Happy New Year and welcome to 2021! 2020 was a very difficult year in many ways. People around the world dealt with a pandemic, economic hardship, work and school lives turned upside-down, and much more. On top of all of that, many of us dealt with personal struggles with physical and mental health, challenges at work or in school, and more. Now we find ourselves in the first full week of 2021 and hoping for a fresh start or a restart in some cases.
We here at NARIC are right there with you! We’re not making resolutions this year; we are committing to take care of ourselves and each other. That might mean taking a good look at our workspace and schedule to make it more ergonomic, practical, and healthy. It might mean taking the time to learn something new we can use on the job, at home, or in the community. Here are a few resources from the NIDILRR grantee community and elsewhere which may help you start/restart 2021:
- Find resources for remote community participation with a curated collection of resources to connect with family and social circles, follow a spiritual path, engage in arts and culture, get active indoors and outside, and finding mental health support. Gathered by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Community Living and Participation of People with Serious Mental Illness.
- Learn something new with courses from the Rocky Mountain ADA Regional Center, the New England ADA Regional Center, the Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability and Rehabilitation Research, or the Collaborative on Health Reform and Independent Living.
- Tune up your work-from-home space with tips from this Job Accommodation Network presentation.
- Download the My Wheelchair Guide app from Self-Management Assistance Through Technology (SMART) – Virtual Coaches for Wheelchair Users and United Spinal and make sure you and your ride are in top shape.
- Consider adding some activity like exercise after burn injury from the Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System or exercise after spinal cord injury from the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center.
These are just a few examples of resources you can use to hit Refresh on 2021. Please reach out to our information specialists if we can help you find other tools, tips, or classes. We hope you and your community are staying safe, staying healthy, and staying engaged!