Free Brain Injury Survivor Peer Network — Online, KY | BIAK
The BIAK Survivor Network is a free, statewide online peer support group hosted by the Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky (BIAK), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Louisville that has served Kentuckians affected by brain injury for decades. The Survivor Network exists so that no one recovering from a traumatic or acquired brain injury has to depend on geography to find people who understand what they are living through.
What to Expect The group meets by Zoom at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the first Wednesday of each month. Because it is virtual, survivors in rural counties, people who no longer drive, and those managing fatigue or sensory sensitivity can participate from home. Conversation is survivor-centered: members check in, talk through what recovery looks like week to week, and trade practical strategies for memory, fatigue, employment, relationships, and navigating Kentucky’s disability and rehabilitation systems. BIAK also maintains related groups — a Caregiver Network, a brain tumor group, and a group for service members and their families — so members can be pointed toward the right room if their needs shift.
Who This Group Is For This group is for adults living with a traumatic brain injury, acquired brain injury, concussion history, or stroke-related brain injury, anywhere in Kentucky. You do not need a formal referral, a particular diagnosis code, or an active rehabilitation program to attend. Survivors at every stage are welcome — people newly discharged from inpatient rehab, people years out who are still adjusting, and people who have never spoken to another survivor before.
Why Peer Support Works Brain injury is often described as an invisible disability, and one of its most isolating features is that the people around a survivor frequently cannot see what has changed. Peer support directly addresses that. In a room of other survivors, a description of word-finding trouble or afternoon exhaustion needs no preamble and draws no skepticism. Peer connection is also a practical information channel: survivors learn from each other which accommodations actually work, which services exist in Kentucky, and what recovery realistically looks like beyond the discharge paperwork. Alongside professional rehabilitation, that shared knowledge and validation is a meaningful part of long-term adjustment.
How to Join The group is free and open to Kentucky brain injury survivors. Meetings run at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the first Wednesday of each month by Zoom; the join link is posted on BIAK’s support group page at biak.us. For questions, to join the mailing list, or to be pointed toward another BIAK group, call 502-493-0609 or email info@biak.us. BIAK’s office is at 7321 New LaGrange Road, Suite 100, Louisville, KY 40222, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.