Kenneth Goldblatt | October 20, 2018 | Personal Injury

College after a Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can bring a lifetime of challenges to someone who has experienced such an injury. Cognitive-function deficiencies and physical-ability limitations may both be present after a traumatic brain injury and will require thoughtful accommodation for the patient. But that doesn’t mean that a traumatic brain injury will obviate the goals and aspirations of the patient and it shouldn’t interrupt their pursuit of their education goals.

TBI affects the young disproportionately.

Dr. Janis Ruoff of George Washington University and Brainline.org reports, “Every 15 seconds, someone in the United States sustains a brain injury. Nearly 5.3 million Americans currently live with disabilities resulting from such injuries, the highest incidence occurring among youth and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24. Because individuals within this age group typically are preparing for postsecondary education or are of traditional college age, students with brain injuries are a growing presence on college and university campuses and within other postsecondary programs.”

Living and learning with a disability.

Students who are prepared to continue their education after a traumatic brain injury will benefit from the consistent structure of a class schedule. Navigating and manipulating their environment provides the student with opportunities to practice their physical and occupational therapy techniques, and socializing with their peers in a supportive and active community atmosphere builds relationship skills and develops stronger muscular and neurological functioning.

Traumatic brain injuries are each unique situations as individual as the people they affect. A student with a traumatic brain injury requires a focused, thoughtful, and therapeutic approach to achieving their higher education goals, and it demands a lot of the student, their families, doctors, and counselors. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a law that provides equal access and opportunity to those with disabilities, and any school in the United States that receives funding from the federal government is required to comply with the law’s stipulations. The ADA strives to make accessing and functioning facilities by the disabled as easy as it is for anyone else.

Where is help?

Higher education is notoriously expensive and student-debt levels are rising to all-time highs. Similarly, even ordinary healthcare is expensive and not getting cheaper. The combination of student debt and extraordinary healthcare needs may be the one/two punch that keeps someone suffering from a traumatic brain injury from realizing their education goals. If someone suffers a traumatic brain injury through no fault of their own or through the negligence of others, they may have recourse that can help them achieve their goals while learning to live with a disability.

The attorneys of Goldblatt & Associates are experienced in helping people with traumatic brain injuries prepare for and continue their lives productively and actively. To learn more about our orthopedic and brain injuries attorneys, contact Goldblatt & Associates to schedule a free consultation. We serve accident victims all over New York including New York City, Bronx, Brooklyn, Westchester and Putnam Counties, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. Contact us at toll free at 1-800-567-9888 or locally at 914-788-5000. We offer a free initial consultation, and receive no fee unless we are successful.