SPRING 2025 CONFERENCE

AHEAD in Texas – Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers

March 31 – April 2, 2025

El Paso is our host city, and the conference will be 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.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Shawn P. Saladin, Ph.D., CRC, CPM, is a person with a congenital progressive sensorineural hearing loss. He will describe his experiences as they relate to his educational journey from elementary through the doctoral program. He will also discuss his experiences as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor working with schools and colleges and the improvements he has seen over the years. He draws on his personal and professional experiences which include 11 years in public rehabilitation and 20 years in higher education. He is currently the Director of Student Accessibility Services at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Professor in Rehabilitation. His service includes twenty years of continuous gubernatorial appointments such as the Rehabilitation Council of Texas, The Texas Governors Committee on Persons with Disabilities and is the president of the Governing Board for the Texas School for the Deaf. Awards include various university level teaching, research, service, recognition from the community as Distinguished Community Leader for his work with the Deaf Community and the Texas Rehabilitation Associations Promethean Award and the McCay Vernon Outstanding JADARA Article. Click to view Bio and learn more interesting facts!