Project Description:
In Georgia, over 27,000 people annually acquire a disability involving paralysis (Georgia Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission, 2020). Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are a cause of paralysis. Only 12% of people with SCIs procure employment one-year post-injury. National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, 2017). Even when traditional vocational rehabilitation services are offered, the employment rate remains dismally low at around 30% (National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, 2012). According to Krause, Li,. Backus, Jarnecke, Reed, Rembert, Rumrill, & Dismuke-Greer (2021), the majority of individuals with SCIs desire to work, but need training and information to be able to secure employment. Community-based interventions aimed at improving (re)employment for people with SCIs, produce better outcomes (Roels, Aertgeerts, Ramaekers & Peers, 2015). Recently, professionals in Australia successfully digitally disseminated vocational information to people with SCIs concentrating both on general employability issues and the specific needs of job seekers with SCIs. Many of the participants receiving this information reported thinking positively about careers, having augmented self- effectiveness and/or enthusiastic activities about work (Dorstyn, Roberts, Murphy, Kneebone, Craig, Chur-Hansen, Migliorini, Potter, Marshall, Clark, & Neeson, 2019). Research that included Georgians with SCIs found individuals gained financial, social, psychological, and health benefits through employment (Meade, Reed, Saunders, & Krause, 2015). Thus, Preparing for Employment (An Advancing Employment Initiative) will utilize the benefits and challenges found in this pilot to create a curriculum and supports to enable Georgians with SCIs to re-enter the workforce. Our project will supplement the information offered by Centers for Independent Living and our State assistive technology project. These organizations offer valuable information and services, but these are often fragmented. Additionally, services and information tend to be most available in metro, urban areas. Due to our curriculum being online and the technical assistance delivered virtually, we can reach people in a variety of settings. The Centers for Independent Living and our State assistive technology project will assist with the recruitment of participants. This curriculum would also offer people with SCIs opportunities to learn about issues specifically impacting them. According to Gutenbrunner, Blumenthal, Geng, and Egen (2017), to improve employment outcomes for individuals with SCI, education is needed on a wide variety of topics focused on people with SCIs, including assistive technology, adaptability, and other lifestyle considerations. Evaluation of this project will include qualitative and quantitative measures examining the knowledge, skills, and abilities of participants in finding and obtaining employment and resources for employment. This will be used to secure funding to revise, expand, and sustain the project. Approval from UGAs Institutional Review Board (IRB) will be required (biosketches included). The application will be submitted upon notification of funding for an expedited review. Ultimately, people with SCIs will benefit from the training and personalized assistance by utilizing the information and support to become gainfully employed.
