News Release

 Richmond, VA – On October 2, 2008, the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) partnered with Dominion to host its Third Annual Disability Employment Champions Awards Luncheon.  The event, which took place at the Sheraton Richmond West in Richmond, Virginia, officially kicked-off a series of events and activities planned statewide to commemorate October Disability Employment Awareness Month.

“With employers facing an aging workforce and an impending labor shortage, businesses cannot afford to overlook disability employment and assistive technology as solutions today’s workforce needs,” said DRS Commissioner Jim Rothrock.  “We hope that as we honor these champion employers and individuals across the Commonwealth, we also increase public awareness of the positive contributions that people with disabilities bring to business and our communities.”

The Disability Employment Champions Award was created to recognize individuals and organizations from public, private, and non-profit sectors who have ‘championed’ the employment of people with disabilities and gone above and beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to support workers with disabilities.  Past recipients include The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Omni Richmond Hotel, Busch Gardens Europe, the Virginia Department of Health, and Governor Tim Kaine, who received the first Champions Award for his support of Virginia’s Medicaid Buy-In Program.

Recipients of the 2008 Disability Employment Champions Award include: Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Northrop Grumman Newport News, Hyatt Hotel (in partnership with Hands On Educational Services), Fluor Corporation, and Kroger of Lexington, for the Regional Business Awards;

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for the State Agency Award;

Goodwill Industries of the Valleys for the Employment Service Organization Partnership Award;

Comcast Cable for the Community Champion Award; and

Dr. Audie Gaddis for the Self-Employment Champion Award.

 “Disability employment has certainly changed the way companies respond to workforce recruitment and workforce retention,” said Bill Hall, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Dominion. “It is evident from our champion awardees that an investment in disability employment is an investment in your company’s future success.”
For more information on the winners of the 2008 Disability Employment Champions Awards luncheon, please contact Aileen Colorado, Public Relations Specialist:

Contact: Aileen Colorado, Public Relations Specialist
Phone: 804-662-7532                                                             
Email: Aileen.Colorado@drs.virginia.gov
Web: http://www.vadrs.org

About DRS:  In partnership with people with disabilities and their families, the Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) collaborates with the public and private sectors to provide and advocate for the highest quality services that empower individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment, independence and full inclusion into society.  For more information about DRS, call 1-800-552-5019 or visit www.vadrs.org.

September 27, 2008

Brain Injury Recovery:
Navigating the MIND Fields Conference a Success!

Thank you to everyone who participated and attended Brain Injury Recovery: Navigating the MIND Fields conference on Saturday, September 27, 2008. The one-day conference was held at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, VA and was designed to bring together survivors of brain injury, their caregivers and professionals who serve them to share and learn about resources available in our community.

More than 75 people participated in the conference, including 13 exhibitors and 11 presenters. Presentation topics included a keynote address from Cara Adkins Biller and Darlene Spitler on Cara’s journey from Coma to College. Other presentations included:

The Universe Between Our Ears and the Neurobehavioral Problem by Dr. Paul Aravich, Eastern Virginia Medical School;
What Can Special Needs Trusts Do for You? By Mr. Matthew Sunderlin, Clark & Bradshaw;
Advocacy and Self-Advocacy by Ms. Anne McDonnell, Brain Injury Association of Virginia;
Brain Injury Clubhouses in Virginia by Ms. Leigh Wion of the Highstreet Clubhouse in Charlottesville and Mrs. Juanita Thornton of the Phoenix Star Clubhouse in Roanoke;
Applying for SSI and SSDI by Mr. Ned Sledge, Social Security Administration, and Mr. Rich McConche, Disability Determination Services;
Neurogenesis and the Potential for Brain Recovery by Dr. Audie Gaddis, Commonwealth Psychological Services; and
Assistive Technology by Mrs. Kelly Lum, Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center.

Exhibitors at the conference included:
Brain Injury Association of Virginia
Commonwealth Community Trust
Commonwealth Psychological Services
Friendship Industries
Greater Shenandoah Valley Brain Injury Support Group
Interim Healthcare
Lakeview Virginia Neurocare
M.I.T.S. of Virginia
Phoenix Star Clubhouse
Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services – Vocational Rehabilitation
Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors who made the event possible and include:
The Greater Shenandoah Valley Brain Injury Support Group,
Commonwealth Psychological Services, and
AHC Community Health Foundation.
Lunch at the event was provided courtesy of Texas Steakhouse – Harrisonburg (and it was fantastic!).

Additional in-kind donations were provided by:
Lash & Associates Publishing
Ken Schuler
Costco
Howard Spangler
Water Works and
Martin’s Staunton

Welcome
Crossroads to Brain Injury Recovery is a community-based case management program for survivors of brain injury. Case management is a comprehensive approach to brain injury recovery that includes all aspects of a survivor’s life – from assistance with applying for services to re-learning daily living skills and returning to school or work. Recovery does not end when an individual is released from the hospital – and our goal is to help survivors get back to their lives once they come home.

What our Clients say about us
“Crossroads has given me peace…allowed me to lean on them.”
“It is wonderful to have your services available.”
“All of you are very caring, open and trusting.”
“Very polite; were able to answer questions as to what I should expect….the organization is very helpful.”
“I run a support group for survivors of brain injury and do recommend Crossroads to the group.”
“I was so happy that someone understood my memory problems…and worked with me for a solution. My case manager was a Godsend – to encourage, problem solve and help me understand.

Brain injured in Va. lack services
Virginians with traumatic brain injuries lack adequate residential facilities, access to therapy, and other services, a report found. Returning war veterans with traumatic brain injuries are likely to further tax the system, too.

April 30, 2008

Road Runners Take On Boston
Men Do Not Let Age, Disease Slow Them Down

By Heather Bowser

(From left) Steve Flora, 50, Audie Gaddis, 50 and Dick Myers, 60, go for a quick jog Monday evening along Pearl Lane. The running buddies ran the Boston Marathon earlier this month.
Photo by Michael Reilly

HARRISONBURG - County residents Audie Gaddis, 50, Steve Flora, 50, and Dick Myers, 60, aren't your typical road runners.

True, they run. And yes, they usually do it on the road. But one thing sets the three amigos apart from other middle-aged jogging buddies - one of them has Parkinson's disease.

In 2005, doctors diagnosed Gaddis with the movement disorder, which is incurable, chronic and progressive. The disease causes stiffness in the limbs and uncontrollable tremors of the hands, legs, face and jaw.

Nevertheless, with the help of his friends, Gaddis began to run, and run far.

Earlier this month, the three friends completed the Boston Marathon, the world's oldest and best-known annual road race. According to the race's official Web site, about 20,000 runners register for the event each year. Most of those run just to finish.

Gaddis and Flora, his "guide," completed the 26-mile race in 4 hours, 27 minutes. Myers, who stopped along the way to chat with friends, finished two minutes behind them.

"My friends have been so instrumental in challenging me to face the obstacles of my disease," Gaddis said. "[They] have taught me the value of the Beatles' song, ‘We all need a little help from our friends.'"

It All Started

The road to Boston started about a year ago, when Gaddis' daughter, a runner at Wilbur S. Pence Middle School, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which typically causes fatigue, muscle cramps and poor muscle tone.

At the time, her father had quit running because his foot was "shuffling."

"I didn't think I'd be able to run again," he said.

But his daughter was different.

"She didn't give up," Gaddis said. "She was still running. I had to get out there and start running again."

So, Gaddis started running with his church friend, Flora, who, for years has run with a group in Bridgewater. Myers had been a part of the group since he was in his mid-30s.

"I was a two-pack-a-day smoker and when I quit, I gained weight [and] my blood pressure was too high," Myers said. "My doctor suggested exercise but said, ‘Nobody does that and stays with it.' I didn't quit."

The group jogs several mornings a week and on Saturdays around Dayton. Everyone stops for coffee afterward at Mr. J's Bagels. Quickly, the men became better friends.

"When you run with people, you build a relationship only brothers know," Myers said. "We get up 5 a.m., spend sweat and tears. We talk about personal stuff. It's changed my life."

Prepping For Boston

In time, Gaddis' strength began to increase. By midsummer, he considered running a half-marathon in Charlotte, N.C. He and Flora began training.

The two had no intention of running the race in Boston because it requires a qualifying time in a certified race. Plus, Gaddis had never run that far.

"I knew from my age there was no way I could meet the qualifications because I was too slow," Gaddis said.

But then, two weeks before the half-marathon, they looked closer at the rules. There were easier qualification times for runners who were "mobility impaired."

With that, Gaddis decided to go for it. Until that point, the farthest he had run was 12 miles.

"I gave him a 50-50 chance of finishing," Flora said. "Most people train for four months, not two weeks."

Nevertheless, in December, Gaddis completed "Thunder Road" in Charlotte in 4 hours 57 minutes, a time well within the 6-hour limit for Boston. The other two men qualified at other races.

They were all going to Boston.

"There's no reason he should have been able to complete that race," Flora said. "It was amazing."

Boston

The Boston Marathon, held every year on the third Monday of April, is known throughout the world for its rigorous course, the men said. The trek begins at a downhill slope, which makes runners go faster, tiring them out quickly.

"Running downhill beats up on your legs," Gaddis added.

Worse, about 20 miles into the 26-mile run are a series of three huge hills, the last one, called "Heartbreak Hill," tests the strength of all who attempt the race.

A seasoned runner, Flora had run the race before and opted to run with his friends as a guide.

"Steve kept encouraging me to hang in there when my body wanted to freeze up," Gaddis said. "I listened and just kept telling myself, ‘I'm not going to stop. I'm doing this in honor of my daughter who refused to give up.'"

As they ran, the crowd read his "Power over Parkinson's" shirt, and cheered him on.

"Although I would never choose [Parkinson's], I never regret the growth it has brought into my life," Gaddis said. "It has given me friends who accept me for who I am, with all my flaws yet believed in me at times when I didn't believe in myself."

Contact Heather Bowser at 574-6218 or hbowser@dnronline.com

November 9, 2007

Gaddis Forms Employmnet Firm

Audie Gaddis has launched a new company intended to provide employment solutions to businesses and job seekers.

CPSConnections provides pre-employment testing, leadership development and consulting for employers as well as vocational testing and coaching for job seekers.

The new firm is a subsidiary of Commonwealth Psychological Services PLC, which Gaddis founded.

“CPSConnections is not a job-placement agency,” Gaddis said. “It provides solutions to both parties.”

Gaddis will assist businesses seeking to hire well-qualified employees as well as the person who wants to find the position that matches his or her abilities.

A licensed clinical psychologist, Gaddis will use a variety of testing tools along with individualized consulting and coaching, he said.

CPSConnections will operate out of Commonwealth Psychological Services’ offices at 2322 Blue Stone Hills Drive in Harrisonburg.

The firm has secured several corporate contracts for pre-employment testing, Gaddis said, and several out-of-state companies also have expressed interest.