Employment after Spinal Cord Injury Conference Coming to Kessler
2014-09-30 13:02:11 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Rising to the Challenge: Creating Employment Opportunity and Maximizing Success,” a consumer conference for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), will be held on Thursday, October 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Kessler Conference Center—1199 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, N.J. The conference is presented by the Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System (NNJSCIS) and sponsored by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, Kessler Foundation, and Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation.
“A spinal cord injury has a sudden impact on a person’s life and some feel that the lives they once knew are over,” said Jeanne Zanca, Ph.D., MPT, conference chair and senior research scientist at Kessler Foundation. “Through this conference, individuals will see that returning to work is possible and that they can overcome perceived barriers to employment.”
“Rising to the Challenge: Creating Employment Opportunity and Maximizing Success” is a free conference, but space is limited and registration is required. Please visit www.KesslerFoundation.org/SCIconference to register or call 973-324-3558.
Charles Fleisher, author and motivational speaker, will deliver the keynote address: “The Secret of Difficulties: 4 Steps to Turn Tragedies into Opportunities,” based on his book. Fleisher, who was paralyzed in a car accident in 1988, learned to adapt to life in a wheelchair, while continuing to stay positive and active—even traveling the world independently.
Joe Entwisle, MS, CRC, senior policy analyst for Health & Disability Advocates, who also has a SCI, will discuss the relationship between disability benefits and employment. He will also describe programs designed to encourage the hiring of individuals with disabilities. Fred Tchang, RESNA Certified ATP, director of Assistive Technology Services at Advancing Opportunities, and Javier Robles, JD, President of Thisabled.com, will present technologies that can assist individuals with SCI in returning to work and discuss funding options
Wise Young, M.D., Ph.D., and Steven Kirshblum, M.D., will share the latest updates in research and clinical trials that are designed to improve recovery and function after SCI. Dr. Young is founding director of the W. M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Richard H. Shindell Chair in Neuroscience and distinguished professor in the Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Dr. Kirshblum is medical director and director of Spinal Cord Injury Services at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, professor at Rutgers – New Jersey Medical School and co-director of NNJSCIS.
Individuals with SCI, their caregivers, family, and friends as well as rehabilitation professionals are invited to attend. The goals of the conference include understanding that employment is possible after SCI without losing benefits, identifying assistive technologies and strategies that may be of help, hearing the latest research and treatments, gaining resources and networking with others impacted by SCI.
Resource booths and demonstrations will provide additional information.
Registration opens at 9:30 a.m. where a continental breakfast will be served. Lunch will be provided, in part, by Hollister Continence Care and the United Spinal Association is donating backpacks for guests.
About the Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System
The Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System (NNJSCIS) is federally funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research from the U.S. Department of Education (Grant #H133N110020). A comprehensive system of care, research, education and dissemination aimed at improving quality of life for people with SCI, NNJSCIS collects patient data from the time of injury through long-term follow-up. NNJSCIS is one of 14 SCI Model Systems in the nation. Trevor Dyson-Hudson, M.D., Director of SCI Research at Kessler Foundation co-directs NNJSCIS with Dr. Kirshblum. Kessler Foundation is one of eight centers in the U.S. with dual Model Systems in SCI and traumatic brain injury.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org; Facebook.com/KesslerFoundation; Tweet us @KesslerFdn.
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Contacts:
Lauren Scrivo, 973-324-8384, 973-768-6583 (cell), [email protected]
Carolann Murphy, PA, 973-324-8382, [email protected]
