Brain Injury Awareness Month
The Brain Injury Association of America leads the nation in observing Brain Injury Awareness Month in March each year. Join our My Brain Injury Journey campaign.
The My Brain Injury Journey Campaign
Every March, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) leads the nation in observing Brain Injury Awareness Month. This year, we have exciting new developments for the brain injury community, including a new awareness campaign, advocacy initiatives, events, fundraising opportunities, new publications, and more.
Table of Contents
How You Can Get Involved
- Share your story: This Brain Injury Awareness Month, we’re launching a brand new campaign called “My Brain Injury Journey.” Developed with input from brain injury survivors, “My Brain Injury Journey” encourages survivors and the people who love or care for them to share their unique experience of living with brain injury. BIAA has created a toolkit with tools to help you share your story on your own channels, including social media templates, sample language about the campaign, printable signs, and more. You can also submit your story to BIAA for an opportunity to be featured on our My Brain Injury Journey stories page.
- Mobilize: BIAA and its network of state affiliates will be hosting events both virtually and in-person throughout the month of March to spread awareness about brain injury. Be sure to check out our calendar of events and RSVP to the events you plan on attending.
- Amplify: If our message and mission resonate with you, please share our resources with your community, including:
- Our position paper that makes the case for why brain injury should be recognized, treated, and covered as a chronic health condition. You can read a preview of this in our next issue of THE Challenge, and the full position paper will be published on our website in March.
- We have also put together a toolkit with a sample press release, letter to the editor, and blog or newsletter article.
- Our Personal Stories page features firsthand accounts about living with brain injury from survivors, caregivers, and family members of people with brain injury.
- Fundraise: Ready to take the next step? Join the many BIAA supporters who are raising funds for brain injury services, support, and research all across the United States. Start your fundraiser today!
Calendar of Events
Webinar: Brain Injury Awareness Day – The Why, How, When, and Where
On February 13, we hosted a webinar to explain why we need to reauthorize the TBI Act, and the logistics of how we get it done. We reviewed the schedule of activities in Washington DC for in-person visits to members of the US Congress and Senate, and information on things like what to wear and where to eat. We also covered information on how anyone can participate, including those not coming to Washington DC. If you were unable to watch the event live, you can view the recording here
Webinar: Brain Injury Awareness Day – Telling Our Story
On February 20 we hosted our second information session for Brain Injury Awareness Day. This session explained what’s in the TBI Act and how it helps the brain injury community. We discussed how your advocacy, no matter where you are, can make the TBI Act better. We also provided tips on how to effectively tell your story, in person or in writing, to elected and appointed officials who determine federal policy on brain injury. Watch the recording here.
Brain Injury Awareness Month Kickoff Event
On March 1, BIAA and members of the Survivor Advisory Council as we talk about: Brain Injury Awareness Month – the theme and tools to help spread awareness. It will also include discussions with Caz and Kellie as they share their tips for sharing your story and spreading awareness about brain injury. Watch the recording here.
Brain Injury Awareness Day
Join the Brain Injury Association of America, NASHIA, USBIA and other members of the brain injury community for Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill on March 5-6, 2024 and help us win reauthorization for the Traumatic Brain Injury Act.
Health Literacy and TBI
Personal health literacy refers to an individual’s ability to find, understand, and use information about health and health services to make well-informed health decisions for themselves and/or others. Low personal health literacy is associated with a variety of poor health behaviors in general medical populations and among older adults. Join our upcoming live webinar, Health Literacy and TBI, at 3:00 p.m. ET on March 18 to learn more about this topic. Register here.
Disparities in Care Transitions for Individuals With TBI
Join us on March 21 at 3:00 p.m. ET for a David Strauss Clinical webinar, Amol Karmarkar, Ph.D. will discuss his research on disparities in care transitions for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Using the Virginia All-Payer Claims Database (APCD), he examined care transition patterns after acute hospitalization and disparities associated with gender, race/ethnicity, insurance status, and location of residence. In addition, he examined the association between care transitions and the risk of 30- and 90-day hospital readmission. The study findings have implications for the delivery of equitable clinical services to ensure continuity of care for individuals with TBI. Register here.
Brain Injury Fundamentals Certificate Program Information Session
Attend our webinar on March 20 at 1:00 p.m. ET to learn more about the Brain Injury Fundamentals Training and Certificate program. Presenters will provide an overview of program topics/process and two different pathways to participate, including a new self-paced option. Register here.
Concussion Awareness Now Champions Rally
Join us for a virtual rally hosted by Concussion Awareness Now on March 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET to help raise awareness about the incidence, symptoms, and treatment of concussions. Register here.
Stay Connected
Sign Up to Receive Updates Related to Brain Injury Awareness
Stay involved beyond Brain Injury Awareness Month by signing up to receive notifications about our future opportunities.
Share Your Story
Too often, brain injuries and survivors are ignored. During Brain Injury Awareness Month, we encourage you to share your story to show others that they are not alone. We encourage you to submit your story through our Personal Stories page to be featured on our website. We have also compiled materials that you can use to share your story on social media. Feel free to download the materials or use them to create your own! Make sure to tag us in your posts and use the #MyBrainInjuryJourney hashtag, so BIAA can boost and amplify your story.
Social Media Assets
BIAA has developed a number of social media templates for you to help you share your story. The link below will take you to several different Canva templates. You can drag and drop your own photo into the photo frame and finish the sentence to make it personal to you.
Become an advocate
Advocacy is central to BIAA’s mission and a key part of Brain Injury Awareness Month. The brain injury community has so much power when it comes to advocating for the causes that affect them. Here’s some resources to help you advocate:
- Sign up for our Policy Corner newsletter. This monthly publication gives an up-to-date account of brain injury-related public policy in the federal and state legislatures, and provides resources for how to get involved with brain injury advocacy. This is a great way to stay involved with advocacy all year long.
- Join our letter writing campaign. Throughout Brain Injury Awareness Month, we are conducting a letter writing campaign to help get reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act. Tell your members of congress why you support the Act to help win reauthorization.
- BIAD Palm Card. If you’re planning on meeting with your legislators at the state or federal level, download our palm card that gives a summary of what our legislative priorities are.
- Download our legislative issue briefs to learn more about our legislative priorities for 2024. All of our issue briefs are available to download below.
Campaign Resources
Download the resources below to help raise awareness and engage with the My Brain Injury Journey campaign.
Brain Injury Awareness in the News and Media Inquiries
Brain Injury Awareness Month is a major event in the public health space. 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. At least 2.8 million Americans sustain traumatic brain injuries in the United States every year. As a result, Brain Injury Awareness Month rallies a large community into raising awareness and advocating for causes they care about.
All recent BIAA news and press releases can be viewed on our media page.
For all media inquiries, please contact Steve Walsh, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, at swalsh@biausa.org or (703) 761-0750 ext. 643.
About Brain Injury
An acquired brain injury (ABI) is an injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. Essentially, this type of brain injury is one that has occurred after birth. There are two types of acquired brain injury: traumatic and non-traumatic.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force or trauma. Traumatic impact injuries can be defined as closed (or non-penetrating) or open (penetrating).
Brain injuries are complex and this information only scratches the surface. The BIAA website has lots of information on the various types of brain injuries, their effects, and more. Start your brain injury education journey here.
Thank you to our Brain Injury Awareness Month Sponsor
