HAT Talk: Living with a Brain Injury

Presenter: Ambrese Montagu

Please join the Zoom Meeting here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/971381033

To have an ABI is to wake up in a world that suddenly treats you as “less than.” The injury may be invisible, but the stigma is not. People often recoil—not from the injury itself, but from the changes it brings: slower speech, emotional volatility, memory lapses, or a different way of thinking. Some respond with discomfort, impatience, or even cruelty, as if your altered brain makes you unworthy of respect.

ABI doesn’t erase personhood—it reveals it. It exposes the fragility of identity, the resilience of the spirit, and the urgent need for compassion. The struggle isn’t just neurological; it’s social. It’s the fight to be seen, heard, and valued in a world that often fears what it doesn’t understand.

ABI doesn’t just alter cognition—it disrupts lives. Individuals with ABI often face a double burden: the neurological challenges of recovery, and the social rejection that follows. Many are met with impatience, discrimination, or outright hostility—not because of who they are, but because of how their injury changes how they speak, behave, or process the world. 

This is a human rights issue.

Policymakers and others should arguably recognize that ABI is not a character flaw—it’s a medical condition with profound social consequences. Without inclusive policies, people with ABI are pushed to the margins: denied employment, misunderstood in healthcare, excluded from community life. The lack of awareness and support systems perpetuates cycles of isolation and poverty. 

A human-centered policy response means:

• Funding accessible rehabilitation and long-term support

• Training frontline workers to recognize and accommodate ABI

• Enforcing anti-discrimination protections in workplaces and public services

• Creating public education campaigns to reduce stigma

People with ABI deserve more than survival—they deserve dignity, opportunity, and full participation in society. We are human beings and this could happen to you too.

Please join the Zoom Meeting here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/971381033