Retired Ann Arbor special education teacher Kathy Kosobud has been named the winner of MEA’s 2026 David McMahon Human Rights Award.

Initially, Kosobud set out toward a career in theater design, but after college, she shifted to education and applied her manual arts skills in pre-vocational settings for children with disabilities, spending many years as a special education teacher in Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Kosobud built a distinguished career advocating for fairness and expanding opportunities for students with disabilities and other marginalized children. Along the way, she earned a doctorate and became a national board-certified teacher and education consultant.

Kosobud has “strived to make things work better for diverse students in educational settings, either directly or indirectly,” said Ann Marie Borders, a retired Ann Arbor teacher and president of the Washtenaw County MEA-Retired chapter.

Kosobud engaged in policy advocacy at the State Board of Education that led to changes in the Michigan Merit Diploma, including a personal curriculum process that enabled students with disabilities to meet full diploma requirements by alternative routes and timelines.

She also completed doctoral research on communication challenges between families of chronically ill students and schools, and served as a teacher-in-residence at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Simply put, “Kathy advocates for the underdog,” Borders said.

An active member of Washtenaw County’s MEA-Retired chapter, Kosobud helps coordinate donations for students and families in need, including school supplies, hats, coats, gloves, diapers, food, books and more.

“I’m humbled to be given this award,” Kosobud said. “It’s a reminder that retirement is another opportunity to help support the public and public education today.”