Since 2005, the Association has been creating programs that address issues related to vocational rehabilitation and the return-to-work of people after brain injury.
Vocational Project 2007 - 2009
Based upon the success of a pilot project in southern New Jersey, in which the Association partnered with Bacharach Rehabilitation Hospital, two DVRS offices and local supported employment programs to develop a service delivery system for people with brain injury, the Association received additional funding from the Henry H. Kessler Foundation to expand the vocational project for two additional years. The goal of this effort is to create a statewide, standardized model for the delivery of vocational services tailored to meet the needs specific to people with brain injury and enhance their potential for successful return to work.
The vocational project will continue the collaboration established in South Jersey, and form two additional collaborations. Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange and JFK Center for Head Injuries in Edison will take part in the project, along with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) county offices and supported employment programs surrounding these hospitals. The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey will provide training and assistance to all agencies involved in the project to ensure its success.
The Association has partnered with the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development to assist with the evaluation of the project. Before the two additional collaborations are established, the Heldrich Center will evaluate how the collaboration is working in South Jersey. Changes to the model will be made based on the results of this evaluation. Towards the end of the project, the Heldrich Center will perform an extensive evaluation of all three collaboratives.
An exciting part of the project is the development of a standardized, streamlined neuropsychological reporting format for use by DVRS counselors in vocational planning. A committee of neuropsychologists and DVRS representatives will work on the development of this format. Once the new reporting format has been finalized, efforts will be made to increase the number of neuropsychologists who will use the reporting format when providing evaluations for clients of DVRS. It is anticipated that the use of the new reporting format will provide crucial information that the DVRS counselors need when developing return to work plans for their clients.
For more information about the Vocational Project, please contact Judi Weinberger at jweinberger@bianj.org.
DVRS Trainings
In addition to funding from the Henry Kessler Foundation, the Association has received funding from DVRS to provide training about brain injury and return to work issues to all of the DVRS offices’ professional staff and job coaches from supported employment programs. Anticipated to begin in February 2008, each DVRS office will receive four two-hour training sessions. Topics will include medical and rehabilitation aspects of brain injury; the emotional impact of brain injury; the family's roles in vocational rehabilitation; community resources; the vocational rehabilitation process and neuropsychological testing; and job coaching and compensatory strategies for behavioral and cognitive issues. Each training session will be followed by the opportunity for counselors to discuss case-specific issues on an individual basis. DVRS counselors will also be able to contact the vocational rehabilitation counselors at the Association for ongoing consultation about their clients with brain injury.
How the Vocational Project Began
The Association completed a two year project in February of 2007 entitled "Improving New Jersey’s Work Force Development System for People with Brain Injuries". The goal of the project was to educate workforce staff throughout New Jersey about the unique issues people with brain injuries encounter when they return to work. The project offered training and technical assistance to all sectors of the workforce development system including One-Stop Centers, selected Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services’ (DVRS) county offices and supported employment programs. This project was jointly funded by a grant awarded to the New Jersey Department of Human Services’ Division of Disability Services from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, and by the Henry H. Kessler Foundation.
Coursework on Brain Injury
The vocational project also targeted those students who will eventually wind up working in the vocational rehabilitation field in New Jersey—students in the Master of Rehabilitation Counseling program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). In collaboration with UMDNJ, the Association developed content for four classes that focus on brain injury and vocationally related topics. The classes continue to be taught at the Stratford and Scotch Plains campuses through funding from the New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Fund.
Vocational Resources
Two manuals were developed through this project. The first, Returning to Work After Brain Injury: An Information and Resource Guide for New Jersey's One-Stop Career Centers, provides a basic understanding of brain injury and its impact on individuals with brain injury who are returning to work. The guide, written for staff at the One Stop Centers, also lists resources throughout New Jersey that benefit people with brain injury.
The second manual was developed for staff at DVRS and supported employment programs. This manual, entitled The Brain Injury Handbook: An Introductory Guide to Understanding Brain Injury for Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals, provides vocational counselors with detailed information about working with people who have brain injuries in vocational settings, including the changes that occur after brain injury, the vocational interviewing process, cognitive rehabilitation, compensatory strategies and accommodations, and family involvement during the vocational rehabilitation process.
Download Returning to Work After Brain Injury
Download The Brain Injury Handbook
The Brain at Work: A Newsletter for Job Coaches
A series of bi-monthly newsletters have been developed to educate job coaches and vocational rehabilitation professionals about the unique challenges faced by individuals with brain injury as they return to work and compensatory strategies that can assist in a successful outcome. Please email ltempleton@bianj.org if you would like to receive the newsletters. Below are various issues for download.
Volume 1: April 2008
Volume 2: June 2008
Volume 3: August 2008
Volume 4: October 2008
Volume 5: December 2008