Try to imagine living 20 years of your live with an undiagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury.
This was the only world Leanne Whitehouse knew, until 2009.

With knowledge, comes power… with power, comes responsibility.

Slowly growing knowledge and understanding of her own brain injury, she started to identify a number of needs of her fellow brain injured community and other disability survivors that were not being catered to.

That was the germination of a vision and inner felt responsibility to share this knowledge.

In 2014 Leanne started creating and sharing promotional videos about her journey.
In 2019 a crew of inspired, like-minded cohorts was assembled to start creating the pieces of a big picture puzzle.

Founding Members

Ability ID was founded by 9 every day people, partners and parents with direct lived experience with Brain Injury, Autism and other disabilities.
Our charitable credentials is our 340 years combined lived experience.

Margaret August
Wife of Brain Injury Survivor

Bob August
Brain Injury Survivor of 60+yrs

Sandy Bird
Partner of Brain Injury Survivor

Judy Bishop
Guardian of Autistic granddaughter

Shirley Nelson
Sister of Brain Injury Survivor

Rachel O’Brien
Mother of Autistic daughter

David O’Brien
Father of Autistic son

Joseph Payne
Partner of Brain Injury Survivor

Leanne Whitehouse
Brain Injury Survivor of 30+yrs

*NB: Miss O’Brien and Mr O’Brien are unrelated

Introducing Headly Smart

My life began in late 2018 as a rehabilitation crafting concept.
Leanne had an idea to create a hand knitted ‘Brain Beenie’.

The concept was to knitt the individual components of her brain in different colours to make it easy to explain her brain injury to other people.
She also decided to use a ‘Grey’ colour wool to knitt the parts that were severely damaged from her brain injury.
As you can see, the complete right side of my brain is knitted in ‘Grey’.

I would like to mention that a major ‘rehabilitation’ part was that Leanne had to re-learn how to knitt, a skill lost to her for nearly 30 years.
Oww, another quick mention – among many other things, the right side of the brain is used for muscle control, movement… finger dexterity !

As a result of Leanne’s patience and perseverance, I came into being and became an overnight sensation among her friends and peers.

In August 2019, Leanne and I conducted our first ever public speech & presentation as part of Brain Injury Awareness Week 2019.

I am honoured that Ability ID has bestowed upon me the roles and responsibilities of ‘Mascot and Brains of the Association’.

On 10th December 2020, Ability ID was officially registered as an Non-Profit Incorporated Association.
In early 2021 Ability ID was officially endorsed by the Australian Charities and Non-Profit Commission as a
Public Benevolent Institution and Non-Profit Charity.

Ability ID is a Registered Charity with the Australian Charities and Non-Profit Commission