UDL Awards

Vineeta Garg and Gunjan Tomar, founders of Wellbeing Mantras, are the 2026 recipients of the Anne Meyer UDL Design Award. They have spent more than two decades advancing inclusive education through a comprehensive Universal Design for Learning (UDL) ecosystem that combines professional learning, instructional tools, digital resources, and wellbeing-centered design. Through their Pedagogy of Learning UDL platform, open-access courses, research, publications, and educator training programs, they have equipped more than 25,000 educators across 10 countries to proactively design for learner variability and create more equitable learning environments. Their work has had a broad impact on multilingual learners, neurodivergent students, learners with disabilities, and underserved communities, reaching an estimated 8 million students while demonstrating how UDL, social-emotional learning, and technology can be integrated to improve access, engagement, agency, and learning outcomes.

Dr. Sean Joseph Smith is the recipient of the 2026 David Rose UDL Research Award. He is a leading UDL researcher and professor at the University of Kansas, whose more than two decades of work have advanced inclusive education through research, technology innovation, teacher preparation, and professional learning. His scholarship and grant-funded initiatives—including WRITE, WritingClassroom.org, VOISS, and AI-SCORE—demonstrate how Universal Design for Learning can be leveraged alongside emerging technologies to improve access, engagement, and outcomes for learners with disabilities and diverse learning needs. Through his research leadership, publications, educator training, and mentorship of future scholars, Dr. Smith has helped shape the national and international UDL field while translating research into practical, scalable solutions that support educators and learners worldwide.

Dr. Paul D. Miller, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Montgomery College, is the 2026 recipient of the UDL Innovative Practice Award. He has advanced Universal Design for Learning through innovative, institution-wide approaches that make inclusive design practical, scalable, and sustainable. His signature CLEAR Framework—Caption Everything, Logical Layout, Easy to Read, Alt Text for Images, and Responsive Design—translates UDL principles into actionable strategies that have influenced faculty development, course design, accessibility practices, and teaching across a college serving more than 44,000 students. Through leadership of the Universal Design Center, faculty credentialing pathways, public scholarship, and the Inclusion by Design Summit, Dr. Miller has built a replicable model that helps educators move from awareness of UDL to meaningful implementation, creating more accessible and equitable learning experiences for diverse learners.

Dr. George Van Horn is a longtime leader in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) who helped advance districtwide implementation at Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation in Indiana. As Director of Special Education, he championed UDL as a framework for improving core instruction, removing barriers to learning, and creating more inclusive learning environments for all students. A member of CAST’s original UDL faculty cadre, he has shared his experience and expertise with educators and school systems nationwide, helping translate UDL principles into sustainable, systemwide practice. Learn more about Dr. Van Horn’s UDL journey: A Long, Strange Trip: Honoring George Van Horn’s Lasting Impact on UDL and Inclusive Learning

Looking to become part of a global movement driving innovation in education? Stay connected with CAST for the latest updates on UDL and inclusive education, free webinars, professional development opportunities, and events like UDL-Con: International.