north carolina AHEAD

A Brief History of North Carolina AHEAD

NCAHEAD had its beginnings at an informal get together of twenty-seven North Carolina postsecondary disability service providers attending the National AHEAD Conference in Columbus, Ohio in 1994. There was agreement among those present that it would be very beneficial to have a vehicle for communication, exchange of ideas and mutual support.

As a result of that meeting, Dr. Pat Bailey, Director of Disability Services at UNC Greensboro, invited anyone interested to convene in Greensboro to discuss the feasibility of initiating an AHEAD organization in North Carolina. Sixteen representatives from state, private, four year and two year institutions attended. Issues, needs and organizational priorities were discussed over several subsequent meetings and NCAHEAD was born.

On November 3, 1995, NCAHEAD celebrated with a premier event hosted by Peggy Oliphant at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. Officers were elected, charter members were presented with certificates and Doug Lawton was the keynote speaker. It was a strong and vibrant beginning.

The Executive Board has consistently worked towards building the organization through annual conferences, seminars and teleconference events. Officers have represented all of the institutional types. Membership has grown and feedback indicates that there is a high level of satisfaction among members.

NCAHEAD has continued to grow and prosper in many ways. It is financially solid, membership continues to increase, members communicate by listserv, email and telephone, and the vision of the group that gathered in Columbus has come to full fruition.

The future appears bright for NCAHEAD as interested members step up and take leadership roles in the organization. There are ongoing opportunities for networking and support among the membership.

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