1. Re-Inventing Yourself: Options for a Successful Future (Employment, School, Volunteering, Self-Employment)
Announcements: CEUs
Employment remains the most consistent measure of inclusion in society, and working in the right job can support wellness and recovery. This interactive session will offer tips and strategies to assist people with brain injuries to become more employable. As an added bonus, we will discuss volunteering and education as pathways to employment, self-employment as an alternative, and we will touch on disclosure in the job search process. Don't miss this great opportunity to learn and share!

2. WHY WORK?
Can anyone give me an example of why you want or need to work?

3. Return to Work (RTW) Challenges
Physical
Cognitive
Emotional/behavioral
Support systems
Disincentives
Headaches
Fatigue
Dizziness
Blurred or double vision
Sensitivity to noise/light
Trouble with taste or smell
Weakness/paralysis and spasticity
Slowed performance
Poor coordination/balance
Slurred speech
Attention/concentration
Memory
Slowed information processing speed
Problem-solving difficulties
Organizational difficulties
Decreased initiation
Lack of awareness
Impulsivity
Depression
Irritability/anger
Emotional lability
Lack of social support can interact with physical, cognitive, and emotional/behavioral challenges
Loss of previous social connections
Diminished provider/family role
Disconnected from church,
community, etc.
Fear of losing disability benefits
Inability to return to same employer or type of job
Job prospects with lower income and/or status

4. Steps to Consider
Know your strengths and interests (what do you enjoy doing?)
Know your boundaries (transportation, stamina, environment, benefits)
Identify your skills (prior work experience, hobbies, education, volunteering)
Plug into resources (Workforce Centers, VR, job fairs, support groups)

5. Steps (continued)
5. Explore! (network, job shadow, informational interview, volunteer)
6. Prepare! (sample application, resume, cover letter, letter of explanation, practice interview, disclosure and accommodation strategy,
focus on contributions)
7. Seek! (internet, WFC, door-to-door)
8. Find…

6. Expand Your Options!

7. Self-Employment Considerations
What does it take to be an entrepreneur?
How does self-employment “fit” with your skills, interests, and needs?
What are you good at and what would you need help with?
What product or service would be a good match for your interests?
What experience do you have in this industry?
Do you need more education, financing, computer skills, business plan assistance?
Who is in your network that could help you? Who do you need to network with?
What is the market like for the product or service? Gaps? Niche?
Who is your competition?
What are the risks?
Positive energy, persistent, has a support system or knows how to develop a support system, tolerance for risk, take initiative, has energy, likes a challenge, time and finances to build a business
Professional Photographer
Professional Speaker
Open a car wash
Buy a franchise
Bookkeeper or Accountant
Invent something and produce it
Open a restaurant or coffee shop
Professional dog sitter/walker
Career Coach
Website design
Freelance writer and editor

8. Volunteering Considerations
Benefit? Why should I volunteer?
What outcome am I hoping for?
What is the ideal volunteer situation for me?
Do I have the financial means to support myself if I volunteer?
Positive energy, persistent, has a support system or knows how to develop a support system, tolerance for risk, take initiative, has energy, likes a challenge, time and finances to build a business

9. Is More Education Right For Me?
Benefit? Why should I go to school?
What outcome am I hoping for?
What is the ideal education situation for me?
What is my financial situation?
What resources do I have to assist me?
Positive energy, persistent, has a support system or knows how to develop a support system, tolerance for risk, take initiative, has energy, likes a challenge, time and finances to build a business

10. To tell or not to tell, that is the question!
Do you need an accommodation to apply for the job?
Do you need an accommodation to do the job?
Advantages of disclosure
Disadvantages of disclosure
Rules of disclosure: if, when, how, who, what
Develop a plan
Be straightforward and positive
As newcomers to the disability world, survivors of brain injury must quickly learn the scope of their functional limitations. This struggle is further complicated when it comes to the task of identifying the need for reasonable accommodation in the job search process and/or on the job. Employment Specialists advocating for survivors also struggle when representing people on their caseloads who may need accommodations in order to compete for a job or perform the essential functions of a job.
While the Americans with Disabilities Act limits what an employer may ask about a candidate’s disability, it does not limit what a person with a disability may disclose. With the right tools and techniques, survivors and employment consultants can capitalize on this by operating from a position of strength in the job search process. Presented by an experienced Human Resources specialist, this workshop will provide step-by-step guidance on the ADA’s reasonable accommodation process, will examine the if/when/how dilemma of disability disclosure, and will provide tips for maximizing the disclosure and accommodation request process for qualified survivors with disabilities.

11. The Key to Success = The Right Job Match!

12. Gayann Brandenburg gbrandenburg@braininjuryhopefoundation.org
THANK YOU!
Gayann Brandenburg