Brain Injury Services

What is the definition of an Acquired Brain Injury?
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is damage to the brain that occurs after birth from a traumatic or non-traumatic event. ABI is not related to a congenital disorder or a degenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson's disease. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is damage to the brain caused by a traumatic event such as a blow to the head, a fall, a motor vehicle collision or a sports related injury. Non-Traumatic Brain Injury is damage to the brain caused by illness such as meningitis or encephalitis, oxygen deprivation (anoxia) or stroke. (Ontario Brain Injury Association, 2014) 

This definition is used to determine eligibility for all Traverse Independence programs and services.

Historically, close to 40 years ago, our singular mandate was to serve adults with physical disabilities, but over time brain injury has become an increasingly strong area of focus for our organization. As a result, Traverse Independence launched its first brain injury program in 1999. We strongly believe that recovering from a brain injury is a journey and accordingly, our services are designed to support the client from the start of the journey to becoming as independent as possible. As a client you can access a number of our programs concurrently, while you experience a seamless transition through the variety of programs we offer.

Our ongoing quest for excellence and best practice is supported through our accreditation via Accreditation Canada. Our clinical model is designed to redevelop a client's life skills and our environments provide an enriching and encouraging atmosphere to help people achieve their goals.

If you don't have private funds such as auto insurance to cover the costs of services associated with your rehabilitation, you can apply to any of the Traverse services that are funded by the Ministry of Health. Please visit our Ministry of Health page for further information.

We are approved to work with insurers such as auto, WSIB and Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA). Please visit our Privately Funded ABI Services page for further information.

If you are interested in applying for any of our services, please visit our Apply for Services page to access our application forms.

Also, please feel free to contact our ABI Intake administration for further information or assistance.