Employment Disability Resources Launches New Video
Employment Disability Resources (EDR) is proud to announce the release of a new video designed to advance our mission and increase awareness of the many ways we support businesses in Sioux Falls and the surrounding communities.
The video highlights EDR’s role as a trusted partner to local employers, helping them build inclusive workplaces where employees with disabilities can thrive. To bring this vision to life, EDR partnered with Sioux Falls digital creator Byron Banasiak to produce the video. The collaboration came about through EDR Board Member Laura Arnett of Flynn Wright, who connected with Byron to help share the organization’s story in a meaningful and impactful way.
Featured in the video are three of EDR’s valued Disability Employment Partners: Nyberg’s ACE, RAS, and the Toy Lending Library of South Dakota. These businesses share powerful, firsthand stories about the skills, creativity, reliability, and dedication employees with disabilities contribute to their teams. Their experiences demonstrate that inclusive hiring is not just the right thing to do — it strengthens businesses and enhances workplace culture.
There is sometimes a misconception that Employment Disability Resources works directly as a placement service for job seekers with disabilities. In reality, EDR’s primary focus is on supporting businesses. The organization provides education, consultation, and practical resources to ensure that employees with disabilities succeed long-term in their roles.
EDR assists employers with recruiting and retaining employees with disabilities, offering guidance on reasonable accommodations, accessibility, and a welcoming workplace culture. By partnering with businesses, EDR helps create environments where all employees can perform at their best and contribute meaningfully to organizational success.
This new video serves as both a celebration of successful partnerships and an invitation to other businesses in the Sioux Falls area to learn how EDR can support their workforce needs. Click here to view the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySjFjknNHo8
For more information about Employment Disability Resources and how to become a Disability Employment Partner, contact EDR today at [email protected] or 605-215-1760.
Free Virtual Training - Essential Functions, Real Accommodations: A Strategy for Compliance
Time: 9 AM (CT)/8 AM (MT)
Job descriptions can become the primary evidence used by the EEOC to determine “essential functions” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This training will discuss why job descriptions are important and how HR professionals can audit, write, and maintain them to clearly distinguish between marginal and essential functions of the job.
West Meets East: Access at Work is a monthly, live collaborative conversation series designed to give employers practical, plain-language guidance on disability-related workplace topics. It will be offered the fourth Wednesday of every month. Co-led by Vicki Stewart (Employment Disability Resources) and Heidi Mecham (Workplace Disability Network), the series brings together East River and West River perspectives to support employers across the state.
Each 30-minute session focuses on one timely workplace topic and features real-world examples, clear definitions, and open discussion about workplace accessibility and accommodations. Sessions are recorded and archived for on-demand viewing here on youtube.
When Everything Went Dark: My Life After a Traumatic Brain Injury
by Hanna Berg
At any moment in life, everything can change. A diagnosis can alter how you navigate the world, pursue your goals, and experience everyday life. What once felt familiar can suddenly look very different.
For me, that moment happened on what seemed like a typical Tuesday morning. I was driving to work, just as I had done countless times before. The road was familiar and the routine ordinary. Then, in an instant, everything changed. One moment I was driving, and the next I heard the crushing sound of metal and the screech of tires. Then there was darkness.
When I regained consciousness, I was disoriented and struggling to understand what had happened. I couldn’t clearly hear the voices around me, and everything felt distant and confusing.
In the days and months that followed, the full impact of my traumatic brain injury began to reveal itself. I experienced relentless migraines and constant pain. Sleep became extremely difficult; some nights I would lie awake for hours. My speech was sometimes slurred, my mood shifted in ways I didn’t always understand, and I often struggled with memory. I would begin a task and moments later forget what I had been doing.
Yet the most difficult part wasn’t the physical pain—it was the feeling that I had lost pieces of myself. Memories and moments that had shaped who I was felt distant or missing entirely. Activities I once loved no longer felt the same. At times, it felt as though the person I used to be had slipped away.
There were many days when frustration and grief felt overwhelming. But deep within me, there was also determination. I refused to believe that one moment could erase the dreams and goals I had for my life.
Fortunately, I was surrounded by an incredible team who supported me throughout my recovery—speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and physicians who walked alongside me every step of the way.
Progress did not happen all at once. Often, it came through small but meaningful victories: finishing a task without losing my train of thought, speaking clearly enough to feel understood, or remembering something that once seemed out of reach. Each step forward mattered.
Today, I serve as the Talent Acquisition Manager for DakotAbilities. DakotAbilities supports adults with disabilities across South Dakota by providing accessible housing, employment opportunities, day services, physical habilitation services, and 24/7 nursing care. These services promote health, safety, and independence while helping build a more inclusive and connected community.
In my role, I continue to rely on many of the tools and strategies I learned during my recovery to support my everyday success. What may seem like small things to others have become essential parts of how I stay organized and focused. Calendar reminders help me manage important meetings and responsibilities. Checklists allow me to break larger tasks into manageable steps. And sticky notes—placed throughout my workspace—have truly become one of my keys to success.
These tools not only help me stay organized; they also remind me of how far I have come. What once felt like limitations have become strategies that empower me to thrive in my role and continue moving forward.
When you have people supporting you along the way, the path forward becomes much brighter.
The Job Accommodation Network offers resources about accommodating people with a brain injury. Click here to learn more: https://askjan.org/
Employment Disability Resources is proud to offer the Disability Inclusion Partner program!
In partnership with the Sioux Falls Disability Awareness and Accessibility Review Board (DAARB), we give local businesses who employ one or more people with disabilities an award to acknowledge and celebrate their diverse, inclusive workplace culture. Watch for the “Disability Inclusion Partner” sticker on the doors of local businesses.
Sioux Falls Family YMCA recently received a Disability Employment Partner award.
For more information about employing individuals with disabilities, please contact:
Vicki Stewart, Executive Director
Employment Disability Resources
2900 W. 11th Street, Suite 101, Sioux Falls, SD 57104
605-215-1760 or [email protected]