Occupational Therapy in Community-Based Practice Settings 2nd Edition by Marjorie Scaffa, Maggie Reitz

Exercise 3

Austin
Austin is a 23-year-old male who suffered a T12 spinal cord injury 4 years ago as a result of a car crash. The injury resulted in paraplegia. Austin began receiving SSDI benefits 2 years ago and was classified as an eligible beneficiary for the Ticket to Work Program. He received his ticket in the mail 2 months ago, but he had some concerns. Austin had limited work skills and did not understand the program. After contacting an employment network in his area, the coordinator gave him the contact information for an occupational therapist who was contracted as a consultant for the program. After contacting the consultant, Austin decided to meet with the therapist. During the consultation session, the occupational therapist:
• explained the TTW Program so that Austin had the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding his rights and employment opportunities;
• contacted the employment network to discuss potential modifications and adaptations that could be made to allow Austin to be successful as an employee; and
• initiated the process to offer Austin occupational therapy services to increase work skills and employment training.
Austin began receiving occupational therapy services, and, after a workplace evaluation, his prospective employer agreed to make some simple adaptations to allow Austin to be successful on the job. Austin's work skills increased dramatically, and he was successfully employed part-time after 4 weeks of therapy. Austin maintained employment throughout the next 6 weeks of therapy, and he had the ultimate goal of increasing his employment status to full-time.
Identify three appropriate community resources for Austin to help address his specific needs.