It’s human to focus most readily on what we experience close to home – but looking beyond what’s familiar can add new depth to our perspectives and provide us with important insights.

In this issue of Vistas, we look at the needs of two often-underserved communities.   We focus particularly on the issue of disability within the Native American community by examining the needs of indigenous people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI), both on Tribal lands and in urban settings.  We also highlight some of the services available to Native Americans and the challenges they face.

We also focus on the homeless population and highlight research that indicates the prevalence of traumatic brain injury among this vulnerable segment of our community.

Finally, we introduce you to two remarkable Arizonans, who have expanded their own horizons and are helping others to do so as well:  Bill Scott, founder of Abilities Unlimited, Inc., and Sarah True, college student and videographer.

Another way to broaden our horizons is to enrich the Council with members who bring new perspectives to our efforts.  With this issue of Vistas, we welcome Council members Robert Bohm, Katharine Levandowsky, Caroline Mitchell, Laura Nelson, Patricia Padilla, Christine Vergara, and Steve Zaccari.  They represent a wealth of experience and expertise, and we look forward to the ideas and the energy they will share with us.

We also say farewell to departing Council members Jane Buehrer, Frederick Fiedler, Nicholas Theodore, and Craig Warren.  We appreciate the time and effort they have invested on behalf of people with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.

Finally – if you want to continue to expand your own horizons – please mark your calendars for two important upcoming events:  The Urban American Indian Disability Summit on April 26-27 and the 5th annual TBI Survivor and Family Conference on June 13.  You’ll find more information about these important events on page 8.