COMMUNITY-BASED TRAINING AFTER ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY - PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Persons entering or returning to the workforce alter brain injury ofte n require assistance to identify, locate, secure and maintain employme nt. This is especially true for workers from economically disadvantage d environments who may have limited pre-injury work experience. Suppor ted employment, the use of natural supports, and community-based appro aches are helpful for the process of identifying, securing and maintai ning work. However, reports are limited as to how these approaches are helpful for economically disadvantaged persons, especially in identif ying meaningful work. An approach is described here which combines wor k adjustment training and supported employment; which is helpful in id entifying consumer interest, and in improving position attainment, job retention and work satisfaction. A sample of persons (n = 38) with br ain injury were contacted after completing the programme. A total of 5 9% of these persons remained employed at follow-up, compared to 32% at time of injury. Additional outcome data are presented to describe the usefulness of this approach.