Brain Injury Association of SC: May is Stroke Awareness Month!

May is National Stroke  Awareness Month A stroke is, at its core, a sudden brain injury. It occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. This makes stroke one of the leading causes of acquired brain injury in adults. When you spot a stroke warning sign, be fast. Recognizing the stroke warning signs and calling 911 immediately may make the difference between a strong recovery or long-term disability; survival or death. Learn More Trauma Survivors Day Celebration On Trauma Survivors Day, we recognize the strength, courage, and resiliency of trauma survivors during their healing journey. Join us for a dessert reception to celebrate and reunite with trauma survivors, their families and Prisma Health trauma team members. Prisma Health Children’s Hospital–Midlands May 20 • 6–8 p.m. RSVP by May 15. A Full-Circle Moment in Brain    Injury Research What does it mean to turn lived experience into lasting impact? In this powerful story, BIASC board member Dede Norungolo shares her experience of joining the Late Effects in Traumatic Brain Injury (LETBI) study at Mount Sinai. She reflects on healing, purpose, and the opportunity to contribute to research that could shape the future of brain injury care, including the deeply meaningful decision to consider brain donation. Read the full story and learn how to get involved. Bassmaster Run to the Weigh in 5K What started as one stroke became a movement to raise awareness and help survivors find their comeback.  Dreher Island State Park Prosperity, SC May 9 • 10 a.m. Learn more and register now! Age Ready: Protecting Your Money Online and In-Person Attend online or in-person.  Learn how to manage your money safely in today’s world—whether you use the bank, phone, or computer. We’ll cover how to spot scams, keep accounts secure, and use new banking tools with confidence. You’ll gain tips to stay in control of your finances and avoid fraud. Saturday, May 16 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Learn More! A Farewell from Jordyn, BIASC Intern From support groups to Advocacy Day at the Statehouse, our intern shares a heartfelt reflection on a year of connection, growth, and impact with BIASC. Read the full story. For those recovering from a brain injury, nurses are often true lifelines. This National Nurses Day, take a moment to reflect on the nurses who have supported you. Whether through a simple thank-you note, a shared story of their impact, or a kind word, your gratitude means the world to them. Make Your Voice Heard! Advocate for your community by making sure you’re registered to vote in this year’s South Carolina elections. Registration is quick and can be completed online, by mail, or in person. With primaries beginning in June, now is the time to act.  Learn more about your local elections and register now!

BIASC Quick Links BI Survivor Resources Support Groups – Virtual and In-Person SC State Museum Accessibility Mornings 2026 Online BI Survivor Series Keep up with all the happenings on our calendar of events.

Community Sponsors enable BIASC to provide vital services and programs to individuals navigating life after brain injury. Find out how your organization can get involved.

South Carolina Partners in Policy Making

 

Session Dates are now set!     Download Document

South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council | 1205 Pendleton Street Suite 372 | Columbia, SC 29201 US

Announcing a New Writing Cohort

 

Do you have students who struggle to write at any level?

• Difficulty generating ideas
• Organizing thoughts
•  Using correct grammar and spelling
• Expressing Ideas Clearly
• Physical motor barriers

Clicker is an educational tool designed to support writing for students who need extra help. Clicker provides features such as word prediction, text-to-speech, and visual and auditory support to help users build sentences and improve literacy skills.

Investing in educational technology is a significant commitment. To support this process, the SC Assistive Technology Program (SCATP), in partnership with Crick Software, is offering SC school districts the opportunity to join the SC Clicker Pilot Cohort for the 2026–2027 school year.

During the Pilot Cohort, you and your colleagues will:

· Implement Clicker in your school district at no cost.

· Receive assistance from SCATP and Crick Software staff to successfully implement Clicker in your district.

· Participate in a group of SC school districts that will share ideas, insights, and resources.

Being part of this cohort will allow you to observe student patterns, outcomes, and success. To learn more about the Free SC Clicker Pilot Cohort, please attend one of the 30-minute informational sessions on May 6th at 12:00 PM or at 3:00 PM.  Please invite a member of your IT team to attend this meeting with you.

Important Links:

• Click here to register for May 6th at 12:00 PM
• Click here to register for May 6th at 3:00 PM

Should you have any questions about the Clicker Pilot Cohort, please contact Kyle Odierno at kyle.odierno@cricksoft.com. If you have any questions about the Informational Webinar, please contact SCATP at scatpinfo@uscmed.sc.edu or call (803) 935- 5263.

Free Disability Benefits & Employment Workshop

 

You can work and keep your benefits! The “Myths vs. Reality” of working while receiving SSI or SSDI can be confusing, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Join us for a Free Disability Benefits & Employment Workshop to get the facts and connect with local resources!

We’re offering three different dates to fit your schedule:

• May 16, 2026 @ 9:30 AM ET
• August 19, 2026 @ 10:00 AM ET
• November 2, 2026 @ 6:30 PM ET

Attendance is free, but registration is required!
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_k_YNTkgkSC2nIrDI3njjtg#/registration

A special thanks to Disability Rights South Carolina for funding this workshop and making this information accessible to our community!

Special Olympics Summer Games South Carolina: May 8 - 10

 

Special Olympics is a global organization that athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year. Since the establishment of Special Olympics in 1968, the number of people with and without intellectual disabilities who are involved with the organization has been growing, but the unmet need to reach more people with intellectual disabilities is staggering. 

 

Join us May 8-10th at Ft. Jackson in Columbia for the 2026 State Summer Games. This is a multi-sport event, featuring competition in Bocce (Under 21), Bowling (Over 21), Gymnastics, Swimming, Track & Field, Powerlifting, and Softball. Athletes will have the opportunity to receive free health screenings at Healthy Athletes and celebrate their success at Olympic Town.

For questions, contact Kelly Garrick, kgarrick@so-sc.org. 

• Event Date: May 8 - 10, 2026
• Time: All Weekend
• Location: Ft. Jackson, Columbia

 

 

GetCareSC - Empower Hour for People with Disabilities — May 7, 2026

 

Empower Hour! Have a disability? Empower Hour is led by your peers. If you’d like to join, contact peersupport@able-sc.org or call 1-800-681-6805. To make a request for accommodation based on disability, please call us at 800-681-6805 a week before the event.

Empower Hour meets online weekly: Thursdays from 1 2 p.m.
In Person Monthly at Columbia and Greenville offices: 2nd Thursday of each month from 3-4 p.m.

May 7, 2026

• Time of Event:  1-2 p.m.
• Program Contact: Able SC
• Main Phone: 8006816805

NADD Keynote News + Learning & Engagement Opportunities

 

Keynote Presentation: A Trauma-informed, Stepwise Approach to Addressing Severe Behavior Adithyan (Dithu) Rajaraman, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA NADD is pleased to introduce Adithyan (Dithu) Rajaraman, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA, as one of our keynote speakers at the 2026 Annual NADD Conference! Adithyan (Dithu) Rajaraman is a Doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over 15 years’ experience in Applied Behavior Analysis. His professional experience spans multiple related domains, including trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming behavioral services, practical functional assessments, and choice- and skill-based interventions addressing severe behavior. He has co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on these topics. Much of his research, practice, training, and consultation has been in service of helping individuals with intellectual, developmental, and emotional differences—primarily by teaching important life skills to preventatively address severe behavior. Seeking Sponsors and Exhibitors The NADD Annual Conference convenes an audience of influential decision makers shaping policy, practice, and service delivery for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and mental health conditions. Sponsors and exhibitors gain direct access to over 500 professionals who control budgets, influence purchasing decisions, and guide system-level implementation across provider organizations and public systems. Secure your sponsorship today to partner with leading organizations in the I/DD and mental health fields! LEARN MORE Shared Learning Groups Please join us April 28 & 29, 2026 for the Link Center's Shared Learning Groups as we discuss Communication in Clinical Settings. Getting care in places like a doctor’s office, a therapist’s office, or a hospital, should make everyone feel heard, respected, and supported. In this session, we will look at real examples from clinical settings and talk about how supporters and Assistive Technology (AT) can make a big difference. We will also review important rights and policies, and share simple tools and resources to help you, and the people you support, feel more confident and prepared when working with medical providers. There are four sessions on the same topic for different target audiences. Please register for the session most relevant to you, or whichever best fits into your schedule. Registration is required!  Register here: https://thelinkcenter.org/shared-learning-groups/ LINK CENTER New Book from NADD Press Burnout is not a personal failure. It is an occupational hazard. From the author of The Way Through: Trauma Responsive Care for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Professionals, trauma therapist and educator Lara Palay presents The Sum of Light, an illuminating exploration of the hidden costs of caring: empathic distress, moral injury, and burnout. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, neuroscience, trauma theory, and lived experience, Palay speaks directly to helping professionals who encounter and endure trauma every day. Through vivid stories, memorable metaphors, and practical wisdom, this book illuminates how trauma can affect helpers even when they are not the ones directly harmed—and how it can slowly erode meaning, hope, and connection if left unaddressed. The Sum of Light offers ways forward: tools for emotional regulation, reconnection, ritual, and self-compassion that make sustained, humane work possible. Written for clinicians, caregivers, educators, first responders, and anyone who serves on the front lines of human suffering, The Sum of Light affirms a simple truth: Those who give care also deserve care. And tending to that truth might be the most important work of all. BUY NOW We invite you to explore the open-access article, “Therapeutic Alliance with Youth with Mild Intellectual Disability or Borderline Intellectual Functioning: A Scoping Review.” This review examines how therapeutic alliance with youth with MID-BIF is defined, measured, and studied, identifying 18 relevant studies from 1,521 assessed—most published since 2020 and largely qualitative in approach. Overall, the findings highlight growing interest in this area and emphasize the need for a more unified framework, clearer methodologies, and increased quantitative research. NADD membership provides unlimited free access to our international, peer-reviewed research journal, Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities: Advancing Mental Health in Intellectual Disabilities and Related Neurodevelopmental Conditions. This leading publication features cutting-edge research, innovative practices, and global perspectives dedicated to improving mental health supports for individuals with intellectual and related neurodevelopmental disabilities. Open-access articles remain available to all readers. JMHRID The National Center for START Services is hosting the virtual 2026 START National Training Institute on May 12-14. Attendees will come together to improve the lives of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs and explore the theme: “Values in Action: Holding Hope, Building Belonging.” Previous experience with START is not required. Free registrations are available for people with lived experience of IDD-MH, self-advocates, family members, caregivers, and students.To learn more and register visit: iod.unh.edu/ncss/snti2026 Not a NADD Member? Become one today, starting at just $99 per year. With the support of our members, partners and volunteers, NADD is able to provide a network for continued advancement of research and quality supports for people experiencing intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions. To become a member of this network and community, join us via the link below. JOIN NADD! FOLLOW NADD ON SOCIAL MEDIA