Brain Injury Australia will be holding two workshops on the National Disability Insurance Scheme for people with a brain injury, on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st November – at Royal Rehab in Sydney. The workshops will be led by: Professor Barry Willer from the Department of Psychiatry at the State University of New York at Buffalo; Libby Callaway, principal occupational therapist at Neuroskills; Associate Professor Natasha Lannin from La Trobe University; and occupational therapist and clinical neuropsychologist Sue Sloan.

The Monday 20th November workshop is aimed at clinicians, allied health professionals, service providers and the broader disability sector – to give them an overview of the Scheme’s architecture and mechanics, to optimise the fit between the lived experience of their clients’ brain injury, the Agency’s processes and their clients’ plans which are the lifeblood of the Scheme.

Barry Willer is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and has spent more than 30 years studying brain injury and is the principle author of the Community Integration Questionnaire and the “Whatever it Takes” Model. He was the first director of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Integration and was a leader in the development of the TBI [Traumatic Brain Injujry] Model Systems Data Base. He has over 150 publications and three books and his work has been cited more than 3000 times. He was the 2012 recipient of the Research Award from the North American Brain Injury Society.

Libby Callaway is a registered occupational therapist, having worked for the past 24 years in the field of neurological rehabilitation in Australia and the USA. Since 1999, Libby has been the director and principal occupational therapist at Neuroskills, a community based practice providing rehabilitation services to people with neurological disability.

Natasha Lannin is an Associate Professor in Occupational Therapy at Alfred Health and La Trobe University, and Honorary Research Fellow at the John Walsh Institute for Rehabilitation Research at The University of Sydney, the George Institute for Global Health and the Florey Neurosciences at The University of Melbourne. Working within the Alfred Health hospital network, she conducts clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions as well as translation research into improving the long-term outcomes for those living with an acquired brain injury from stroke or traumatic causes. She has a keen interest in goal setting after acquiring a brain injury, improving support for transitioning from hospital to community after a severe brain injury or stroke, and supporting carers to help families and people with brain injury live life according to their long-term plans.

Sue Sloan is a registered Occupational Therapist and Clinical Neuropsychologist. Sue works in private practice providing community based rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injury. Sue is also an Honorary Neuropsychologist in the Austin Hospital Brain Disorders program providing rehabilitation to people with brain injury and complex mental health co-morbidities. Sue has co-authored three books in the field, published in peer reviewed journals and frequently presents on aspects of community-based brain injury rehabilitation. Sue’s areas of interest include the management of challenging behaviours after acquired brain injury.

More information about the workshops, including details about registration, will follow in Brain Injury Australia’s June newsletter. If you have any questions about the workshops, please do not hesitate to contact Nick Rushworth, Executive Officer of Brain Injury Australia, on (02) 9808 9390 or at nick.rushworth@braininjuryaustralia.org.au.