Prime Highlight

• Barbara Woodhead, Director of Services for Students with Disability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, received the Honor of Meritorious Contributionfrom the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD).
• For over 30 years, she has worked to remove barriers and create equitable learning opportunitiesfor students with disabilities in higher education.

Key Facts

• Woodhead began her career as an American Sign Language interpreter, later becoming assistant director and then director in 2023.
• Her office now provides accommodations for students with over 170 types of disabilities, including adaptive technology, note-taking assistance, and extended test time.

Background

Barbara Woodhead, the Director of Services for Students with Disability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, received the Honor of Meritorious Contribution presented by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). The national recognition sheds light on how she has spent her entire life providing the same treatment to students with disabilities in learning.

For more than three decades, Woodhead has worked to remove institutional barriers and provide equitable opportunities. She began her career as an American Sign Language interpreter before becoming the assistant director and was appointed as director in 2023. Her office will now accommodate a student who has more than 170 disabilities, adaptive technology, note-taking assistance, extra test time, etc.

Woodhead adds that accommodations are not far-reaching standards but give students a fair opportunity to perform well. Every student is able to put in and participate. Some just require the restrictions to be lifted on them,” she said.

Her contributions extend beyond UNL. She is a long-time member of the Western Iowa and Nebraska AHEAD affiliate and has served in key leadership roles with the affiliate, including President. Colleagues praised her for fostering “a culture of belonging, trust and connection,” and for being a vital resource in the field.

Woodhead’s interest in disability services started when she and her husband began taking American Sign Language. This experience led her to the Deaf community, where she recognized the importance of accessible communication and dedicated her career to advocacy.

Commenting on the distinction, Woodhead pointed to her network of colleagues working in the field. She said there are lots of other people doing the same work I do, and they do it quite well.

She has continued to see her vision come to reality by ensuring that students with disabilities do not become restricted by their problems but turn out to be empowered enough to pursue their dreams. Their presence in higher education is more ideal with their contributions and experiences, she added.