Barbara is pleased to have served on the NTID Foundation Board for several years. She and her husband, Chris, learned about deafness in 1991 when their son Spencer was identified as having severe to profound hearing loss. Their family was introduced to the TRIPOD Educational Model in Burbank, California, where deaf and hearing families worked together to foster community and improve accessibility and communication. The Family Sign Program brought deaf students from California State University/Northridge into their home to teach sign language and share their experiences of growing up in hearing families with limited communication.

Barbara became actively involved in the TRIPOD Board and later became president after founder Megan Williams stepped down. In 1993, she initiated TRIPOD Captioned Films, distributing captioned film prints, starting with “The Bodyguard,” to deaf organizations nationwide.

After Spencer earned his undergraduate degree in California, Barbara connected with their friend Jim DeCaro, who recommended the RIT Saunders College of Business master’s program if Spencer wished to obtain his graduate degree. Following a meeting with Gerry Buckley, Spencer enrolled and earned a degree in entrepreneurship and innovative ventures. He is the associate director of NTID’s Center on Access Technology.

Through Chris's role as president of Walt Disney Music, Chris and Barbara served as consultants on the film “Mr. Holland's Opus.” Chris visited RIT/NTID in 2023 to present on his career as head of music at Disney and spoke to students in several classrooms.

“I serve on the NTID Foundation Board to lend financial support as well as to watch the many innovations that are taking place in deaf higher education under Gerry Buckley’s leadership at NTID. I hope to see continued growth for all deaf students in today’s more accessible world.”