Mindy Johnson
As Director of Digital Communications & Outreach, Mindy Johnson develops and oversees a consistent digital communications strategy for all CAST online and social media outreach to promote and extend CAST’s strategic plan. Mindy is also one of the co-founders of #UDLchat, a bi-monthly Twitter chat focused on Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Before joining CAST in 2005, Mindy was a high school special education teacher in Chapel Hill, NC, providing direct instruction to students with disabilities and co-teaching in inclusive classrooms with content-area teachers. During this time, she also developed and delivered in-person and online curricula for teacher professional development workshops in her school and district. She has also worked as a teaching fellow at Harvard University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Based on student reviews and assessments, she received the Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching in 2005 and 2006.
Mindy is a former Professional Learning Network leader for the Inclusive Learning Network at ISTE. In 2015, Mindy was the first recipient of the ISTE Inclusive Learning Network’s Outstanding Educator Award. She has also worked as an instructor and mentor at the Boston Museum of Science in their Overnight Program, planning and conducting hands-on science workshops and activities for elementary school-aged children and assisting newer instructors with workshop planning and informal learning strategies based on UDL.
My Inspiration
I find a great deal of inspiration from my social media-based personal learning network. Twitter is my primary means of communicating with other fantastic UDL advocates, evangelists, and newbies. #UDLchat, held every first and third Wednesday of the month, is an ever-expanding group of learners and educators committed to supporting each other in implementing UDL in every learning environment. Join us and expand your own PLN! Sign up for reminders so you don't miss the live chat.
Watch Mindy's Intro to UDL
As part of ISTE's Inclusive Learning Network leadership committee, Mindy helped create an 18 minute video overview of Universal Design for Learning for the group's free SOOC (Small Supported Open Online Course) on UDL and Apps.
Education
EdM, Technology, Innovation & Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
BA, Sociology, William Smith College
Selected Presentations
Designing the Future to Be Accessible
Texthelp Talks podcast with Luis Pérez, hosted by Joni Degner, 2022
Make Your Posts More Inclusive: 5 Easy Tips for Accessible Social Media
Virtual Presentation, ISTE Live 2020
Best Practices for Accessible Social Media
Webinar archive from the AEM Center, 2019
UDL: A Trojan Horse for Accessibility
End of Average Talk from the 2018 UDL-IRN Summit in Orlando, FL.
#UDLrockstars and the Culture of Sharing
UDL Talk from the 2017 UDL-IRN Summit in Orlando, FL.
Selected Publications
Johnson, M. (2017, October 25). Social media as a professional learning tool [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.kennedykrieger.org/stories/social-media-professional-learning-tool
Nelson, L.L., & Johnson, M. (2017). The role of technology in implementing universal design for learning. In M.L. Wehmeyer & K.A. Shogren (Eds.), Handbook of research-based practices for educating students with intellectual disability (217-234). New York: Routledge.
Johnson, M. (2016). 5 easy tips for making your social media posts more accessible [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://aimva.org/news-you-can-use/2016/08/26/social-media/
Murray, E., Hillaire, G., Johnson, M., and Rappolt-Schlichtmann, G. (2015). Representing, acting, and engaging: UDL and mathematics. In S. Chinn (Ed.), The Routledge international handbook of dyscalculia and mathematical learning difficulties (393-405). New York: Routledge.
Rappolt-Schlichtmann, G., Daley, S.G., Lim, S., Lapinski, S., Robinson, K.H., Johnson, M. (2013). Universal Design for Learning and elementary school science: Exploring the efficacy, use, and perceptions of a web-based science notebook. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(4), 1210-1225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0033217
Price, J., Johnson, M., & Barnett, M. (2012). Universal design for learning in the science classroom. In T.E. Hall, A. Meyer, & D.H. Rose (Eds.). Universal design for learning in the classroom: Practical applications. New York: Guilford Press.