News and Notes 483 October 13

birgitta.chaiken - Wed, 10/13/2021 - 12:30

In continued celebration of the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and its theme, America's Recovery: Powered by Inclusion, NARIC has assembled resources from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere to help organizations build a culture of inclusion at work; This Just In... features a NIDILRR-funded study, Cognitive-communication predictors of employment outcomes 1 and 5 years posttraumatic brain injury; Research in Focus looks at the use, and risk of misuse, of prescription opioids among people with a history of traumatic injury; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of People with Serious Mental Illness posts the latest episode in its Collab Chats podcast series, Amplifying the Voices of Students with Mental Health Issues on College Campuses; principal investigator for the Minnesota Regional Spinal Cord Injury System Center receives the Becky Adcock Award for Excellence in Mentoring from the the Association of Spinal Cord Professionals (ASCIP); the Great Lakes ADA Regional Center in collaboration with the ADA National Network hosts webinar, Workers with Long Covid-19 and the ADA; the Trauma Informed Care in Centers for Independent Living (CIL) seeks volunteers age 18 and over to discuss their experiences and perspectives as CIL consumers; the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to host virtual event, An Inclusive Talent Pipeline for American Businesses Prize Challenge: Final Grand Prize Event, as part of ACL's NDEAM celebration; the Department of Labor (DOL) will host virtual celebration of NDEAM and the 20th Anniversary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

Date sent: 
2021-10-13
NARIC news: 

This week, we continue celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and its theme: America's Recovery: Powered by Inclusion. Inclusive organizations make equal employment opportunity for individuals with disabilities a core part of their mission and culture. They are proactive in recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing employees with disabilities, even creating human resource positions focused on this diverse talent pool. These organizations also create corporate cultures that are welcoming of people with disabilities, valuing their input, and actively fighting stigma and bullying in the workplace. We assembled some resources from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere to help organizations build a culture of inclusion at work.

This Just In: 
Cognitive-communication predictors of employment outcomes 1 and 5 years posttraumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, Volume 36(3), Pgs. 196-204. NARIC Accession Number: J87180.
New to the NARIC collection, this NIDILRR-funded study examined changes in five cognitive-communicative abilities (functional memory, problem solving, comprehension, expression, and social communication) over the first 2 years posttraumatic brain injury (TBI) and the ability of each to predict return to work (RTW) outcomes at 1 year and 5 years postinjury. Data were obtained from the TBI Model Systems (TBIMS) National Database for 3,543 individuals who sustained moderate-to-severe TBI and received acute hospital care and inpatient rehabilitation at a TBIMS facility. Greater function across each of the 5 cognitive-communication abilities was associated with RTW success at 1 year and 5 years post-TBI. At year 1 and year 2 follow-ups, independence with problem solving was the most predictive of employment 5 years post-TBI, followed by social interaction, memory, expression, and comprehension. Access the full abstract and ordering information in REHABDATA.
 
Research in Focus: 
People with Traumatic Brain Injury May Be More Likely to Use Prescription Opioids and at Higher Risk for Opioid Misuse
This week's Research In Focus looks at the use of prescription opioids among people with a history of traumatic brain injury, and who may be at risk for misuse and potential opioid use disorder.
 
Resource Highlight: 
Collab Chats: Amplifying the Voices of Students with Mental Health Issues on College Campuses
The NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of People with Serious Mental Illness (90RTCP0001) posted Amplifying the Voices of Students with Mental Health Issues on College Campuses, the latest episode in the Collab Chats podcast series. Presenters discuss their study (PDF) featuring interviews with more than 50 students with mental health issues. The stories can help college faculty, staff, and administrators better understand these students and foster a welcoming and embracing higher education environment.
 
News items: 
NIDILRR Researcher Receives ASCIP Mentoring Award
Leslie Morse, DO, principal investigator for the NIDILRR-funded Minnesota Regional Spinal Cord Injury System Center (90SIMS0008), received the Becky Adcock Award for Excellence in Mentoring from the Association of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (ASCIP). The award is given to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishment in the area of mentorship within the SCI field. Dr. Morse received the award in recognition of her important work providing mentorship to SCI professionals to advance the field of SCI healthcare.
 
Grantee event: 
Webinar: Workers with Long COVID-19 and the ADA
The NIDILRR-funded Great Lakes ADA Regional Center (90DP0091), in collaboration with the ADA National Network (90DP0086), will host a webinar, Workers with Long COVID-19 and the ADA, October 19th, 2-3:30 pm ET. Presenters will discuss the long-term impacts of a COVID-19 diagnosis and how medical professionals are determining if the long-term effects of COVID-19 result in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protected disability. Presenters will also discuss potential ADA protections for people diagnosed with Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome, or Long COVID, how these workers may negotiate and identify reasonable accommodations, and the necessary medical documentation and confidentiality. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation. Registration is free and required.
 
Participate: 
Volunteers Needed for a Research Study on Centers for Independent Living
The NIDILRR-funded study Trauma-Informed Care in Centers for Independent Living (CIL) (90SFGE0026) seeks individuals to discuss their experiences and perspectives as CIL consumers. The purpose of this study is to understand how consumers are served and how trauma-informed principles can be applied in CILs. Participants must be at least 18 years old and have received services from a CIL in the US any time in the past 5 years. Interviews will be conducted over Zoom or phone and will last about 60 minutes. Eligible participants will receive a $50 gift card. For more information, contact Allison Taylor at allison.taylor@umb.edu or 617-287-3530.
 
Elsewhere in the Community: 
Virtual Event: An Inclusive Talent Pipeline for American Businesses Prize Challenge
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) will host a virtual event, An Inclusive Talent Pipeline for American Businesses Prize Challenge: Final Grand Prize Event, October 19th, 2:30-4 pm ET. As part of ACL's National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebration, ACL will announce the grand prize winners of the Inclusive Talent Pipeline for American Businesses Prize Challenge. The finalists will present their tested workforce pipeline models, which demonstrate unique program solutions for recruiting and retaining workers with disabilities. Registration is free and required by October 14th. For more information, contact Dana Fink at 202/795-7604 or Dana.Fink@acl.gov.
 
Virtual Celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month
The Department of Labor (DOL) will host a virtual celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and the 20th Anniversary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), October 20th, 2-3 pm ET. Marty Walsh, Secretary of Labor, and Taryn Williams, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, will explore DOL's work to ensure that the economic recovery of the US is powered by inclusion. The event will feature insightful dialogues and a video showcase highlighting strategies in action for an equitable disability inclusive recovery. Registration is free and required.
 
Archive link: 
http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=654309&f=1190&s=26993&m=926119&t=635cba0a9267f719dd304fcd1ae764b160681b0bc4432192fe4b80b0dffecb7c