Acquired brain injury often leaves an individual with long-term physical, cognitive and emotional impairments which can greatly impact their sense of self and relationships with others. Much of rehabilitation literature is focused on what is needed for the individual to return to a pre-injury ‘normal’, however that notion is rooted in a medical model of disability which puts most of the responsibility of recovery on the individual. This compounds the burden the patient and their caregivers have to carry. This study seeks to investigate the journey of recovery through a social model of disability to understand what a healing and supportive environment might look like to meet an individual where they are. Ten participants across Ontario living with brain injury were recruited from brain injury support groups and word of mouth. Qualitative art-based methods were used to deeper investigate the phenomenology of brain injury and its relationship with identity.Individual interviews and drawings produced rich data on the complex and diverse lived experience, building on previous arts-based studies with brain injury survivors.

Study findings offer further exploration into the lived experience of people living with brain injury through the challenges to their sense of self and coping mechanisms and solutions. Discussion centres around what shifts are needed in society to accommodate people with brain injury. Findings can also inform approaches for healthcare professionals and service providers. The research design intends to make a contribution to arts-based and participatory approaches in the current COVID-19 context, and to inform future researchers who intend to conduct research with remote participants who may often be excluded from in-person studies. Future work involves presenting the findings to family, friends, caregivers and professionals who work with brain injury through an arts-based knowledge transfer piece.