The Warrior Gateway is now among the 11,000+ resources listed in the National Resource Directory, the joint DoD-Labor-VA program that catalogs on- and offline resources for the military community.
The NRD has recently been revamped and redesigned to make it easier to search for resources. Try it out by searching for the Warrior Gateway!
We just came back from the Opening Session of the October 2009 Mental Health Summit, hosted by the Veterans Affairs Department and the Department of Defense. This looks like a wonderful putting-together of great minds to sit down and really think hard about the ways to prevent, identify, understand, and address mental health issues for veterans and active service members. Secretaries Gates and Shinseki both spoke, reaffirming their departments’ commitment to this serious issue.
As part of the summit, the DoD and VA have assembled a panel of about 100 experts, ranging from doctors and counselors, to professors and fellows. Additionally, they are looking for your help – the summit is soliciting advice and suggestions about the themes upon which the experts should be focusing and any solutions or ideas you might have about improving the situation of veterans’ mental health issues. You can also vote on others’ suggestions. The ideas board can be accessed here.
Undergoing a disabling injury while serving is a harrowing experience. And unfortunately, its effects can linger indefinitely, as joining or rejoining the civilian workforce as a disabled veteran can be wrought with major challenges. However, there are a number of great resources that work to ease the transition to civilian life for disabled and wounded veterans.
One such resource is the Computer Electronic Assistance Program (CAP) run by the Department of Defense. As its name implies, CAP utilizes assistive technology to help the disabled perform in the workplace. Technological tools provided by CAP include voice recognition, screen magnification software, assistive listening devices, Braille terminals, cueing aids, and applications that help with memory loss. These tools are generally provided while a veteran is being treated in a medical facility such as Walter Reed. To make a request for services from CAP, click here.
“I like to think that each and every time we fill a CAP request, we are making someone’s life a little easier, helping them to be more productive in their work environment and in their own personal lives,” Cohen said.
Read the full article from the Washington Post here. To learn more about CAP, click here.