Skip to Content

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) services are offered by a dedicated department within The Kennedy Collective that works one-on-one with individuals who have sustained a brain injury as an adult. Staff specialists spend time with the individual in their home or community environment, teaching and assisting them to become as independent as possible within their new limits.

A Legacy in Acquired Brain Injury Services

The Acquired Brain Injury program was built by our team (then called The Kennedy Center) in 1996 – primarily to support individuals vocationally, in partnership with the State of Connecticut Bureau of Rehabilitation.

In 1998, with the implementation of the Department of Social Services ABI Medicaid Waiver, Acquired Brain Injury services expanded to include Independent Living Skills Training, Cognitive Retraining, Pre-Vocational Services, and Supported Employment Services.

In 1999, The Kennedy Collective expanded further – connecting with worker’s compensation insurance companies to provide Transitional Living Services for individuals with ABI who want to leave long-term care facilities and live independently at home.

Today, The Kennedy Collective programs for people with disabilities include these services and more – always with an eye for expanding services in order to care for clients most comprehensively.

Woman in a pink shirt placing a boot onto a shelf with other shoes.

Acquired Brain Injury Program Highlights

  • The Kennedy Collective Acquired Brain Injury specialists work collaboratively with our Employment Services team so that individuals can be evaluated to determine if any accommodations are needed to gain or regain competitive employment.
  • Individuals with an ABI, and our staff, work together under a set of shared values intended to help individuals learn, relearn, and improve skills. In this process, unique strategies are created – with each based on the individual’s needs and way of learning.
  • The Kennedy Collective provides community reintegration training, which involves assisting the individual in accessing their own community. This may include going to medical appointments, therapies, banking, shopping, and other social activities. Pre-Vocational development strategies are also built in – such as attention to task, ability to retain instructions, and communication with others – to enhance personal and vocational skill-building.
  • For ABI individuals who need more hands-on services, The Kennedy Collective provides a Recovery Assistant. This specialist can assist with bathing and grooming, as well as physical assistance with cooking and cleaning.
  • All Acquired Brain Injury services are provided by a team of professionals – including Care Managers, Neuropsychologists, and Mental Health professionals – to ensure comprehensive strategies are implemented to give each individual opportunities for immediate and long-term success.

Helping People With an ABI Increase Their Independence

In the last decade alone, The Kennedy Collective has helped multiple adults with Acquired Brain Injuries to reduce the services they required from 169 hours per week (round-the-clock care) to 40 hours per week. Each of these individuals are living in their own apartments, and managing most aspects of their life independently. In addition, most have gotten competitive employment, have learned to take public transportation, have gone from living with family to getting their own apartment, and have intermittently joined Senior Centers or other community groups to make friends and expand their social sphere.

Woman with blonde hair and glasses holding green pants on a hanger.

Impacting Individuals with ABI

After a brain injury, life for an individual can change in drastic and negative ways. In addition to the loss of physical capabilities, individuals with an Acquired Brain Injury can no longer perform their job, can lose friends, can lose the ability to drive or participate in activities, and can feel extreme sadness or isolation. The Kennedy Collective team pours our experience and expertise into producing tangible, empowering outcomes for individuals that help them regain dignity, confidence, and independence. In doing so, The Kennedy Collective aims to redefine the ABI acronym – from Acquired Brain Injury, to Advancing Beyond Injury.

Woman with a mask and blue helmet sitting and holding artwork made of yarn.

Let’s Discuss Your Needs

Do you or someone you love have an Acquired Brain Injury? The Kennedy Collective team would love to have a discussion about to help. Please provide some initial information, and a team member will be in touch with you.