Attention Employers: Brain Injured Employees Available

Carsten Kraut, brain injury survivor and resident of New Zealand, feels that a lack of understanding is at the heart of many problems for him in the workplace. He feels that people are sensitive to his limitations, but instead, that his ideas are not esteemed as highly as those of fellow employees.

Kraut works at an engineering consultantcy. As a coworker was once explaining “how an irrigation scheme would affect water levels, Kraut asked him to explain the procedure. His request was ignored.

The web site, “Traumatic Brain Injury” says, “Success is possible.” Employers can create a job environment in which brain injured employees feel valued. Some survivors can relearn the abilities lost from the injury, but others may need to “adjust” to changes. Rehabilitation programs, such as the Interactive Community-Based Model (ICBM) are “available” to help one relearn the skills they need to be employed.

According to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), organizations that institute accommodations for disabled employees benefit substantially.

“Reports show that more than half of all accommodations cost less than $500 and that most employers report benefits in excess of $5,000,” said the Job Accommodation Network. JAN also notes that some brain injuries leave the individual with multiple disabilities, often including both physical and intellectual limitations. Intellectual limitations are often as simple as slow processing, which means it takes longer for one to process information.

It may be helpful to you to consider a number of factors, when determining what types of accommodations the individual may need. If the individual has expressed a desire for accommodations, it may be necessary to talk with him or her to discuss whatever problems he or she is having. Discuss the individual’s current accommodations, and ask whether or not they are helping. Also, ask how significantly one’s limitations affect his “job performance. Discussing possible accommodations will also help encourage open communication and open new possibilities to help.

You may need to tailor accommodations to compensate for the individual’s limitations. For example, for those with problems with stamina, you may want to give the individual extra time to perform tasks. For those with concentration problems, it may help to give the employee their own cubicle or office to minimize distractions. Also, for those with who have trouble reading schedules, you may want to provide the employee with their own copy of the schedule, so they have time to review it and

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