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Northeast
Center for Special Care is pleased to feature:
America's Heroes at Work
www.americasheroesatwork.gov
The military, along with the VA
continue to come to grips with the signature injury of
the Iraq and Afghanistan war - traumatic brain injury
(TBI). Over the past several years we have read
in the news about the ongoing issues with screening, identifying,
treating and supporting soldiers with TBI and those
issues certainly continue.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is also a
condition that affects soldiers returning from combat
and the military and the VA have similar issues
treating and supporting affected military personnel
with PTSD as they do with TBI.
While the military and the VA work to fix their own
systems, soldiers with TBI and/or PTSD are moving out
of treatment, going back to their home communities and
returning to work.
That sounds positive, however, the changes caused by a
brain injury or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder remain
with injured soldiers even when injuries are not
visible, and those changes can affect the ability of
an individual to find or hold employment.
Another government agency - the US Department of Labor
has identified those issues and has collaborated with
other government agencies to develop a new web
resource. That resource is our website of the
month.
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Screenshot
of America's
Heroes at Work
homepage - a new website aimed at providing
employers tools and resources related to TBI and
PTSD. |
America's
Heroes at Work is
a new website that focuses on the employment challenges of returning
service members living with and/or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The website is designed for employers and the workforce development
system to help returning service members affected by TBI and/or PTSD
succeed in the workplace.
The website is a collaborative project between the US Department of
Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) in collaboration with other federal agencies engaged in TBI and PTSD
programs.
America's
Heroes at Work
contains many useful resources for employers. The main page in the
resource section contains common questions about returning service
members with TBI and/or PTSD. The questions are broken down into
categories such as "The Basics," "Employment Questions,"
"Workplace Accommodations," and others. Clicking on a
question will reveal basic, to-the-point answers. One interesting
questions is: "Why does employment play such as important role in the recovery of transitioning service members with TBI and/or PTSD?"
You can read the answer on the America's
Heroes at Work
website.
The site also has several fact sheets and reference guides that can be
downloaded as either an HTML page or a PDF document. These fact
sheets include titles such as: Job Coaching - A Promising Practice for Supporting Returning Service Members with
TBI/PTSD, and Hiring Veterans with TBI & PTSD: Do's and Don'ts
for Employers & Hiring Managers, and Accommodation and Compliance Series: Employees with Traumatic Brain
Injury, among others. Some of the fact sheets were developed
by America's
Heroes at Work
and others by collaborating agencies such as the Job Accommodation
Network.
America's
Heroes at Work
also has Presentations and Training Tools, which include videos
and webcasts related to TBI and PTSD.
Another helpful section is Success Stories, which contains real-life examples of employers and veterans working together.
It can be good for both a returning service member with TBI and/or PTSD
and potential employer alike to read actual stories of individuals
successfully returning to work and employers successfully accommodating
and supporting employees with brain injury and or Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder.
There is also a significant links section on America's
Heroes at Work,
which includes information on TBI and PSTD, workforce development
information, transitioning resources for returning service members and
their families and other important web resources.
America's
Heroes at Work,
is a good resource for employers and returning service members who are
planning to return to the workforce. It is a gratifying to see
government agencies collaborate on this unique project and share
information and resources. America's
Heroes at Work,
is our website of the month for September, they're just a click
away and don't forget to bookmark the site so you can visit again.
Disclaimer:
Reference in this web site to any specific
organizations, commercial products, process, service,
manufacturer, or company does not constitute its
endorsement or recommendation by Northeast Center for
Special Care.
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