Every June, Brain Injury Awareness Month shines a light on the experiences of people living with brain injury, as well as the supports that help them lead fulfilling lives. In Canada, an estimated 160,000 people sustain a brain injury each year, with acquired brain injury (ABI) being one of the most common and misunderstood disabilities. Causes of ABI include stroke, trauma (ex. falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries), infection, substance use, and lack of oxygen to the brain.

Living with an ABI can change nearly every aspect of a person’s life such as memory, mobility, relationships, and daily routines. That’s why community-based support plays a key role in recovery and improving quality of life. At Cota, we’re proud to offer specialized services for people with ABI, including case management, supportive housing, and our ABI Adult Day Service (ABI-ADS) in Scarborough, where individuals participate in creative group programming designed to foster connection and independence.

In celebration of Brain Injury Awareness Month, our team visited the Scarborough satellite office to take part in a very special activity: painting a colourful banner for the upcoming Toronto Pride Parade, where Cota will be proudly marching at the end of the month! The energy in the room was inspiring- especially because participants from our Collegeview supportive housing site (which also supports individuals with ABI) joined in on the fun.

We sat down with two participants from the ADS program, Gary and Diallo, to hear more about their experiences: