Showcasing Employ Me at the 9th National Brain Injury Conference

At the 9th National Brain Injury Conference in Adelaide, the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania (BIAT) presented a session on the Employ Me Project. Employ Me supports individuals with brain injury and other disabilities in their journey toward employment.

Employ Me’s program manager Bill explained how the program has evolved from BIAT’s earlier Disclosure Project into a broader focus on building the skills and confidence to pursue employment: “The session showcased the different elements of the project. Starting with the Disclosure Project for background, this laid the foundation for Employ Me, and moved on to discussing our project partners, outcomes, and the benefits for participants.”

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Lisa Minervini, Manager at key project partner Brain Injury South Australia discussed the challenges and successes of implementing Employ Me in South Australia.

A powerful moment in the discussion came when participant Mark shared his personal experience with the program. Mark hasn’t had the opportunity to actively use his Employ Me video yet, however he noted that his confidence has grown significantly since joining the program. Before commencing the Employ Me program, he said he did not have the confidence for public speaking, whereas he was now sharing his story with the audience at a national conference.

Mark’s example demonstrated how Employ Me goes beyond simply preparing participants for employment. “It’s not just about landing a job or writing a resume,” Bill explained. “It’s about building motivation, confidence, and the capacity to move forward with a person’s goals, whatever they may be.”

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The session concluded with Daniel Deptula, Senior Case Manager at Brain Injury South Australia. Daniel discussed an innovative extension to Employ Me using About Me videos as a communication tool for individuals living in supported care, helping them communicate more effectively with their support workers.

Session attendees utilised excerpts from the program’s capacity building workbooks. This provided the audience with first hand insight into the staged approach with workbooks and activities that help to develop capacity and build support.

The Employ Me presentation sparked significant interest from attendees across multiple sectors, including allied health professionals and organisations working with brain injury. Bill noted that there has been considerable follow-up interest from other states, including requests from remote communities keen to explore how Employ Me could be adapted to meet their needs.

The Project continues to expand and adapt, offering crucial support for people living with brain injury as they navigate their employment journey. BIAT is proud to lead the way in providing innovative, person-centred solutions for people living with brain injury in Tasmania and beyond.

To learn more about the Employ Me Project, visit Employ Me Plus.