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KesslerFoundation uploaded a new video
(6 hours ago)

WEST ORANGE, N.J.—Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor for th...
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WEST ORANGE, N.J.—Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), came to Kessler Foundation on Friday to learn more about employment programs supported by the Foundation and share her view on strategies for optimal employment policies for individuals with disabilities. Her visit follows Kessler Foundation's announcement of $2.7 million in grant funding to disability employment initiatives across the nation.
"Kessler Foundation is the gas that fuels the programs that provide job opportunities for people with disabilities," said Ms. Martinez. "The Foundation's creativity, innovation and team-building serve as a catalyst for creating sustainable employment options for the disability community." Martinez heard from directors of seven programs, each with a different approach to expanding job opportunities.
Elaine Katz, vice president of Grants and Special Initiatives at Kessler Foundation, said, "Having a diverse workforce sparks new ideas that benefit consumers. People with disabilities, who represent the largest minority group in the nation, must be considered an integral part of workplace diversity."
Nearly 80 percent of working-age individuals with disabilities are unemployed. Martinez emphasized the importance of government support to improve employment rates. By executive order, President Obama is requiring all federal agencies to increase the hiring of people with disabilities. Martinez pointed to ODEP's Add Us In initiative, which increases employment opportunities for job-seekers with disabilities in the small business market, especially those owned by minority groups. These businesses are creating jobs at a faster rate than the national average.
"We need to practice what we preach by demonstrating that we can be successful in hiring people with disabilities in all sectors and have an inclusive workforce wherever possible," said Ms. Martinez. "Society tends to have low expectations of people with disabilities. We need to raise our expectations and understand that their abilities outweigh their limitations."
Contact: Lauren Scrivo, 973.324.8384, 973.768.6583, LScrivo@KesslerFoundation.org Carolann Murphy, PA, 973.324.8382, CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org
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KesslerFoundation uploaded a new video
(1 week ago)
Dr. Nancy Chiaravalloti spoke about the importance of participating in r...
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Dr. Nancy Chiaravalloti spoke about the importance of participating in research at her presentation to the Kessler Brain Injury support group. Check out her video!
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KesslerFoundation uploaded a new video
(2 weeks ago)

Kessler Foundation and the University of Southern California (USC) Insti...
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Kessler Foundation and the University of Southern California (USC) Institute for Creative Technologies will collaborate on clinical research projects applying virtual reality technology to cognitive and motor rehabilitation research. The goal, according to USC's Albert Rizzo, PhD of the Institute's Medical Virtual Reality research group, is to conduct research to develop the evidence base to support the future of home-based rehabilitation that is effective, convenient and affordable.
Kessler Foundation and the USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) are an ideal match said Kessler Foundation's vice president for research John DeLuca, PhD. "Both have clinical and technical expertise in virtual reality technology and a strong research ethic. This collaboration will enable us to assess patients in controllable interactive virtual environments and test rehabilitation interventions in settings that reflect the challenges of everyday life. Understanding the impact of disability on everyday life will help us devise ways to overcome those challenges."
USC-ICT has built on sophisticated, yet low-cost gaming technologies to develop interactive systems for clinical applications, including a program called Virtual Iraq/Virtual Afghanistan that shows promise for ameliorating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. USC is also home to a NIDRR-funded Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center that focuses on using VR to address the challenges of aging and disability. Kessler Foundation's rehabilitation research focuses on the patient populations likely to benefit from virtual reality rehabilitation—brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological conditions. Foundation researchers have developed a virtual reality driving simulator to help people with disabilities relearn driving skills. The Foundation also receives major NIDRR funding for its model systems in brain (http://kesslerfoundation.org/researchcenter/tbi/modelsystems.php) and and spinal cord injury (http://kesslerfoundation.org/researchcenter/sci/modelsystems.php).
On a recent visit to Kessler Foundation, Dr. Rizzo (http://kesslerfoundation.org/media/displaynews.php?id=172) and his group's lead VR designer Sebastian Koenig, PhD, installed two types of virtual reality software—2011 Virtual Office software for cognitive research in TBI and MS and Microsoft Kinect-based software (the ICT-developed Flexible Action and Articulated Skelton Toolkit (FAAST)) for upper extremity and balance impairment research and clinical intervention in SCI, TBI and stroke. "Clinical studies using virtual reality are producing results that will reshape the future of inpatient, outpatient and home-based medical rehabilitation," predicted Dr. Rizzo. "When managed by skilled clinicians, the accessibility and flexibility offered by engaging game-based therapies will likely improve the quality of life for people with a variety of disabilities."
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation is the largest public charity in the field of disability. Kessler Foundation Research Center focuses on improving function and quality of life for persons with injuries of the spinal cord and brain, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and other chronic neurological conditions. Kessler Foundation Program Center fosters new approaches to the persistently high rates of unemployment among people disabled by injury or disease.
Find us at www.KesslerFoundation.org
Like us at www.facebook.com/KesslerFoundation
Follow us @KesslerFound http://twitter.co...
View us at www.YOUTUBE.com/kesslerfoundation
Contact: Carolann Murphy, PA Communications Manager Kessler Foundation 973 324 8382
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KesslerFoundation uploaded a new video
(1 month ago)

Monitored by scientists at Kessler Foundation, six people with spinal co...
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Monitored by scientists at Kessler Foundation, six people with spinal cord injuries tested Ekso, the new robotic exoskeleton from Ekso Bionics that enables wheelchair users to stand and walk. The six, each of whom has a different level of injury, participated in one week of preliminary testing in October 2011. In early 2012, the research team, headed by Gail Forrest, PhD, will commence a clinical trial in collaboration with Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. While the trial will focus on the benefits of Ekso in rehabilitation settings, Ekso Bionics plans to explore the potential for home and community use.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation is the largest public charity in the field of disability. Kessler Foundation Research Center advances care through rehabilitation research in its six specialized laboratories under the leadership of noted research directors. Research focuses on improving function and quality of life for persons with injuries of the spinal cord and brain, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and other chronic neurological conditions. Kessler Foundation Program Center fosters new approaches to the persistently high rates of unemployment among people disabled by injury or disease. Targeted grant making funds promising programs across the nation. Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, people recovering from catastrophic injuries and stroke, and young adults striving for independence are among the thousands of people finding jobs and training for careers as a result of the commitment of Kessler Foundation.
Contact: Carolann Murphy, PA; 973.324.8382; CMurphy#@KesslerFoundation.org
Find us at www.KesslerFoundation.org Like us at http://www.facebo... Follow us @KesslerFound http://twitter.co...
View us at www.YOUTUBE.com/KesslerFoundation
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KesslerFoundation uploaded a new video
(2 months ago)
Michael Loura, married with two children was training for a triathlon in...
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Michael Loura, married with two children was training for a triathlon in August of 2008 when he was struck by a car. He is a T5 complete and took part in the Ekso Bionic exoskeleton training.
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