"Linking Students and Survivors" - An Introduction to the MIT Brain Trust

For those of you in the Boston area, this is definitely a group worth checking out! MIT Brain Trust, a service organization run by students, aims to provide real-world opportunities to all members of the community living with various brain-related conditions. The organization brings together MIT students and those with neurological impairments by promoting Brain Injury Awareness and hosting various fundraising events and social gatherings. Moreover, it collaborates with the Healing Exchange Brain Trust, a non-profit based in Cambridge that helps patients with brain-conditions communicate with others about brain research and support issues.

One of the primary programs of MIT Brain Trust is the Brain Trust Buddies, a program that enables survivors of brain-conditions and students to enjoy a day together and share their experiences. Activities they participate in include going to the movies, sailing in Boston Harbor, and visiting the museums.  

Another big initiative of the organization is to host lectures by professors, researchers, and patients once per semester. This is a great opportunity to learn more about brain diseases and research. Past topics include Humor and the Brain, Hypnosis, Music and the Brain, Autism, and Epilepsy.

For more information or to get involved, check out their website here:

MIT Brain Trust: Linking Students and Survivors

"Disability Etiquette: Tips on Interacting with People with Disabilities," by the United Spinal Association

For anyone out there, disabled or not, who wants to learn to “interact more effectively with people with disabilities,” the United Spinal Association has a booklet just for you. In “Disability Etiquette: Tips on Interacting with People with Disabilities,” you’ll read about how to better understand, communicate, and work with others who may be different than you. From teaching you the importance of “asking before you help” to “speaking directly to a person with a disability, not to his companion,” this booklet has it all!

Click the following link to read "Disability Etiquette: Tips on Interacting with People with Disabilities”

Also, don't forget to check out more of the Free Publications the United Spinal Association has to offer!

Current Trials Test the Benefits of Administering the Progesterone Hormone to TBI Patients

A 3-D model of the Progesterone molecule (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 1.7 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury annually. Breaking this down further, 1.4 million of them are treated and released from Emergency Departments, 275,000 are hospitalized, 80,000 suffer long term disabilities, and 52,000 are killed. 

While there is an alarming number of TBIs occurring each year, there are no approved medications that have been shown to improve a partient's outcome. In recent years, however, progesterone, the natural human hormone often associated with pregnancy, has shown some promise in improving patients' conditions if immediately administered after a TBI. It is believed that progesterone has neuroprotective properties that can reduce the swelling of the brain, a main cause of cell death after injury. 

Currently, two trials are being conducted by researchers at Emory Univeristy and BHR Pharma to further explore the benefits of progesterone in treating TBI patients. Along with Dr. David Gordon, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, we await the results of these trials with "some measure of cautious optimism."* 

To learn more, check out the below links used to write up this post... 
  
*David Tuller (NYTimes): "A Hormonal Remedy for Brain Injuries Is Explored" 

Denise Dador (ABC Los Angeles): "Hormone Could Help Heal Traumatic Brain Injuries" 

BHR Pharma, LLC: The SyNAPSe Trial Website

The Obama Administration and Leaders in the Disability Community Celebrate The Americans with Disabilities Act Turning 23

On July 25, Obama met with key leaders and advocates of the disability community to honor their continued efforts (Photo Credit: Whitehouse.gov)This past Friday, July 26, 2013, marks the 23 anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to White House Blogger Valerie Jarrett, this landmark act  “levels the playing field and affirms that people living with disabilities must be treated with dignity and respect.”  In fact, one in five Americans benefits from the ADA and it’s mission of protecting the disability community from discrimination.

As part of the Obama administration’s advocacy for those living with disabilities, it will continue its efforts to push the Disabilities Treaty through the Senate. This Treaty would affirm the rights of all those living with disabilities around the world and offer them the same protections Americans receive from the ADA. 

To learn more, read Valerie Jarrett’s White House blog post by clicking here

Samuel Nobile de Oliveira, a Paraplegic Man in Brazil, Builds His Own Ramp at Town Hall

After growing sick and tired with his public officials’ inaction, Samuel Nobile de Oliveira, a 41-year-old paraplegic man in Brazil, decided to build his own handicap ramp at the town hall. As he says, “Every time I come here I have to ask for help from someone to be able to come up…I Had the day off today and resolved to do this.”

Through his inspiring act, Nobile de Oliveira hopefully raised the awareness to push the town officials to act. As town mayor Hermes Bergamim announced afterwards, “I apologize to all disabled by the situations and constraints…We will take appropriate action in the city so this does not happen anymore.”

Check out the picture of Nobile de Oliveira taking matters into his own hands below and click the link to read more…

The Huffington Post: “Samuel Nobile de Oliveira, Paraplegic Man, Builds His Own Wheelchair Ramp in Brazil.”