By Jamie L. Freedman
Every year, 1.4 million people sustain traumatic brain injuries in the United States, resulting in a wide range of cognitive, physical, sensory and psychosocial impairments.
For nearly two decades, GW has served as a national leader in providing graduate programs addressing the complex educational and transition needs of people with acquired brain injury and their families. GW was the first university in the nation to offer specialized graduate degree and certificate programs for professionals in the field of special education and brain injury.
“Brain injuries are complex with a unique set of issues that can best be addressed by nationally qualified educators and specialists,” says Janis Ruoff, assistant research professor of special education and the program’s founder and director, whose teenage son sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in a 1989 car accident. She has spent the past two decades advocating for her son, who is divorced and lives with her, along with his eight-year-old daughter.
“He graduated from high school and has held various jobs over the years, but things are very difficult for him because of his severe memory problems and impulsive decision making,” she says. “It is a common scenario in the world of brain injury, which disrupts the injured person’s entire universe and affects everyone around them.”
At the time of her son’s accident, she was working on her doctoral dissertation in special education administration at Gallaudet University. She quickly switched her research topic to traumatic brain injury and, soon after graduating, landed a position as an adjunct professor in GW’s new master’s degree program in special education with an emphasis on traumatic brain injury—funded initially by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
“It was the first master’s degree program of its kind in the nation, created in response to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990, which designated traumatic brain injury as a special education category for the first time,” Dr. Ruoff explains.
Since its establishment in 1992 at the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, the M.A. program in transition special education: emphasis in acquired brain injury has trained professionals and kept abreast of emerging needs in the developing field. To further drive success, a Center for Education and Human Services in Acquired Brain Injury was founded and chartered at GW in 2001.
Housed in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development and directed by Dr. Ruoff, the center conducts and integrates scholarly research with professional preparation. An education specialist (Ed.S.) program and a graduate certificate program in special education and brain injury were added to the mix in 2002, offering both on campus and online courses.
In addition to coursework and field-based activities, students participate in a wide range of internships at brain injury-related national, state and local organizations, as well as service settings such as hospitals, medical rehabilitation programs and special schools. “Right now, some of our students are interning with the D.C. Department of Health, serving homeless people with brain injuries,” Dr. Ruoff says, noting that half of the homeless people living in the nation’s capital have some form of brain injury.
Currently, some 60 students from across the disciplines are enrolled in GW’s brain injury programs—a number of whom have been personally impacted by brain injuries. “One-third of our students are either survivors of a brain injury or family members of someone with a brain injury, and they are passionate about the field,” Dr. Ruoff explains.
A case in point is graphic artist Paul Rubenstein, B.A. ’80, who is on track to complete the graduate certificate program this summer. Mr. Rubenstein suffered a traumatic brain injury in a bike accident 10 years ago and a brain tumor five years ago. “Brain injury survivors are a hugely underserved population,” he says. “There’s a keen need for trained professionals who understand brain injury and how to work with people who have sustained injuries.”
After completing the program, Mr. Rubenstein plans to pursue a career in rehabilitation counseling for brain injury survivors and their families. “From both an academic and personal perspective, the program has been transformational for me,” he says. “There is a remarkable lack of services for brain injury victims. I feel lucky to be here and want to use my passion about the field to help others.”
Through the years, GW’s brain injury programs have produced a strong cadre of specialists who are improving the lives of people across the nation. “Our graduates can be found all over the country doing outstanding advocacy and professional work in education, rehabilitation and related settings,” Dr. Ruoff says.
“They are strong advocates and leaders in their states, caring and knowledgeable teachers in public schools, managers of independent consulting companies specializing in brain injury, and directors of rehabilitation programs. Together, we are striving to make systems improvement in brain injury. I’m proud that our programs are really making a difference.”