Disability Rights Florida Blog

Brain Injury Awareness

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

As the month of March moves forward, education and awareness around brain injuries is progressing with it! So, before April approaches, let’s observe brain injury awareness month together by looking at what living with a brain injury might look like. The range of disabilities is so vast, so even one category of injury can mean a lot of different things for each person affected. One condition within the disability community that many people still don’t understand very well, is that of brain injuries. But, the truth is that out of all injuries, brain injuries are the most likely to result in permanent disability. DRF believes folks who have brain injuries deserve recognition and understanding.

Graphic of a brain and green ribbon over layed the world map. Text reads: National Brain Injury Awareness Month

Brain injuries can have different impacts on people, meaning they may take a little more time to understand. A brain is a complex organ that controls our body’s functions. They have many parts that each help our bodies and mind do something unique. Did you know the frontal area of our brain helps control our emotional expressions, language, and personality? Whereas the back area can control our eyesight! Each section of our brain has a specific purpose. So, if one person experiences an injury on the right side of their brain, and another person experiences an injury on the left side, their disabilities may not seem similar at all! And that’s perfectly okay. 

There are lots of types of brain injuries that someone can experience as well. Some types of brain injuries include:

  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • Acquired Brain Injury
  • Aneurysm
  • Stroke
  • Brain Tumor
  • Carbon Monoxide 
  • Poisoning 
  • Meningitis
  • And so many more

Brain Injury Awareness

All of these different types can have different outcomes or symptoms. This is why it’s important to keep an open mind to brain injuries, because we’re still learning more about them every day! We can’t assume things about people who have had brain injuries because that is how they can become misunderstood. Brain injuries are actually more common than we may think!  “There are more than 5.3 million individuals in the United States who are living with a permanent brain injury-related disability. That’s one in every 60 people.” Chances are, every person that has a brain injury-related disability has had a different experience. A way to support and care for others with a brain injury is to listen! Let them tell you about themselves and their condition as they feel comfortable. 

Whether you’re a survivor, family member, friend, professional, or ally, you can support people with brain injuries. DRF is supporting the #MoreThanMyBrainInjury campaign which encourages people to tell their own stories and write the narratives of their own lives. We can learn a lot when we listen to the experiences of others. The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) helps identify us some ways you can get involved in advocacy efforts:

  • Know the facts - “At least 3.6 million people in the U.S. sustain brain injury each year. Want to learn more?” Check out a fact sheet!
  • Speak out - “Advocates with a personal investment in the cause make the greatest champions. Why not write a letter to the editor or try to get a PSA aired on your local radio station?” Get started here. 

Image description: Photograph of an asian woman with gray hair, wearing a purple shirt, headphones in her ears, and a phone in her hand while jogging. Blue text in a white box reads:”I nearly drowned, but I’m more than my brain injury”. Across the bottom there is a Brain Injury Association symbol with the phone number (1-800-444-6443) and email (biausa.com) in blue and black text with a more than my brain injury hashtag and graphic of a person's side profile in front of a cloud.

  • Mobilize - Join lawmakers, activists, survivors, caretakers, and professionals in promoting brain injury advocacy! 
  • Brainstorm - Think of new ideas and ways you can support education and understanding of brain injuries.

Image description: Photograph of two women in a kitchen smiling. The woman to the left is white with blonde hair and a blue shirt. The woman to the left is a white woman with brown hair wearing a white shirt and holding a silver bowl. Across the bottom there is a Brain Injury Association symbol with the phone number (1-800-444-6443) in blue and black text with a more than my brain injury hashtag and graphic of a person's side profile in front of a cloud.

DRF celebrates Brain Injury Awareness Month because we’re here to serve folks in our communities with all disabilities. This is why we have a grant that is intended for people with TBI’s! This grant allows us to provide advocacy services, information and referrals, and self-advocacy training to individuals who face a loss of legal rights as a result of their TBI. We, through this grant, are working to increase and improve systems of support for people impacted by TBIs. 


We want communities to better understand, support, and embrace individuals with brain injuries. If you’re someone with a disability who has questions or concerns about your civil rights or available resources, we’re here for you! You can call us at 800-342-0823, or request assistance online. We are committed to providing a safe space for the ultimate success, wellbeing, and safety of people with brain injuries.

Image Description: Graphic with a yellow / cream colored background and gradient blue circles around the outline of a person from the neck up. The side profile of an animated person is outlined in dark blue with a heart shape in the main area of the head that holds yellow machine like pieces. Text above this image in dark blue says “Each brain works differently!” and there is a Disability Rights Florida logo in the bottom right corner.

We want you to know that you are valid in your experiences with brain injuries, no matter what that may look like. Feel free to share with us below what you’re doing to observe Brain Injury Awareness Month!

Comments

Hello, June 2,2023 will be 12 years since my TBI from a car accident. I had 2 strokes, a brain bleed and many other injuries. I had help right after the accident but now I’m out in the world disabled with no help. My daughter didn’t have support and blames me and we don’t speak. Everything talks of family helping, mine didn’t. Now I will be 63 and getting worse. It’s like people w TBI are just forgotten. I look fine, but am made fun of, criticized, lost my home, abused mentally and physically, to the point im so insecure, and emotionally unstable because family and friends don’t care and embarrassed. Everyone turned there back on me but God. I don’t know what to do. Please help me. 815-216-3949.

By Christie L. Harvick on May 30, 2023

Hi Christie, give us a call at 800-342-0823 or use our online intake at disabilityrightsflorida.org/intake. An advocacy specialist will discuss your issues with you and determine if we can assist. And if we cannot, we’ll point you in the right direction.

By Disability Rights Florida on May 30, 2023

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