Acquired Brain Injury

Coastline's ABI Program is an educational program designed to provide structured cognitive retraining for adults who have sustained a brain injury due to traumatic or non-traumatic injuries.

ABI Program & Services

The ABI program is designed to support individuals as they near completion of their traditional medical rehabilitation with the following:

• Build and strengthen students' cognitive function
• Increase student awareness
• Develop insights about implications of injuries

Participants in the program come from a variety of backgrounds including first-time college students, professionals in the midst of their careers, and those in retirement. Once accepted, students are placed into a team that fits their needs and is tailored to assist them in moving forward. See what our ABI students have to say about the program.

ABI Program Details

Coastline's ABI students' injury types include both traumatic (such as a motor vehicle accident or fall) and non-traumatic (such as a non-age-related stroke, brain tumor, hypoxia or infection). Participants can begin the ABI Program as early as 6 months post-injury or as late as 25+ years post-injury.

Coastline’s ABI Program has 40+ years experience working with those living with brain injury. The ABI Program faculty and staff pride themselves on being at the forefront of innovation within the field. The program fosters an environment of encouragement and support from faculty, staff, and other students. This support begins when students enroll and continues well after graduation.

The program operates year-round with four eight-week sessions and one four-week summer session. New students are accepted throughout the year at the start of each session.

Apply: ABI Program & Services

• ABI Curriculum

  Our curriculum is designed to help those with brain injuries as they embark on their post-acute rehabilitation journey. The curriculum helps students recognize and learn to use compensation techniques for issues that may persist or be realized after leaving a formal rehabilitation environment.

  Students are enrolled in classes that address a variety of subjects including:

  • Organization
  • Memory
  • Time management
  • Brain anatomy
  • Note taking
  • Problem solving
  • Goal setting
  • Practical apps, technology, and other relevant topics.

  Our emphasis on the cognitive and emotional adjustments of brain injury, along with our integration of smart devices, provide students with a well-rounded educational experience that can generalize to their day-to-day lives.

• Is ABI Program right for me?

  Are you...

  • A high school graduate or its equivalent, 18 years of age, or younger than 18 years of age and been determined capable of benefiting from the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Program's specialized instruction?
  • Goal-oriented and seeking to learn more about your brain injury?
  • Interested in working in a group educational setting to learn how to compensate for the challenges resulting from your brain injury?
  • Able to provide medical documentation/verification of an acquired brain injury (ABI) or traumatic brain injury (TBI)? These are defined in the Implementing Guidelines for Title 5 DSPS Regulations (2019) as occurring during or after childhood and may come from a variety of causes such as a traumatic event - a motor vehicle accident, combat, physical altercation or a medical condition such as a stroke or brain tumor - resulting in functional limitations that adversely affect or limits your educational performance.
  • Willing and able to adhere to all college rules and regulations?

  If you have answered yes to these questions, the ABI Program may be right for you. For more information call Special Programs and Services (714) 241-6214 or Apply to ABI Program & Services.

• What is the cost?

  California residents pay the standard community college enrollment fee (see Tuition & Fees); out-of-state students are subject to non-California resident policies and tuition (see also Residence Requirements). Nominal fees* for materials and supplies may be required.

  * Department of Rehabilitation (D.R.) consumers may have fees paid by D.R. California residents receiving SSI and other low-income students may be eligible for financial aid assistance. For more information, please visit the Coast District Financial Aid web page.

  The program is supported by the state and various grants, making the cost to students very affordable at approximately $600 per year. California residents pay the standard community college enrollment fee. Nominal fees for materials and supplies may be required. There are funds available for students who need additional assistance:

  • Veterans may be able to apply through their VA Vocational Rehabilitation benefits.
  • Department of Rehabilitation (DoR) consumers may have fees paid by DoR
  • Students receiving SSI and other low-income students are eligible for grants from the Board of Governors.
• Calendar Dates

  Please refer to the Calendar of Application Dates (PDF) to determine the date by which your application and records must be received by our office. Upon receipt of the completed application and requested medical records (no microfiche), we will contact you to schedule an interview with a member of our staff and your significant other. Following the interview we will administer some group testing to assist us in assessing your specific needs. Please be advised that submitting an application, attending an interview, and going through the pre-admission evaluation does not guarantee acceptance into the ABI Program.

  The Admissions Committee will make the final decision on your application based on all available information and on the appropriateness of the ABI Program to meet your needs. All applicants who are accepted for enrollment in the ABI Program are required to attend an orientation for new students prior to the start of regular classes. The Orientation class is normally scheduled for a Saturday morning (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.), and a family member or close friend is required to attend along with the applicant.

• ABI Program Tours
  Tours of the ABI Program typically are scheduled for Tuesday mornings at 10:30 a.m., but other arrangements can be made upon request. The tour provides an overview of the program and an opportunity to observe classroom interaction. Tours must be scheduled in advance. To schedule a tour, please call (714) 241-6214 and speak with Erica Valle.
• What our Students Say

  "These instructors are teaching us new tricks to function better in everyday life. Tricks called strategies that are helping us around that curve. We have a difficult time trying to learn new ways of doing things, but have the support to keep moving." -Alex Briceno

  "One of the things about Coastline College that I am most impressed with is the Future and Career Planning workshops that everybody takes. The two workshops helped me to redefine what I reasonably could and couldn't do in my future." -Danny Fairley

  "Attending Coastline has been an important next step in my recovery journey. Before I started I was pretty lost. I especially struggled with time management. The ABI Program has helped me tremendously with daily life. In the program I have met wonderful people and I look forward to going to school each day." -Julie Farris

  "What is my purpose for coming to school? Attitude - to recover for as long as it takes... it can take me 5 years or 15 years. I like helping people but I need help also. One step at a time! I wish to thank all the staff at ABI for giving me all the support I need." -Veronica Servin

  Read more from Coastline's ABI students on the ABI Student Blog.

• Other Services

  In addition to our classroom curriculum, the ABI Program offers a variety of other classes and services to help our students succeed, free of charge.

  Supplemental Classes

  • TBI/Concussion
  • Strategies for School Success

  Supplemental Services

  • Counseling for students and their families
  • Neuroeducational admissions testing
  • Support for mainstream academic classes
• After the ABI Program

  Since we have students from diverse ages and backgrounds, our students’ plans after Coastline vary. Common plans include:

  • Returning to a work environment
  • Enrolling in college courses to complete their degree/certificate or gain additional skills
  • Volunteering in a field of interest

  Students are encouraged to begin this transition while enrolled in the program. By starting the transition process while in the ABI Program, students and faculty work together to identify and implement appropriate compensation strategies unique to each participant as well as determine and work around any challenges that may be experienced as this transition begins.

• Brain Injury Links
  • Brain Injury Association of America
  • BrainIndex.com
  • Centre for Neuro Skills
  • Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide
  • Trauma Information Pages
• Donate to the ABI Program

  Coastline Community College's Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Program is an educational program designed to provide cognitive retraining for adults who have sustained a brain injury. The program's unique curriculum has been developed to address a variety of special needs that resulted from brain injury such as impaired attention and concentration, language disabilities, loss of reasoning skills and memory disturbances. Staffed by a team of credentialed special education instructors, assisted by a neuropsychologist, instructional aides, graduate student volunteers and staff, the ABI Program's goal is to provide structured cognitive retraining, allowing students to maximize their abilities, to regain their independence and to realize their academic and vocational goals.

  Base funding for the ABI program comes from the State's Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S) Categorical funds, along with College matching funds. The ABI Foundation, a 501 (C) (3) organization, was originally founded to help support the financial needs of the students while attending the program through such means as gas and grocery store cards, help with tuition, transportation costs and child care, as well as paying for such expenses as unexpected car repairs or medical bills. As support for the ABI Foundation grew, it was then able to support the PDA program, developed to help students with memory compensation techniques that are applied to brain injury related deficits such as attention to detail, visual memory, sequencing, categorization and time management. Now, due to the California budget crisis and the fact that our base Categorical funding has been dramatically reduced, our fundraising efforts now go directly to support the continuation of the ABI program itself and the services it provides.

  The ABI program is unique in that it was developed and remains under the community college system. In most cases, current services for medical rehabilitation process may only begin the process of cognitive remediation and under even the best healthcare systems may be very limited in scope. Coastline offers a very affordable and comprehensive solution to long term cognitive retraining including community re-integration services. You can help keep this amazing community resource viable by making a donation today.

  Donate Now to Coastline's ABI Program

ABI Student Blog: Why Blog?

Imagine your skill set is some sort of elaborate Lego structure you use daily. Suddenly, something completely unforeseen happens and your structure crumbles. Some pieces have even gone missing. But you need the structure in order to function in your everyday life. So, you start to rebuild... (read more : view the blog archive)