About NeoBilities · Disabilities Reimagined
Disability should not
be an afterthought
NeoBilities is a disability-founded, women-owned business led by Tessa Bathauer, LMSW. I support helping professionals, nonprofits, and organizations in strengthening disability-informed practice through accessibility audits, education, training, and consulting that improve access, service delivery, and the client experience.
— What NeoBilities is here to do
The heart of NeoBilities is simple: disability should not be an afterthought in services, systems, or professional practice.
My work is about helping people move from uncertainty and reactive problem-solving to more accessible, thoughtful, and practical ways of working.
— Why I started NeoBilities
Closing a gap I kept seeing across systems
I created NeoBilities because I kept seeing the same gap across systems and services: disability was often treated as a side issue, an accommodation request, or a compliance problem instead of something that should shape how services are designed in the first place. At the same time, many professionals wanted to do better but were left guessing about what accessibility- and disability‑informed practice actually looks like in day‑to‑day work.
I also saw how often disability was medicalized in ways that created new barriers and reinforced stigma, instead of reflecting the full, complex reality of disabled people’s lives. There was a real lack of deeper understanding about disability, and I believe everyone deserves access to resources and opportunities that take that reality seriously.
As a disabled social worker, educator, and consultant, I built NeoBilities to help close that gap. My work brings together lived experience, professional training, and a practical understanding of how barriers show up in services, practice, communication, events, policies, and organizational systems—and helps colleagues better understand the holistic, true experience of disability, not just a diagnosis or label.
— How I approach this work
Real, grounded, and usable
People often tell me they appreciate that my trainings and presentations are honest, practical, engaging, and easy to connect with. I want this work to feel real and usable — not abstract, shaming, or full of language people cannot translate into action.
Clear, practical guidance
Approaches people can actually use in their day-to-day roles, shaped to fit real capacity and context.
Disability-informed by lived experience
Grounded in both lived disability experience and professional expertise — not surface-level awareness.
Real-world solutions
Solutions that fit your capacity, context, and goals, rather than one-size-fits-all checklists.
Thoughtful conversations
Discussions that build understanding without losing clarity or accountability.
— What makes NeoBilities different
More than awareness, deeper than compliance
NeoBilities is rooted in both lived disability experience and professional social work training. That combination shapes not only what I teach, but how I teach it: with attention to ethics, systems, power, communication, and the real barriers people face in practice.
This is not awareness-only training, and it is not generic DEI consulting. My work focuses on helping professionals and organizations make concrete changes that improve accessibility, staff readiness, service delivery, and the client experience.
— Meet Tessa Bathauer, LMSW
Licensed social worker,
educator & disability consultant
I am a licensed master social worker, educator, and disability consultant. I founded NeoBilities to help professionals and organizations better understand disability, reduce barriers, and improve the quality of the services they provide.
My background includes direct service, disability education, accessibility advocacy, policy analysis, and professional training. I hold graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work, along with specialized study in Nonprofit Management and Critical Disability Studies.
I have presented at national and regional conferences, including NASW and NASW/TX events, and have served as a guest lecturer for universities and professional programs. I also founded Disabled Social Workers United and have contributed to professional and community spaces focused on disability, ethics, and practice improvement.
Credentials & affiliations
What NeoBilities is here to do
NeoBilities helps professionals and organizations reduce barriers, strengthen disability-informed practice, boost competency, and improve the accessibility and quality of their services. The goal is practical, sustainable change that makes services work better for disabled people and the people who provide them.
— Proven in the field
Trusted by organizations
across Texas & beyond
Trusted by organizations including Baylor College of Medicine, Texas State University,
Jewish Family Service, and the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.
NASW
National & NASW/TX
conference presenter
UT Austin
MSSW · Critical Disability Studies & Nonprofit Management
DSWU
Founder, Disabled Social
Workers United
— Ready when you are
Ready to build disability
competence that makes a difference?
Start with the free quiz, or reach out to talk about training,
audits, and consulting for your team.
