring extensive knowledge and dedication to her role. Her professional story reflects the impact of rigorous training, generous mentorship, continuous education, and a clear commitment to service.

Through decades of change in technology, professional responsibilities, and the broader communication landscape, LaShae has remained focused on the purpose behind her work: helping people access information and participate more fully. Her journey from court reporting to CART captioning illustrates how experience, adaptability, and a commitment to meaningful service can create a lasting professional path. For LaShae, success is not only measured by professional achievement, but also by the ability to contribute, maintain balance, and make a genuine difference through the work she does each day.

Learn More about LaShae Flowers:

Through her Influential Women profile: https://influentialwomen.com/connect/lashae-flowers

Influential Women

Influential Women provides a platform where women from all backgrounds can connect, share their perspectives, and create content that empowers themselves and others. Through storytelling, thought leadership, and creative expression, Influential Women amplifies voices that inspire change.

Editorial Team
Influential Women
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