New website resource: Concussions and Individuals with Pre-Existing Disability
By Malayka Gormally. This article was initially published in our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.
We are excited to announce the publication of a new resource on our website, addressing concussions in Individuals with a Pre-Existing Disability. To our knowledge, this is the only resource of its kind on the web; it includes up-to-date research on how pre-existing disabilities impact the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from concussions. While much of the information on the page is relevant for individuals with a pre-existing disability, many sections have a focus on para-sport athletes and the blind or visually impaired community. We acknowledge that this page only begins to cover the topic, but we hope this resource is impactful for individuals with a pre-existing disability navigating a concussion. We plan to add to the resource in the future and include new sections with disability-specific information for other communities.
The resource was developed by Summer 2023 interns Hannah Hartmann and Kathryn Kresse, who interviewed Paralympic skier Millie Knight and disability advocates Angela Romeo and Augden Hayes. Hannah Nash was the intern Project Manager, and Dr. Osman Ahmed, PhD, PGDip (Sports Physiotherapy), served as the mentor for this resource and has approved it for accuracy.
Dr. Ahmed is a Co-Chair of the Concussion in Para Sport Group and was a member of the Scientific Committee for the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport in 2022; we are fortunate to have Dr. Ahmed on our Expert Advisory Board.
Our new site-wide accessibility software will read the article in over sixty languages. It also provides standard accessibility tools, including a reading ruler, screen mask, magnifying glass, audio download, the ability to change font size and type, change the color of background text and links, and more. See our Accessibility Tool User Manual to learn more and access the software by clicking the floating gold-colored button on the bottom right of the webpage.
