Arapahoe Community College, in collaboration with Craig Hospital and MINDSOURCE - Brain Injury Network at the Colorado Department of Human Services, is offering a new program designed to bridge the transition between hospital-based rehabilitation and return to the community for adults living with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), a brain injury that has occurred after birth. The ABI community includes those that are living with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The courses in the program address the cognitive and psycho social skills needed to achieve post-injury social, educational and/or vocational goals.

Targeted Skills Include:
- memory and organization
- time management
- self-advocacy
- self-awareness and goal setting
- problem solving
- social interaction and communication
- psycho-social resilience and self-efficacy
- use of compensatory technology
Is the RISE program right for me or someone I know?
- Have a desire to attend and participate in a community college course that supports self-advocacy, life management skills and productive community engagement.
- Be able to attend to personal care needs or provide a personal care attendant.
- Remain an active participant through the length of the course.
- Be able to, after an initial orientation, safely and independently navigate ACC’s Littleton campus.
- Be able to provide medical documentation or other verification of a sustained moderate to severe acquired brain injury (ABI) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Individuals with mild injuries will be considered for the program on a case by case basis.
- Be between the ages of 17 and 65.
Begin Again: A Social Skills Psychoeducational Course for Individuals Living with Brain Injury
Registration Deadline for Online Course (Zoom): Tuesday, February 21
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can uproot everything in your life! TBI changes your relationships, social functioning, and overall mental well-being. Cory Wendling, a licensed therapist and educator, has been working at ACC, Craig Hospital, and Centennial Peaks Hospital as an advocate for mental health within the brain injury community for close to a decade. Join him online for a 10-week, 30-hour course as you work to rebuild your identity while developing social skills to live a life worth celebrating! The newest offering in the RISE program will use an exciting narrative approach that supports individuals as they redefine who they are becoming through a process of self-reinvention. Let’s work together to begin a new, exhilarating chapter in your recovery journey!
Course Information
Location: Zoom (online)
Dates: Tuesday, February 21 - Tuesday, April 22 (10 weeks)
Time: 6-8 P.M.
Course Fee: $300 (Students may apply third-party scholarships and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation support toward this program. ACC does not currently offer scholarships for this course.)
Register below for Begin Again: A Social Skills Psychoeducational Course for Individuals Living with Brain Injury
We will work together to determine if this course is the best fit for your needs.
REGISTER
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Read what students are saying about the RISE program!
Students and staff enjoy a much-needed brain break during a RISE outing.
Students with a Brain Injury Rise Together at ACC Article
Do you think this program is a good fit for you or someone you know?
Fill out our contact form to have a dedicated faculty member reach out to you!
Contact Me About ACC's ABI Program
Program Background:
RISE was developed in response to a community need, modeled after successful programs in California at Coastline and Mesa Community Colleges. Craig Hospital is providing clinical staff expertise in curriculum development. The RISE Community Advisory Committee includes representatives of the following: Individuals/families with lived ABI experience; Craig Hospital; MINDSOURCE; Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado; Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy Financing; Colorado Office of Employment First; Colorado Department of Higher Education.
* Lenore Hawley, MSSW, LCSW; Clare Morey, MA, CCC-SLP; Mitch Sevigny, MS; Jessica Ketchum, PhD; Grahame Simpson, PhD; Cynthia Harrison-Felix, PhD; Candace Tefertiller, PhD. Enhancing Self-Advocacy after Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 2021