Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT)

Services Provided: CBIRT conducts research and training to improve the lives of children and adults with traumatic brain injury. The “Ask a Librarian” feature of the website provides assistance for locating resources and information. Focus is education, information and research.

Cost/Funding: Ask the Librarian feature is free.

Comments: CBIRT is a research institute and does not provide direct support. To locate resources, you may call, e-mail or visit the website and fill out an information request form.

Contact Person: Laura Beck, Assistant Fellow, Doug & Megan
Email Address: cbirt@uoregon.edu
Website: cbirt.org

Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection

Services Provided: Oregon Spinal Cord Injury (OSCI) exists to build community and create opportunities for people affected by spinal cord injury. Those who sustain an injury have an arduous life-long journey of adapting to paralysis, staying healthy, and rebuilding their life while personally coping with social stigma, systemic oppression against disabilities, and navigating a built environment that often isn’t created for individuals with disabilities. A spinal cord injury (SCI) creates a tremendous physical, emotional, psychological and financial burden on their families and communities. OSCI helps those with a spinal cord injury thrive. We employ community health workers with spinal cord injuries to assist members of our community to navigate the health and social service systems to get the services and resources they need to thrive. We host meet-ups, educational forums, support groups, adaptive camping events, wheelchair maintenance workshops, and storytelling workshops. The core of our organization are our community health workers, who offer intensive peer support for any member of the SCI community.

Cost/Funding: Free to Spinal Cord injury or people living with paralysis.

Comments: Wheelchair accessible.

Phone Number: (971) 350-7445
Email Address: west@oregonsci.org or contact@oregonsci.org
Mailing Address: PO Box 17516, Portland, OR 97217
Website: oregonsci.org

Are you looking for a speaker for your organization or event?

Please contact us if you’re interested in a speaker for a specific topic and we can connect you with someone from within or outside of Brain Injury Connections Northwest.

Email: info@bic-nw.org
Phone: (503) 208-4533

We have a panel of experienced speakers; both survivors or professionals. Our presentations:

• • Use video, PowerPoint, resource brochures and props (skateboards, helmets)
  • Inform and engage the audience about brain injury from the survivors’ points of view
  • Are delivered with passion and first-hand experience of injury, recovery and support
  • Include audiences at all grade levels in an interactive discussion
  • Can be offered in classes, school assemblies and PTA meetings
  • Advocate for safety, prevention, support and resources

Contact us for more information, or to schedule a presentation in your class, assembly or meeting.

Thank you to Professor Enie Vaisburd and her Pacific University class for their beautiful collaboration in creating the above video.

Acupuncture and more for TBI

Download Aiden Seraphim’s presentation (PDF)

This presentation is offered for informational purposes only. The presentation/presenter does not necessarily represent the views, opinions, or official recommendations of Brain Injury Connections Northwest (BIC-NW) or its board of directors.

Thank you to Karl M for arranging Aiden’s presentation during the March 2018 BIRRDsong meeting!

Speakers and Presenters

This is a growing list of individuals who give lectures, workshops, and presentations on various topics related to brain injury. Some are peers with brain injury, and some are clinicians and providers. Please follow up with each individual presenter to arrange a presentation for your group or organization. These speakers may or may not be associated with Brain Injury Connections NW. They are provided for your information.

Cheryl Green, MFA, MS (peer)

Experience: Public speaking, lecturing, and facilitation since 2000.

Type of Presentations offered: Informational, film screenings with lecture or Q and A, educational. I present on my own, with other peers (survivors), and with speech-language pathologists depending on the topic.

Audience: Brain injury survivors and family, speech-language pathology students and clinicians, artists.

Topics:

• • Mild≠Minor: How mild traumatic brain injury creates specific barriers to rehabilitation
  • Personal Narrative Film: A social participation approach to cognitive rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury
  • “Cooking with Brain Injury” and” Friending with Brain Injury!”: presentation of one or both short comedy films with discussion on topics shown in the autobiographical films (executive dysfunction, social isolation, emotional control, stigma, stereotypes, cognitive difficulties). Available with captions and audio description.
  • “Who Am I To Stop It”: Presentation of this Pacific NW documentary film about isolation, art, and transformation after brain injury that I co-directed and co-produced. The film is 86 minutes and is also available as three separate short films, one for each person starring in the documentary. Available with captions and audio description. Film is followed by Q and A or panel discussion.

Other topics can include:

• • Personal narrative
  • Disability arts
  • Brain injury arts
  • Filmmaking and documentary
  • How peers with brain injury can create an online presence through blogs, video posting, and audio posting

Fees: Please inquire. Depends on length and type of presentation.
Contact: info@StoryMinders.com or 503-432-3169
Website: www.WhoAmIToStopIt.com | LinkedIn

For details and to Register for NAMI Multnomah Peer-to-Peer please click https://www.namimultnomah.org/veteran-peer-to-peer

NAMI Peer-to-Peer is not a BIC-NW sponsored class, but we fully support it!

Veteran Service Office

Services Provided:

The goal of the Veterans Services Office is to provide benefits information, assistance and advocacy to all who have served and their families. Many Veterans are unsure of their entitlement to benefits so we ask that anyone who identifies as having served to contact our office to be directed to an appropriate resource. The Veterans Services Office provides services and help with the following benefits:

• • Comprehensive VA benefits counseling
  • Assistance with VA health care enrollment
  • Claims preparation and submission
  • Claims follow-up to ensure final decisions
  • Initiate and develop appeals on unfavorable VA decisions when appropriate to include representation at VA Hearings
  • Networking and advocacy with federal, state and local agencies
  • Justice involved outreach

Counties

• • Multnomah County
    • Phone: 503-988-VETS (8387)
    • Email: veteran.services@multco.us
      Website: https://www.multco.us/veterans
  • Clackamas County
    • Phone: 503-650-5631
    • Email: veterans@clackamas.us
    • Website: https://www.clackamas.us/socialservices/veterans
  • Washington County
    • Phone: 503-846-3060
    • Website: https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/davs/veteran-services
  • Clark County
    • Phone: 360-693-7030
    • Email: ccvac@ccvac.net
    • Website: https://www.ccvac.net

Veterans of Foreign War Find a Post: https://www.vfw.org/find-a-post

Oregon:https://www.oregon.gov/odva/pages/default.aspx

Washington: https://www.dva.wa.gov

Easter Seals/Supportive Services for Veterans and Families

Services Provided: Supportive Services for Veteran Families provides support to veterans and their families to find permanent housing, prevent eviction, obtain documentation, secure benefits (SSI or VA), and increase skills and income. We provide case management to identify barriers and connect them with community resources such as immediate needs, employment, health care, legal aid, child care services, personal financial planning and transportation. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

As related to housing stability, they assist with housing placement services, outreach services, case management, assistance with applying for VA benefits, assistance with obtaining other public benefits and needed services within the community, limited financial assistance when necessary to stabilize housing, employment services (through Easterseals Oregon).

Comments: Currently serving Multnomah, Marion, and Polk Counties.  See website for eligibility.

Phone Number:  Portland: 971-317-9660, Salem: 971-304-7140
Website:https://www.easterseals.com/oregon/programs-and-services/military-veteran-services/

Hive Mind Medicine

(Previously Back in Balance)

Services Provided: Hive Mind Medicine provides neuro-feedback training for TBI or Post Concussive Syndrome. First visit is devoted to assessment and history. Follow-up visits employ neuro-feedback using LENS Kayla Sandberg-Lewis. Dr Sandberg-Lewis provides naturopathic services for GI conditions, practitioner training, also provides in-house nutrition services.

Cost/Funding: Free to Veterans case by case with Kayla Sandberg-Lewis. Does not take insurance

Comments: Kayla offers complimenary 15 minute consultation for questions and education about neurofeedback.

Contact Person: Kayle Sandberg-Lewis
Phone Number: (503) 224-0443
Email: info@hivemindmedicine.org
Website: hmmpdx.com

Returning Veterans Project

Services Provided: Free, confidential services for current war veterans and their families, including counseling and additional health services.

We support the healing and health of our Veterans and Military Communities by connecting post-9/11 Veterans, Service Members, and their Military Families with free, confidential mental and physical health services. Returning Veterans Project (RVP) Clients use our online directory to access individualized care from a network of highly-qualified volunteer health Providers, without any fees or strings attached. Since our founding in 2005, we are removing the barriers to mental and physical health services so that those we serve can have free, confidential access to the care they need.

Phone Number: (503) 954-2259
Email: mail@returningveterans.org
Website: returningveterans.org