iBrain is on the Move
It has been a busy autumn for the International Institute for the Brain (iBrain). The school for children and young adults with brain injuries launched New York Fashion Week with its own fashion show, called “iCAN Do Anything” on September 8th at Gotham Hall in Midtown Manhattan.
The event enabled students from the school to work with professional designer Jeffrey Ampratwum and professional models in creating their own outfits and then modeling them on the runway. Funding from the show went directly to the non-profit’s research program.
“To see the pride in the kids as some of them strutted down the runway, some of them were escorted in a chair…just the smiles and the pride that they had, and the families had, and the audience, it was just a magical night,” said Patrick Donohue, iBrain’s founder.
The Institute also opened a new location in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, allowing many more students to attend, further expanding what was already one of the largest brain injury programs in the country.
Still on the News…
In another move to increase access and provide state-of-the-art treatment facilities, iBrain has relocated its Manhattan location from 311 East 94th Street to 403 East 91st Street on the Upper East Side, allowing for more space and a more modern facility better able to serve students effectively, with high-quality care, and free of charge no matter their economic status.
One of the school’s employees, Sideiq Yar, has also received recent attention for his work as a graphic designer at its multiple facilities. A man with cerebral palsy, Yar has served as an inspiration to others by overcoming his disability and becoming an integral part of the organization’s recent uptick in public outreach and events.
On Halloween, iBrain students partook in a parade around the campus in an array of costumes and took part in activities catered to them. They included ghost bowling, plate mask and witch broom making, pumpkin eruptions (a science demonstration), bingo, painting, music, and of course, slime making. The event also featured a birthday party for student Talon Allen-Nicholls.
In February of 2023, iBrain will hold its own film festival featuring documentary profiles created by emerging filmmakers who will be paired with iBrain students in order to
complete their projects. Students will act as the subjects, co-producers, and sources of inspiration for the films.
When asked about the fashion show and the expansion of their facilities in an interview with Errol Louis on New York One’s Inside City Hall, Donohue remarked, “Every day in our program, you know, miracles are happening.”
