NDEAM Profile: Jenna Erno, Special Education Teacher, Paraplegic

For National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we profiled Jenna Erno, a special education teacher from Wisconsin who was injured in 2020.

In the comments, please share if you are ❤ working post spinal cord injury, 💚 when you started, and 💙 what you love most about your job 👍

Name?

Jenna Erno

Age?

32

Where Do You Live?

Pembine, Wisconsin

How and When Were You Injured?

“I was injured in May 3rd, 2020. I was a passenger on the back of a dirt bike. The driver struck a rock in a field and I was thrown off bike. It resulted in instant paralysis at T7/T8, broken ribs and collapsed lungs.”

Were You Employed Pre-Injury?

“I was employed before my injury. I was a special education teacher for 4 years.”

What is Your Current Job and What Do You Do?

“I had just been hired in a new school district for the 2020-2021 at the time of my accident. I was back teaching in September of 2020.” “”I am a special education teacher in the Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District. I work with students who have differing abilities in grades kindergarten through fifth grade.””

How Did You Find Your Job?

“I found my current job through family and friends who had lived in the area before we moved here.”

How Long Did You Search for Your Current Job?

“I was blessed to already be employed in my district before my accident.”

Please Name Any Programs That Supported You Finding or Maintaining Your Current Job:

“NA.”

What Kind of Disability Accommodations, If Any, Have You Requested and Received from Your Employer?

“My principal and superintendent have gone above and beyond to make sure my classroom is set up to make it accessible for me to teach. They used provided me a refrigerator and microwave in my classroom, tables that I am able to wheel under without hitting the tops of my legs, making a bathroom stall bigger so I can fully fit in it.”

Do You Have Tips for Getting Hired?

“I feel like it’s important to stay positive and keep searching! Don’t let your disability define you and what you are able to do. I was blessed to have my job so I feel like I may be in a different position then some.”

Do you have any tips or tricks to share on maintaining employment for the long term?

“Good nutrition and fitness to help ourselves stay strong and healthy!”

— Follow Jenna at https://www.instagram.com/jenna_erno/