Warren firm helps injured workers re-enter work force

Goodson suffered a head injury a few years ago that impacts his short-term memory and presents other challenges for the Ferndale man. That didn't stop him from putting in a full shift at Unique Options, however.

Unique Options opened about a week ago, seeking to provide work opportunities for adults such as Goodson who, though they may struggle with the effects of some type of traumatic brain injury, are anxious to work and to be productive.

Sue Ellen Jurcak, a rehabilitation counselor who owns the business, says there isn't anything like it on the east side of the Detroit area that is specifically for those who have suffered brain injuries.

"And there is a tremendous need," she said.

Unique Options is selling itself in several ways. The first and primary goal, says Lindsey Burton, also a rehabilitation counselor and the marketing coordinator of the business, is to provide an occupational outlet for clients who have had a TBI, or traumatic brain injury, that prevents them from working.

"We have trained, experience people who will work with the clients, in a one-to-three setting to help them master the skills they need to perform a particular task," he said. "As much as possible, we want to try to accomodate a client with the type of work they are interested in, or perhaps that they did before their accident."

The clients at Unique Options are paid a pro-rated wage, based on an average wage for the type of work they are doing and how long it takes them to do it.

"So, a client is able to work to generate some of his own money. That's a very important component of this for many people," Burton said.

A secondary goal for the company is to provide low-cost services to area companies.

"There might be things that we can do to take some of their simple tasks, and we can do it inexpensively for them," Burton said.

Burton said in many cases, Unique Options is able to analyze a task and break it down into a variety of simple steps that its clients can then tackle.

One of the jobs that was waiting for Unique Options clients to work on during a visit to the 11 Mile Road building by The Macomb Daily were several boxes of Christmas cards. A local firm hired Unique Options to have clients label the envelopes, put the cards in the envelopes and add stamps to them.

On this day, Goodson was folding brochures for another company's marketing campaign.

"We can do that kind of work and everybody wins. The company gets that job out of the office and out of the way, and our clients are able to work at a paying job," Burton said.

A room in the back of the building is planned to be transformed into a wood working shop, where someday old furniture could be restored and sold as second-hand goods.

Jurcak said she had seen a need for a business such as Unique Options for some time. She also runs a Roseville company, Medical Care Co-ordinators, a patient guardianship and advocacy firm co-founded by her mother, Caroline Haire.

"We saw the need, but it took us a long time to find just the right building. We needed something that provided an office area environment and also a shop area," she said.

Eventually, Jurcak said, Unique Options could serve as many as 80 clients.

"We have pretty lofty dreams, but if you don't dream big, why bother," she said.