Accommodating an employee with a traumatic brain injury

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By ALLAN APPEL
Scripps Howard News Service
Friday, May 18, 2007

Traumatic brain injuries are more common than you may think. The U.S. Office of Disability Employment Policy cites an estimate of the Brain Injury Association of America of about 1.4 million occurrences a year.

That's a staggering amount.

Simply put, a TBI is any brain injury caused by trauma to the head. It can take the form of a concussion or a skull fracture. It can be as simple as a minor blow to the head or an actual break or crack of the skull. Trauma can also cause bleeding or bruising of the brain, with no outward appearance of injury.

Information from the TBI Recovery Center is also cited. Typically, TBIs are the result of motor-vehicle accidents. Other causes include simple falls, violence, child abuse and sports injuries. And about half of all TBI incidents are associated with alcohol.

Mild types of TBIs can manifest themselves in the form of headaches or lightheadedness. More serious TBIs may include vomiting, nausea or convulsions. Symptoms may also include slurred speech, numbness in the arms or legs, or even loss of coordination. And this is only a partial list of symptoms to consider.

Accommodating an employee with a TBI depends on the area of limitation resulting from the injury. The Job Accommodation Network is a service of the U.S. Department of Labor. Its fact sheet, "Employees with Brain Injuries," covers many ways to accommodate these employees.

Those with visual problems may be accommodated with better lighting, or vision aids for the computer, or even by providing information written in large print.

Concentration can be maintained or improved by reducing distractions in the work area, or by providing space enclosures, or even reducing clutter. Memory deficits can be met by allowing an employee to tape-record meetings, or by posting instructions near equipment used frequently, or maybe utilizing color codes in the office.

Other problem areas resulting from a TBI could include problem-solving deficits, maintaining stamina, difficulty with handling stress, or even simple attendance issues.

The Job Accommodation Network has made this entire document available at www.jan.wvu.edu/media/employmentbrainfact.doc. It is part of a series of documents dealing with job accommodations and compliance. Additional resources are also included to assist with accommodating employees in the workplace with brain injuries.

(Allan Appel writes a biweekly column about disabilities. He can be reached c/o Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, 1939 S. Federal Highway, P.O. Box 9009, Stuart, FL 34994, or e-mail at aappel223(at)yahoo.com.)

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