Make a Gift. Be a Champion.

Join the movement—and double your impact!

On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, Kessler Foundation will participate in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving and making an impact. Please join us. Your support matters now, more than ever—and will be matched dollar for dollar, doubling your impact.

Together we can change the lives of people with disabilities. With your support, we can conduct groundbreaking rehabilitation and disability employment research and fund innovative initiatives to provide access to job opportunities and promote inclusion in the workplace.

Your support will improve mobility and cognition for people with disabilities caused by stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain and spinal cord injury, and chronic neurological and

2020 ReelAbilities Film Festival

Last week Elaine Katz, visited Montclair State University for a recording with Joey Travolta, to discuss his upcoming movie and much more. The interview was prerecorded and will air December 1-3, check the ReelAbilities website for updates. Travolta's movie "Carol of The Bells" expands opportunities in filmmaking for people with disabilities, and will debut at this year's ReelAbilities Film Festival New Jersey. Kessler Foundation is a proud sponsor of the event. ReelAbilities is part of the largest film festival dedicated to

Cognitive Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging - Examining the Evidence from Brain to Behavior

“Cognitive Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging: Examining the Evidence from Brain to Behavior” – a new text by Kessler Foundation’s experts

Cognitive deficits are a major challenge to individuals, their caregivers, and their health care providers. A new text focuses on the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation across a variety of neurological conditions, with specific emphasis on treatment-related changes in the brain detectable via neuroimaging.”

In this episode of Kessler Foundation’s Fast Take podcast series, lead author John DeLuca, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research and Training, highlights the

Support, Heal, Inspire Our Heroes

On Veterans Day, we are proud to share how your support of Kessler Foundation helps people with disabilities—both visible and invisible—including wounded warriors like Justin Frisbie, realize their dreams of career fulfillment, continued service to others, and independence.

Your generosity helps veterans—and others with disabilities in need now—thrive in the workplace, and live with pride, honor, and dignity.

Justin is a veteran with disabilities who longs to serve others, but he didn’t always know that.

After graduating from high school, Justin didn’t know the direction he wanted to take with his life, so he pursued adventure and experience by joining the Navy. Military structure helped him, but

Expert Outlook: Returning to Work After a Brain Injury

By Thomas Shea, PsyD, Vocational Counselor, Opportunity Project

Returning to work after a brain injury is an important part of the rehabilitation process. For some, obtaining paid employment is an important milestone in recovery and an affirmation of hard work.

During the past 26 years, Opportunity Project, an internationally recognized Clubhouse model program, has helped over 600 people who have experienced a brain injury. As a vocational counselor at Opportunity Project for the past five years, I have assisted more than 30 people with brain injury return to paid employment.

Those who survive a brain injury may face lifelong physical, cognitive, social, and/or emotional challenges. Most experience mental fatigue. For this reason, we counsel our members to build

Bryce Stanley Rises to Success, Despite Educational Barriers and Discrimination Against His Disability

By Nicky Miller 

In this episode of Kessler Foundation's podcast, Nicky Miller spoke with Bryce Staley, a PhD candidate in economics at the University of New Hampshire, where he studies mental health policy and labor markets. They talked about his sleeping disorder and his experience at high school and college. Stanley, reflected on his experiences with skeptical high school teachers doubting he had a disability, and moving forward in his career, earning a BSBA degree from Bryant University, and an MA degree in Economics from the University of New Hampshire, before studying for his PhD. 

Listen to the podcast, view the

Dirk Wakes Up to Life and Helps Others Wake Up Too

As we continue to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we share a story to demonstrate the impact of your support on the lives of people with disabilities like Dirk Hohenkirk. Because of donors like you, Dirk lives a fuller, more engaged life by getting the help he needs to find meaningful employment.

Dirk Hohenkirk was 18 years old when he was shot and paralyzed from the neck down. In his hospital bed, unable to move, Dirk initially resisted a therapist’s attempts to discuss how he might move forward with his life. “But she never gave up,” remembers Dirk. “She asked if I was going to just sleep my life away. She encouraged me to wake up to life—to use my mind, go back to school, and find a job.”

Dirk followed every word of his

Jeff Returns to the Job He Loves and a Life More Fulfilled

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In celebration, we share a story to demonstrate how your support helps people with spinal cord injury, like Jeff McMullen, live fuller, more engaged lives through employment.

“What are your goals?” asked Jeff McMullen’s physical therapists. Jeff had no idea what his goals were or what he could hope to accomplish after a spinal cord injury left him unable to stand or walk. Before his injury, Jeff enjoyed working with visually impaired individuals and training Seeing Eye® dogs, but the job was physical. “My work required many hours of standing, walking, and practicing street traffic scenarios,” says Jeff. “I never imagined I’d be able to return.”

In time,

My Life as a Research Assistant

Research assistants are on the front lines of Kessler Foundation's research studies, collecting data, conducting interviews, testing subjects, and most often are the first friendly faces research participants meet. 

In this podcast series, research assistants from the centers for mobility, spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and 

Thank You for an Amazing Virtual Stroll 'N Roll!

Many thanks for a successful and special day! People of all ages and abilities gathered in their own neighborhoods on September 27 for Kessler Foundation’s first-ever virtual Stroll ‘N Roll to prove that abilities are what matter.

Together we raised over $165,000 to advance rehabilitation research and employment initiatives that return people with disabilities to their homes, their communities, and the workplace. The generosity of champions like you made this happen.

Inspiring leaders created teams of champions to give back while making a lasting impact on the lives of people with disabilities. We selected three of the top winning fundraisers along with the person with the most posts about Stroll ‘N Roll on social media.

A Woman with a Disability: Finds Strength, Conquers Barriers and Creates Success in the Workforce

By Nicky Miller

In this episode of Kessler Foundation's podcast, Nicky Miller, spoke with Annemarie Veira, MSEd, CRCC, a coordinator for Disability Resources at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and a certified rehabilitation counselor. They talked about her trials and triumphs of conquering barriers at college and the workforce, as a person with a disability.

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

2020 Kessler Foundation Grantee Symposium

Friday, November 13, 2020
12:00 pm - 1:00pm EST 

Registration info:
Free and open to the public, pre-registration required

Join us at our virtual grantee symposium to learn how employers use artificial intelligence (AI) in the employment process for streamlining resume screening, interviewing candidates, and onboarding new hires. Increasingly, this machine learning process is reshaping the world of work. It is important for disability professionals working in job search, placement, and support to understand how disability is defined and understood in the context of AI, and the perils

August 2020 COVID Update: Shift to Actively Looking for Work May Signal Slowing Recovery

Following April’s sharp rise, unemployment has declined since May 2020 for people with and without disabilities, accompanied by a marked shift in
the proportion on temporary layoff/furlough to actively looking for work, as jobs are permanently lost. This shift may be a sign that economic recovery is slowing.    

nTIDE experts examine factors underlying the fluctuations in unemployment numbers for people with and without disabilities

East Hanover, NJ. September 22, 2020. While the number of unemployed people with disabilities has slowly declined since May 2020, there is more to this picture. “Looking at August’s numbers, we are also seeing a substantial decline in the unemployed who are waiting to

Preventing Illness, Developing Preparedness, and Reaching Out During a Pandemic

By Kari Kaminski, RN, BSN, CRRN and Agata Buczek, RN, BSN, CRRN, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Chester Campus

Although the spread of COVID-19 has begun to wane in many areas of the country, the importance of staying vigilant and following state and local precautions remains a high priority for all. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone in ways we never could have anticipated. These unprecedented times have added an extra burden to brain injury survivors and their caregivers. It’s important to prevent becoming infected, plan for what to do if you or someone in your family becomes ill, and know how to reach out for help to prevent increased stress, anxiety, and isolation.

As we receive new information

Part 2 - Shifting the Culture in Fashion: Creating Adaptive Clothing for People with Disabilities

By Nicky Miller 

In episode two of Kessler Foundation's "Fashion meets Accessibility" podcast series, Nicky Miller, spoke with Mindy Scheier. Learn about how Scheier, a fashionista and entrepreneur is helping the fashion industry rethink the runway. Scheier, stopped by to talk about her partnership with Tommy Hilfiger and Zappos.com, she discusses inclusion, accessibility and adaptable clothing for people with disabilities.

Listen to the podcast, view the transcript and download this episode and others for free