From My Desk

Greetings,

Every year, the Brain Injury Association of America leads the nation in recognizing Brain Injury Awareness Month in March, starting with our annual trip to Capitol Hill. These visits give the brain injury community face time with their Congressional representatives and their staff as they advocate for federal funding and legislation that will improve the quality of life for people with brain injury. This year, we’ve decided to expand the program to include a national conference, featuring breakout sessions focused on how to tell your brain injury story, survivor meet and greets, a keynote address, a panel discussion, and an overview of this year’s rallying point for our Capitol Hill meetings.

In years past, we’ve rallied for reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, funding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s TBI program and the TBI Model Systems of Care, and supporting legislation that would benefit the brain injury community. This year, we will be advocating for a National Plan of Action. This effort seeks to establish a comprehensive framework for improving outcomes for brain injury survivors through enhanced research, care, and community support. You can read more about the National Plan of Action on pages 4-5.

We’re continuing our My Brain Injury Journey awareness campaign this year, encouraging people with lived experience to share their stories about their unique brain injury journeys. No two brain injury survivors will have the same experience, and every member of this community deserves to have their story heard. Brain injury survivors from across the country have shared their stories through our My Brain Injury Journey campaign, and we are looking forward to hearing more of your stories as the campaign continues.

It’s been nearly 25 years since BIAA last conducted a public opinion survey about brain injury. In this poll, we explored public perception and knowledge of brain injury, people’s experiences with injuries, and whether or not people have different views on brain injuries versus head injuries. I’m excited to announce that this year we will be sharing the findings of a new public opinion poll conducted by The Harris Poll, one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S. that tracks public opinion, motivations, and social sentiments. We will have more information soon about the poll findings, which we’ll be using to help our community tell our story to Congress, educate the public about the realities of living with brain injury, and promote awareness.

Sincerely,

Rick Willis