Deborah Ellen Schneider Deborah Ellen Schneider, an author and public speaker who recovered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), will give the keynote address at the annual Living With Brain Injury - Fostering Successful Outcomes conference on March 21. Schneider and the conference’s sponsors are major advocates for the 1.4 million people who suffer TBI every year in America.

Schneider a former senior executive on Wall Street, was hit by a speeding truck when stopped at a red light. The impact was so severe that her head whipped back and broke the headrest. The TBI she suffered that day instantly reduced her ability to function to less than that of a kindergartner.

For seven months, she went to Transitions of Long Island. This rehab facility specializes in helping people with head injuries regain skills they need to cope with their everyday lives. With the help of their counselors, Schneider overcame chronic pain and severe cognitive and physical deficits to make a miraculous recovery. Today she provides workshops, seminars and keynotes to help medical professionals and the public understand the special needs of “the invisibly disabled” and people with disabilities in general.

Her journey was so intense that she was driven to write Wind Dancing: The Gift of Healing Traumatic Brain Injury. The inspirational memoir has been called gripping, heart-wrenching, and “a tangible example of the power of unconditional love.” Award-winning actress, producer and director Penny Marshall has endorsed the book. Wind Dancing is currently under consideration at a film studio for production as a movie.Schneider is one of the few individuals to have returned to full function after suffering such a severe brain injury, so her work is especially important to survivors and their families, friends and coworkers. Her tireless efforts have extended far beyond the book. She recently founded Wind Dancing New beginnings, Inc. to serve individuals with disabilities and their families.

Through this organization, she offers workshops and seminars that strike at the core issues of TBI and disability. her interactive programs are highly experiential. Through a series of low-tech activities, she takes participants into the world of brain injury and disability so they can see hear, taste, and feel things almost exactly like people with disabilities do, The experience is so powerful that counselors with decades of experience have said they didn’t really understand brain injury until they attended the programs.

Schneider is also the Brain Injury Association of New York State’s (BIANYS) Family Advocacy, Counseling, Training and Services (FACTS) Coordinator for Long Island. The conference is being sponsored by Transitions of Long Island, BIANYS, and North Shore-LIJ Health System.

During the conference, Schneider will also present the Deborah E. Schneider Hero of Faith Award. The award honors the recipient’s kindness and support in helping people with disabilities create their own new beginnings. This year’s award will go to Linda Common, LCSW, director of CIC Services at RES Company, Inc., Medford, NY.

Schneider has spoken about disability and stress management for hospitals, businesses, community functions, schools and universities, cancer organizations, brain injury associations, support groups, churches and equestrian facilities. Her presentations blend humor and passion with her experiences and range from keynotes to full-day workshops. Some sessions are geared toward caregivers and professionals while others meet the needs of the disabled. Because her faith played such an important role in her transformation, she also speaks at spiritual and religious organizations. She can be reached at 516-385-1557 or through her website, www.winddancing.com