Tireless Efforts in Meaningful Brain Injury Research - 2020 BIANJ Honoree Dr. Nancy Chiaravalloti

In this episode of Kessler Foundation's podcast, Dr. Nancy Chiaravalloti, director of the Centers for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research and Traumatic Brain Injury Research, discusses her efforts in brain injury research. 

Dr. Chiaravalloti was this year's 2020 Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey's honoree. She was designated Research Innovation Champion for her tireless efforts in meaningful brain injury research. 

Listen to the podcast, 

Caregiver Corner: Finding Hope after TBI

By Angela Smith, Senior Research Coordinator, Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research, Kessler Foundation

On July 3, 2011, Joan Enker’s life as a busy wife, mother, grandmother and caregiver to her aging parents changed in an instant. During a family trip to upstate New York, a young driver struck her husband Warren while he was on an errand to purchase additional folding chairs for his family to watch the holiday fireworks display. The trauma was compounded by the fact she had no idea what happened until he failed to return. After several desperate hours of searching, Joan learned Warren had been medevacked to a local facility, but because of the severity of his injuries and the increasing fog, he had been taken by ambulance to Westchester Medical Center

Kessler Staff Honored at Rutgers Medical School Graduation and Awards Ceremony

By Nicky Miller

This year’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School graduation and award ceremony was held virtually, honoring several Kessler Foundation staff members for their work in rehabilitation research. The “Class of 2020 Graduation Celebration” was held in June and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was moved online.

Diplomas were given to five Kessler postdoctoral fellows:

• Fatma Eren, MD, Centers for Spinal Cord Injury Research and
   Outcomes and Assessment Research

• Nathan Hogaboom, PhD, Centers for

Obstacles are Made to be Conquered-Adaptive Sports Athlete Catarina Guimaraes

In this episode of Kessler Foundation's podcast, Catarina Guimaraes shares her inspiring story. Guimaraes is a 15-year old runner with Cerebral Palsy and a rising star of the North Jersey Navigators Track and Field Club.

Listen to the podcast, view the transcript and download this episode and others for free on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, 

Voices of the ADA Generation: The College-to-Work Story of Victoria Queyquep

By Nicky Miller
 

In conjunction with the launch of our newest survey, the 2020 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey: Recent College Graduates, I chatted with Victoria Queyquep, Kessler’s donor engagement specialist on the Development team, and a member of the first generation to come of age after the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990. We talked about her education, her aspirations, and her career path, and I asked her to reflect on her journey as a person with a disability seeking work after college.

Our survey dispelled many long held myths about people with disabilities and higher education. Young people and their families were often told that college would be a waste of time, they would be unable to

Your Support Fuels Jimmy's Competitive Drive and Gives Him Hope

Happy Father's Day! Your generosity makes all the difference for fathers like Jimmy Brown, who live with spinal cord injury. You advance groundbreaking rehabilitation research to help Jimmy and others overcome their disabilities and live fuller, more engaged lives with their families.

Sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2004 at age 24 didn’t change athlete Jimmy Brown’s competitive personality. Jimmy approaches his post-injury rehabilitation with the same drive he exhibited on the playing field as a pitcher for St. Peter’s University—a Division I school.

“My ability to play competitive sports may have disappeared,” says Jimmy, “but my competitive drive remains. Over the years, I’ve joined many Kessler Foundation research studies, always pushing

Enabling Optimal Care After Spinal Cord Injury - An Online Curriculum for Personal Care Assistants

In this episode of Kessler Foundation's podcast, Dr. Jeanne Zanca, senior research scientist in the Center for Spinal Cord Injury Research and Center for Outcomes and Assessment Research at Kessler Foundation, discusses "Enabling Optimal Care After Spinal Cord Injury - An Online Curriculum for Personal Care Assistants." 

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript. Download this episode and others for free on 

Helping Veterans Adapt in the COVID Economy: The GI Go Fund Focus on Employment

By Carolann Murphy, PA

Transition from military service to the civilian sector presents challenges for veterans, especially for those with disabilities. With recent shocks to the economy caused by the spread of COVID-19, these challenges are magnified. Among the organizations dedicated to helping veterans is the Newark-based GI Go Fund, a nonprofit that assists veterans with finding employment, accessing housing, and claiming their educational and medical benefits.

Employment initiatives, implemented with community partnerships, are a major focus of the GI Go Fund, according to CEO and co-founder Jack Fanous. One initiative, Disabled Veterans to Work, enabled veterans with disabilities to work from home, providing customer

The COVID Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for People with Disabilities

By Carolann Murphy, PA

Both people with and without disabilities are being negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of both absence from work and layoffs. At this point in time, the effects seem to be proportionately similar for both groups, with greater numbers of people being absent from work and laid off than during the Great Recession of 2008-2009.

The implications are profound for organizations that provide direct services for people with disabilities, such as state vocational rehabilitation agencies, community-based employment programs, and independent living services. These service providers are adapting to the situation, assisting clients with acute needs for

Transitioning from the Criminal Justice System in the COVID Economy: the FAIR project

By Carolann Murphy, PA

Finding a job and maintaining employment are challenges for everyone today, and people with disabilities who are striving to work face mounting challenges to reaching their goal of financial independence. Individuals with disabilities who are re-entering the community from jail or prison have even greater needs for comprehensive services and supports. The pandemic has promoted early release of inmates to reduce exposure in crowded facilities, increasing the need for vocational support for this population.

In Louisiana, which has the highest incarceration rate in the nation, efforts were already underway to improve employment outcomes and financial security of formerly incarcerated individuals with disabilities, with an ultimate goal of

Coordinating Care from Detention to Release to the Community: The Women’s Project

By Carolann Murphy, PA

Even in a strong economy, finding and maintaining employment is difficult for those living with disability, and making that transition is complicated further by poverty, mental illness, and incarceration. Women dealing with these issues need comprehensive and consistent services in order to achieve personal freedom, meaningful work, and financial independence while meeting their personal goals and family responsibilities.

The Women’s Project provides an alternative to pretrial detention for women who cannot afford monetary bail. Part of a partnership of Wildcat Services Corporation, an agency of The FEDCAP Group (FEDCAP), defenders and district attorneys, The Women’s Project

Living a Full Life Despite MS, Tammy Reclaims Her Power

Saturday, May 30, is World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Day. With your generosity, you help people with MS like Tammy stay employed and live their
life to the fullest.

Tammy Quasius, a biologist, wife, and mother of two, started experiencing symptoms of fatigue, numbness, and trouble thinking and remembering.
She suspected MS, but it took three years before she was diagnosed. Then, she worried. "How will I take care of my kids? Will I be able to work?" 

Tammy set a goal of maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle. She learned about Kessler Foundation’s MS research and

Social Cognition: What Is It, and How Does It Impact Persons with TBI?

By Helen Genova, PhD, Assistant Director, Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research, Kessler Foundation

Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often face a wide range of challenges, including the ability to connect with others. For many, making or maintaining social connections can be a struggle. They may find it more difficult to engage in conversation or find themselves getting into arguments more frequently. These symptoms are not uncommon and may be due to impairments in social cognition.  

Social cognition refers to the skills we use whenever we interact with others. These skills help us understand another person’s thoughts, beliefs, and feelings and helps us to communicate with them.  

For example,

Coping with Multiple Sclerosis during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In this episode of Kessler Foundation's podcast, Michaele Clayborne-Crosby and Carla Basante, discuss "Coping with MS during the COVID-19 Pandemic." This podcast is hosted by Erica Weber, PhD, research scientist at the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury. 

Listen to the podcast, view the transcript and download this episode and others for free on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, 

Brain Injury Support Groups

By Andrea Trotta Gagliano, MS, CRC, LPC, Research Coordinator, Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Kessler Foundation

Whether you are a brain injury survivor or a caregiver, your world has forever been changed. You likely face many challenges, have many concerns, and may be unsure how to navigate this “new normal.” You may also feel alone. Finding the right support and resources is critical. And one of the best resources for both survivors and caregivers is a support group.

Peer support groups bring together individuals who share a common condition or situation. More specifically, brain injury support groups focus on the scope of emotional, psychological, behavioral, and social consequences of injury. They provide a forum for