About AHEAD In Texas
We are the resource for Disability Services professionals and provide many opportunities for professional growth for its membership. AHEAD in Texas provides leadership, development and networking for professionals working with students with disabilities at higher education institutions across Texas. Follow us on LinkedIn for updates, engagement, and to connect with other members of the AHEAD in Texas community!
Learn more about AHEAD in Texas
Learn more about membership levels
AHEAD in Texas organization and history
SPRING CONFERENCE 2025
El Paso was our host city, and the conference was on the campus of University of Texas at El Paso – UTEP campus.
AHEAD in Texas focuses on fostering collaboration, connection, and understanding across higher education to support students with disabilities. As Disability Services professionals, we continue to bridge gaps—not only between Disability Services and faculty/staff—but also between students’ expectations and the realities of transitioning to college. We are so glad to have you all join us this year to connect with fellow professionals and refine our practices to stay ahead of the changing needs of our diverse student population.
Angelica Ramos
When I first joined the Office of Student Accommodations, I didn’t know much about accommodations in higher education for students with disabilities. Attending AHEAD in Texas Spring Conferences has given me the knowledge and confidence I needed to support my students. The people you meet are incredibly knowledgeable and always willing to help. I’m so glad I started attending the spring conferences each year as they have been invaluable!
Marilyn Harren
With my background in special education and social work, I knew some terms; Section 504, IDEA, ARD, CPS, APS, Process Notes, and the paperwork related to these things. I moved into disability services in higher education and the admin in the office said that she would add me to the AHEAD in Texas and AHEAD National membership rosters. I responded, “AHEAD what?” I quickly learned this term and that there was much I did not know. My first AHEAD in Texas conference in Galveston helped me find my buddies and support system in this field. Because of my AHEAD in Texas membership, I had people I could contact for questions and never felt out of place asking. AHEAD in Texas and AHEAD National led to my interest in earning my M.S. in Disability Services in Higher Education. As we moved forward, I realized that I was now able to assist others with questions and terms that came up; Title II and Title III of the ADA, the legal cases that moved us to ADAAA, Otherwise Qualified Status, Section 508, WCAG 2.1 AA, how to develop a Wynne v. Tufts Fundamental Alterations Process, ESAs, SAs, and more. Many more questions can come up daily, so having a support system with AHEAD in Texas helps to learn and make the best decisions in a disability office.
Congratulations to our 2026 AHEAD IN TEXAS SCHOLARSHIP Recipients
Mylo Mittman, AHEAD in Texas Scholarship recipient for 2026
Major: Media Studies and Communication
Mylo Mittman attends Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where they research disability media studies as part of their bachelor's degree in Media Studies and Communication. They plan to get a PhD so they can teach disability media studies. Mylo hopes to highlight the importance of disability representation in their research to promote inclusion, advocacy, and acceptance. They are most grateful for the AHEAD in Texas Scholarship and its support toward their goals.
Shaye Shows, AHEAD in Texas Scholarship recipient for 2026
Major: Sociology
Shaye is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with the long-term goal of attending law school and practicing child protective law. Her academic aspirations are purpose driven and informed by lived experience, with a clear commitment to advocating for children and families impacted by the foster care and child welfare systems. Shaye’s service record reflects sustained engagement and leadership. She has volunteered for three years as a Court AppointedScholarship Form 2026 : Entry # 5647 Scholarship Form 2026 : Entry # 5647 Special Advocate (CASA), completing two cases advocating for children in foster care. She is also Mental Health First Aid certified, strengthening her ability to support individuals affected by trauma. Currently, Shaye works as a Foster Care Support Peer Coach through the UNT Moody Grant at Blinn College District, where she mentors college students with lived foster care experience. In this role, she provides direct support, engages in statewide training, and collaborates with professionals across Texas to improve outcomes for foster care students. In addition to her academic and advocacy work, Shaye is a licensed Hair Stylist, having graduated from Charles and Sue’s School of Hair Design in 2020. This professional background reflects her strong work ethic, interpersonal skills, and ability to balance employment with academic and service commitments. Shaye’s leadership is deeply informed by her experience within the foster care system. She actively challenges stigma by demonstrating that such experiences cultivate resilience, perspective, and leadership. Through mentorship, advocacy, and service, she uplifts others while modeling confidence, self-advocacy, and persistence.
Kasey Kono-Badoyen, AHEAD in Texas Scholarship recipient for 2026
Major: Nursing
When it comes to resilience, leadership, making a meaningful impact, and using their education to serve others, Kasey embodies all of these. She was accepted to the nursing program and started it in Fall 2025, and utilized our tutoring services regularly throughout the program. However, despite receiving tutoring and accommodations, there was one class she did not pass, and was removed from the program. However, she did not let this deter her from her dream of becoming a nurse. Not only is she currently retaking that class and doing great in it, but she also decided to become a tutor for other students and is one of our most popular and most requested tutors for Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology classes. The instructor who taught her for these classes said that Kasey is one of the most resilient, hardworking, and tenacious students she has ever worked with. When she works with students as their tutor, she uses her own experiences and discloses to them that she utilizes accommodations so that she can better help them, and so they know that they are not alone in their struggles. When I asked students who work with her how it is going, each one has had nothing but positive things to say about her. One student said that she just gets them, and can explain it in a way that actually makes sense. Outside of tutoring for our department, she is involved with the ANA (American Nurses Association) through the nursing program, and also runs her own horseback riding business. Through this business she teaches people how to care for and ride the horses, and she particularly loves helping those with disabilities or military service members and their families to use horseback riding as a therapeutic activity. After finishing our nursing program, her long-term goals are to get her master’s degree in nursing, and to work in either trauma, the emergency room, or to be a cardiac nurse. After this, she wants to be able to teach college students who are pursuing nursing as well, because she loves teaching her passion to others who share that passion. Kasey goes out of her way to help others consistently, and puts her whole heart in to anything she does.
