Different Lived Experiences

Different Lived Experiences: Oksana Kozlova & Toni Jo Mason

By Kevin Derryberry

Toni Jo Mason

Toni Jo Mason committed her life and career to ensuring that all people were recognized for their abilities. She focused on providing encouragement, equal opportunities and the support needed to dream, to learn and to achieve an individual’s full potential.

Mason earned her B.A. in social studies and English from West Liberty University in 1960, followed by an M.A. in guidance and psychology from Marshall University in 1964. She then earned a specialist degree in counselor education and psychology from the University of North Carolina in 1972 and a Ph.D. in educational leadership at FSU in 1982.

Over the course of her career, Mason taught at the elementary and secondary school levels and developed curricula and career education programs nationwide. She also worked for the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and introduced the U.S. Office of Special Education to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

In Tallahassee, she served as a director of the Americans with Disabilities Act, where she was responsible for conducting a comprehensive survey to determine Leon County School System’s ADA status and then developed and implemented a master plan to make all Leon County School System playgrounds handicap accessible and compliant with all ADA requirements.

“I had the privilege to work with Dr. Toni Jo Mason while we supported The Walt Disney Educator Seminars,” said Chris Iansiti, College of Education graduate (instructional systems M.S. ’94) and distinguished alumnus (’11). “Toni made it a team and came to the office with a big smile on her face every time. I remember her saying once, ‘I’m here, now let’s get busy and have fun.’ That was Toni, she enjoyed getting the job done with a lot of laughs along the way.”

In her memory, the Toni Jo Mason Foundation has created scholarships for people with physical disabilities at several schools and colleges affiliated with Mason, including here in the FSU College of Education. In 2022, Oksana Kozlova, a master’s student in the higher education program, became the first Dr. Toni Jo Mason scholar at FSU.

Oksana Kozlova

Kozlova first came to the U.S. from her native Russia in 2016 thanks to the Year of Exchange in America for Russians (YEAR) program. The YEAR program is funded by the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and seeks to foster greater cultural understanding between the U.S. and Russia. Oksana spent a year at the University of Wyoming after being selected through a competitive process that considered her outstanding academic record, leadership potential, excellent English skills and strong interest in learning about U.S. culture.

In particular, she was interested to see how the U.S. handled accessibility, noting that “Russia is very different for accessibility.” In Wyoming, she studied “linguistics and language courses, English for foreign students, and American Studies,” then taught English for students of foreign languages in Russia before looking to return to the U.S. for a master’s degree.

“There are no student affairs [offices] in Russia,” said Kozlova, so she sought an American program in higher education and began looking at schools across the country. “Let’s be honest, weather was an issue,” she joked, regarding her decision to come to Florida after her years in Russia and Wyoming. She had also looked over the faculty profiles and was excited by the work of Associate Professor of Higher Education Brad Cox.

“I saw Dr. Cox was working on autism spectrum, so there would be enough experience relating to my disability experience,” she said. Cox is the founder and executive director of the College Autism Network (CAN), a national non-profit organization dedicated to using evidence-based advocacy to improve experiences and outcomes for college students with autism.

At FSU, Kozlova secured a graduate assistantship in the Office of Accessibility Services working with students to ensure they have the accommodations that they need. She continues to be fascinated by the cultural differences she observes in the classroom. “Russian kids just see right and wrong,” she said. “Here they have the opportunity to share different experiences.”

Kozlova had the opportunity to take a course from Toni Jo Mason Foundation advisor and FSU College of Education alumnus (higher education Ed.S. ’96, Ed.D. ’99) J.R. Harding. “Oksana is a wonderful addition to FSU, the College of Education, and the student body as a whole,” said Harding. “She is an outstanding student and emerging scholar. I had the pleasure of working with her during the fall of 2021 with my IDS 1107 course that focuses on academic and social success for freshmen with disabilities. As an international student who also happens to have a disability, her perspective was unique and comments in the class were spot on. We were most fortunate to have Oksana contribute to the curriculum, mentor the students, and be unafraid to share her story.”

Recognizing the value of a different lived experience is precisely what the Toni Jo Mason Foundation celebrates and supports with the Dr. Toni Jo Mason Endowment for Excellence in the College of Education.

In 2011, West Liberty University inducted Mason into their Wall of Honor. She passed in 2013 at the age of 74, having made a significant impact on her community and the lives of those who knew her. The Toni Jo Mason Foundation was established via her estate and continues her mission of supporting educational opportunities for all.

Mason believed that the ability to overcome obstacles required an attitude of “stick-to-it-ness,” which meant never giving up on dreams, no matter how long or how hard a pathway to achievement might be. “She sort of was a mentor for me to always keep going, to push forward in a positive way,” said Iansiti. “As I think about Toni and all of her abilities (not disabilities), I think that mindset drove her—to always be pushing forward with a smile on your face—and boy, did she ever!”