Brainkind (formerly The Disabilities Trust) is a UK charity founded in the 1980s in

Burgess Hill Burgess Hill () is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

, as The Disabled Housing Trust. Brainkind provides residential, day services, care, rehabilitation and support to meet the needs of people with acquired brain injury (ABI),

traumatic brain injury A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity ranging from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI/concussion) to severe traumati ...

(TBI) and neurological conditions. Brainkind also provides care and support to enable living in the community and support at home.Services

Aims

The charity's stated values declare that "People with disabilities are at the heart of all that we do. While meeting care and support needs, we will endeavour at all times to enhance their independence and promote the rights of disabled people as equal members of society."

History

Between 1979 and 1989, Brainkind opened two residential services in

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

for adults with physical disabilities. Both these services were formally opened by Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1991, the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust (BIRT) was established, and The Trust's first specialist brain injury rehabilitation service was opened in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...

. The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust grew to be one of Europe's largest providers of specialist brain injury rehabilitation. Brainkind continued to grow throughout the 1990s and 2000s and extended its provision to include services for adults with autism and

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

for children with autism and Asperger syndrome. In September 2023, The Disabilities Trust rebranded to Brainkind.

Activities

Brainkind campaigns on behalf of the people who use their services to give a voice to people who are disabled and raise awareness of key issues.

Related Organisations

Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust (BIRT) was established in 1991 to provide clinical neurobehavioural rehabilitation for people with acquired and/or traumatic brain injuries. The Disabilities Trust Foundation was founded in 2009 to utilise the Trust's knowledge through research and the piloting of new ideas designed to initiate and enhance good practice and direct or influence policy within the fields of Brain Injury, Learning Disabilities, Autism and Physical Disabilities.Charity Performance
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References

External links

Brainkind website

The Charity Commission - The Disabilities Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Disabilities Trust Charities for disabled people based in the United Kingdom Charities based in West Sussex Social care in England Burgess Hill