CAST at the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) 2027

8:00 AM to 12:30 PM, Room South 210A, Pre-registration required

Designed for administrators and coaches committed to improving inclusive digital learning environments, this interactive FETC 2027 session brings together CAST, the Center for Inclusive Technology and Education Systems (CITES), district leaders and student voice. Explore how assistive technology, AI-powered tools, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can work together to create more inclusive, balanced, and effective learning experiences. Engage in hands-on activities as you examine strategies to increase quality digital learning experiences by breaking down silos that contribute to the digital design divide. Hear real-world implementation stories and collaborate with peers and experts to build a system-wide approach tailored to your organization. Leave with practical tools, openly licensed resources, and a clear plan to ensure technology including AI-driven supports access, engagement, and well-being for every learner. This session is perfect for leaders ready to take action. Bring your team. Let’s build a future where no learning has no limits.

Speakers:

• Christine Fox, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer and Co-project Director CITES, CAST
• Mia Laudato, Co-project Director and Senior Technical Assistance Specialist, CAST/CITES
• Kelli Suding, Accessibility Specialist, CAST

This Pre-conference session is sponsored by Dell Technologies.

Complete a short registration form for refreshments and to be eligible for prizes for the the Inclusive Leaders Summit and Meet & Greet.

10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, Room South 230G

Explore how to make screen time shine by designing inclusive, accessible digital learning experiences. In this interactive session, the Center on Inclusive Technology and Education Systems will highlight how technology, including AI, supports purposeful engagement, reduces barriers, and serves each learner. For some students, screens and digital tools are essential for access, not optional. Let’s explore how personalizing digital devices and implementing assistive technology and accessible technologies can positively impact each learner. Walk away with resources to implement accessible educational materials and inclusive systems. Better design leads to better access and ultimately better outcomes for every learner.

Speaker:
Christine Fox, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer and Co-project Director CITES, CAST

10:00 AM to 10:30 AM, Room South 310C

Learn how technology can support ALL students and enhance your inclusive practices at FETC! Join us for this kick-off led by special education and inclusive learning experts to help you navigate FETC’s 2026 program offerings and meet peers with similar interests. Hear what’s on the horizon for inclusive practices, assistive technologies and special education and gain strategies to make the most of your time at FETC. Gain information on “can’t miss” workshops and sessions on hot topics, including Universal Design for Learning, tools for differentiation, accessibility, inclusive STEM activities, and more!

Speakers:

• Kelli Suding, Implementation & Accessibility Specialist, CAST
• Shana Vidal White, Director of CS Equity Initiatives

10:45 AM to 11:45 AM, South 310B

Student behavior challenges are often signals that something in the learning design isn’t working. This engaging session explores how digital tools, assistive technology and inclusive design can transform engagement and reduce behavior barriers for all learners, especially students with autism and other neurodivergent profiles. Grounded in Universal Design for Learning, the session shifts the focus from managing behavior to designing environments that proactively support communication, regulation and participation. Using real classroom scenarios, you will examine how everyday instructional choices can create barriers or unlock access. Explore practical tools such as speech-to-text, visual supports, digital schedules and built-in accessibility features that support executive functioning and engagement. You will leave with a new mindset and strategies you can use immediately, including predictable routines, multiple ways to participate and flexible lesson options. Behavior isn’t something to fix; it’s feedback.

Speakers:

• Kelli Suding, Implementation & Accessibility Specialist, CAST
• Carol Allen, Education Advisor: Technology and Inclusion, ICT and Inclusion in the UK

09:30 AM to 10:15 AM, Room South 210B

Is your edtech helping students or creating barriers without you realizing it? In this engaging, hands-on session, you will explore how accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and edtech intersect to support all learners. Presenters guide you through practical ways to evaluate and improve digital tools and materials through an accessibility lens, ensuring every student can access information, engage in learning and participate meaningfully. Using POUR principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) alongside UDL, you will identify common barriers, understand how they affect engagement and outcomes and explore solutions that improve usability and inclusivity. Through interactive activities and real-world examples, learn how to review your current tools and materials, make simple design changes such as adding captions and clear structure and use a consistent framework to guide future edtech decisions. Leave with five actionable ways to design and select edtech that works for every learner.

Speakers:

• Kelli Suding, Implementation & Accessibility Specialist, CAST
• Michelle Soriano, Professional Learning & Implementation Specialist, CAST

2:45 PM to 3:30 PM, Room South 330B

AI is rapidly reshaping education, but it’s also fueling new misconceptions. One of the most common? That AI is not an accommodation. In this interactive, UDL-informed session, you won’t just hear about these myths; you will actively unpack them. Explore the who, what and when of using AI as an accommodation, including when it meaningfully supports access and when it doesn’t. Then examine other edtech myths that shape school decisions, such as the beliefs that more screen time automatically harms learning, that technology alone improves achievement, that text-to-speech is only for struggling readers, that universal or built-in tools meet everyone’s needs and that UDL means one tool works for all learners. Through real-world scenarios, choice-based activities and multiple ways to engage, you will learn to evaluate whether a tool truly removes a barrier, use key questions to guide decisions about AI, challenge misconceptions within your team and shift from tool-driven adoption to intentional, student-centered practice. Leave with a practical framework for more effective, inclusive edtech decisions.

Speakers:

• Mia Laudato, Co-project Director and Senior Technical Assistance Specialist, CAST/CITES
• Tiffanie Zaugg, Professional Consultant, AccessEd Solutions

3:45 PM to 4:30 PM, Room South 310C

Assistive technology is often misunderstood, but what if it’s actually the key to unlocking learning? In this engaging, hands-on session, you will explore how assistive technology and everyday edtech tools support access, engagement and achievement for all students. Grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the session challenges the myth that using tools is cheating and reframes them as essential supports for equitable learning. Through interactive activities and classroom scenarios, you will experience the difference between decoding, comprehension and expression, and see how traditional instruction and assessment can unintentionally measure the wrong skills and limit students’ ability to show what they know. Explore practical tools such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text and accessible digital materials, and learn how they provide access without lowering expectations. Leave with ready-to-use strategies for integrating built-in accessibility tools, offering flexible ways to access and respond to content and designing lessons that remove barriers while maintaining rigor, along with a new mindset: when we design for access, we expand what’s possible for every learner.

Speaker:

Kelli Suding, Implementation & Accessibility Specialist, CAST

5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, Location TBD

Join us for an evening of networking and conversation with inclusive education leaders, sponsored by Dell Technologies. This informal gathering provides an opportunity to connect with CAST staff, thought leaders, and peers who are passionate about innovative approaches to inclusion, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility.

Make sure to complete the meet and greet registration form to secure refreshments and be eligible for prizes.