“Brain Injury Awareness Month honors the millions of people with brain injury, who with proper acute care, therapeutic rehabilitation and adequate long-term supports, are living with the successes and challenges that each day brings. Our goals this year are to sustain and bolster brain injury programs, increase access to care and preserve vital brain injury research.” — Susan H. Connors, president/CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has become the signature injury of military service in Iraq and Afghanistan. This March, Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) and their network of state affiliates, including self-advocates, families and volunteers across the nation, will mark Brain Injury Awareness Month.
To commemorate the month, we would like to highlight the educational resources we developed around Heather Courtney’s hard-hitting doc Where Soldiers Come From (POV 2011) which follows the four-year journey of childhood friends who join the National Guard after graduating from high school. 
- In our standards-aligned lesson plan, students explore the impact of traumatic brain injury on veterans and their families. They watch clips from the film related to TBI, create fact sheets to educate soldiers and their families about TBI and direct them to organizations that can provide support. As an extension to the plan students can develop and implement an outreach plan for sharing the fact sheet. This plan is ideal for any classes dealing in the subjects of: Behavioral Studies, Current Events, Geography, Social Studies and Health.
- Our Take Action section provides some ideas for ways you can get involved with veterans and educate your communities about the issues they face in returning to civilian life.
- Our Discussion Guide gives background on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and includes a resource section of organizations that provide support for military and their families.
To learn more about BIAA initiatives or to learn more about awareness and advocacy events taking place in your state during the month of March, contact your chartered state affiliate.
