How One Woman Saw Ability First in Those Disabled
After more than two decades dedicated to serving people with complex disabilities, Barbara Goldman is stepping into retirement, leaving behind a legacy built on seeing possibility where others saw limitations. Her work helped transform a community to see people’s true potential and not their disability.
Growing up in a small town in upstate New York, Barbara first learned what exclusion looked like during grade school. As a child, she watched a bright classmate who was totally blind enter the local school system in eighth grade only after her parents promised to provide every accommodation themselves.
“It was like a light bulb went off in my brain,” says Barbara, TEAMability CEO emerita and founder. “Why should the parent be responsible for providing all these services just because she’s blind? I discovered how limited my classmate was not because of her capabilities, but because she had been excluded.”
That early life experience shaped Barbara’s decision to major in education of the blind and visually impaired. She earned her bachelor’s at Syracuse University and her master’s at Columbia University before becoming an Army wife. She and her husband moved to their first duty station in Italy where she quickly found herself involved in supporting children.
“I was the volunteer chairman of a child development center and Red Cross chapter,” says Barbara. “I was thrust into positions of leadership and problem solving, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
In 1996, Barbara’s husband retired from the Army in San Antonio, TX. Barbara decided it was time to return to her field and secured a role supporting the visually impaired in a local school district. On her first day she discovered that she had been assigned more than 20 children each with multiple disabilities including visual impairment. Additionally, the children were spread out across multiple classrooms.
“I came home crying,” says Barbara. “I was overwhelmed with a lack of confidence and understanding of this population.”
Barbara quickly discovered that she wasn’t alone as her colleagues in occupational, physical and speech therapy all felt the same way. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that every eligible child with disabilities receives a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). However, Barbara and her colleagues felt that the “A” had been left out of the equation.
“We knew we could do better,” says Barbara. “It was based on a love for the kids and the belief that every child has potential, no matter the level of disability.”
Over the next five years, Barbara and her colleagues collaborated to break down silos within the public school system and integrate knowledge with classroom practice. The parents quickly recognized the change. Instead of hearing minor observations like “he smiles more,” they were seeing real developmental progress.
This grassroots collaboration became the seed of TEAMability. Barbara realized the model worked and shouldn’t be confined to a single school district. In 2003, she made the leap of faith to form a nonprofit with no prior experience or knowledge.
“I literally learned from the ‘Nonprofit for Dummies’ yellow-and-black book,” says Barbara. “Our budget was zero, but it wasn’t a business plan, it was a calling.”
Today, TEAMability has grown into a leading resource for children with complex disabilities and their families. The organization has refined its innovative transdisciplinary model which includes occupational, physical and speech therapy along with family support and special programs for children with cortical visual impairment all under the same roof.
After 22 years of serving as their CEO, Barbara transitioned to support TEAMability on their board. Despite the organization’s success under her leadership, Barbara felt it was imperative to find a successor who had prior nonprofit leadership experience.
“We were very blessed to find Brooke Kearney,” says Barbara. “She is someone who has both nonprofit leadership experience and a strong passion for people with disabilities.”
Brooke had previously served in roles supporting the disability community across San Antonio. While she was new to TEAMability, she was well aware of Barbara and her work.
“I was already very familiar with Barbara’s story,” says Brooke, TEAMability CEO. “Barbara is a legend. When this opportunity arose to succeed her role, I knew I wasn’t just stepping into a position, I was joining a legacy that I deeply respected.”
TEAMability still faces challenges today such as scarcity of trained professionals and limited dedicated government or private insurance funds. However, they push forward and continue to highlight the potential of all people with disabilities, teaching the next generation of therapists to see ability first.
“What matters to me most and has kept me going for 22 years is an actual love for these children and seeing their humanity,” says Barbara. “I want everyone to look at a child no matter how severely disabled they are with the eye toward their potential, not their disability.”
Key Takeaways:
- Learn more about TEAMability’s mission and the services they provide for people with complex disabilities here.
- At Warm Springs Foundation, we proudly support TEAMability along with others in our Circle of Care who provide life-altering possibilities for those living with disabilities.