Skip to main content

The 9th Annual CAST UDL Symposium: Through the Lens of UDL

The 9th Annual CAST UDL Symposium: Through the Lens of UDL. Colorful aperture lens along with the Denver skyline
Symposium

Dates
Monday, July 31 – Tuesday, August 1, 2023

This year's Symposium will be held online and in-person at the Westin Denver Downtown.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for addressing the educational needs of diverse and variable learners in many settings across many stages of life. It is a means to eradicate persistent inequities in education—and it is an even more powerful tool when used as a lens for shaping educational systems, designs, and initiatives.

This year’s Annual Symposium invites experts across a variety of fields to explore more deeply the ways in which UDL can be used as a lens to see the work of teaching and learning. We hope to both highlight the promising ways UDL has already made great practices even better and to co-create a vision for making UDL ubiquitous as a lens for our collective work of designing learning without limits.

Find out more about the CAST UDL Symposium.

Conference Goals

By engaging in online and in-person sessions that encourage innovative ideas, systemic thinking, and application of theory to practice, participants will:

  • Explore the unique ways UDL can enhance and improve the most cutting-edge practices in education today.
  • Be inspired to use UDL as a framework for designing and pulling together multiple initiatives across a school, university, or workplace.
  • Consider the crosswalks of UDL and other promising educational frameworks.
  • Imagine innovative policies and practices that complement and advance the goals of UDL.
  • Challenge their own assumptions about teaching, instruction, and learning.

Live Session Schedule

Please note: The concurrent session options are different for in-person and online participants. In-person participants will have access to all in-person and online sessions plus the online session recordings. Online participants will only have access to the online sessions and online session recordings. In-person only items are indicated by an asterisk (*) in the main schedule. Keynotes are the only sessions for both in-person and online attendees.

All times are listed in Mountain Time (MT). Find out how this translates to your time zone.

Day One: Monday, July 31, 2023

  • 8:00 – 9:00 am: Registration*
  • 9:00 – 9:15 am: Welcome Session & Opening
  • 9:15 – 10:15 am: Keynote
    Nicole Tucker-Smith
    CEO, Lessoncast
    Cultivating Brave Spaces by Designing from Diverse Perspectives
  • 10:15 – 10:45 am: Break
  • 10:45 – 11:45 am: Concurrent Sessions
    • In-person Sessions (not available to online attendees)*
      • Digging into Choice and Flexible Means
        Dan McDowell & Amber Riehman
      • Quantum10: Equity in Education through the lens of UDL
        Heather Cowap, Talisa Sullivan, & Jennifer Borrelli
      • The UDL Roadmap: A roadmap to Support UDL Implementation
        Fred Cochran & Jennifer Hicks
      • Meeting Emotional Needs: Using UDL to address Trauma in Students
        Alison Trimper
      • UDL & EBPs for UPK-Higher Ed Students with Autism
        Jennifer Boettger & Leah Padilla
    • Online Sessions (available to both in-person and online attendees)
      • Integrating UDL into a Two-Year Master's of Arts in Teaching Program
        Emily Art, Tasia Chatman & Amy Liszt
      • Hybridizing UDL, Science, and Literacy Frameworks
        Michelle Damiani & Heather Waymouth
      • Weaving together UDL and diversity and inclusion initiatives
        Jessica Collado & Rocio Mendoza Fox
      • Utilizing Hope Neuroscience to Improve Resiliency, Motivation, and Achievement
        Paule Marie Ebrahimi, Jeanette Simenson & Cathleen Stocktill-Beachboard
  • 11:45 am – 12:30 pm: Lunch* / Break
  • 12:30 – 12:45 pm Break
  • 12:45 – 1:45 pm: Concurrent Sessions
    • In-person Sessions (not available to online attendees)*
      • Grow with us: Sharing our journey of braiding MTSS and UDL
        Loui Lord Nelson & Michael McSheehan
      • Recognize, Dismantle, Rebuild: Using the MTSS Framework to Lead 4 Justice in STEM
        Jennifer Munoz
      • UDL and Systems Change
        Ruth Templeton & Melissa Sanjeh
      • Transparent Assignment Design Lab
        Jennifer Pusateri
      • Harnessing UDL to Fight Internalized Shame in Autistic Students
        Kelly Cray
    • Online Sessions (available to both in-person and online attendees)
      • An Anti-Oppressive UDL Framework
        Diana Ma
      • Co-Teaching through the lens of UDL
        Anna Hart & Amy Papacek
      • The Scientific Case for Cultivating Grateful Learning Communities
        Allison Posey & Lainie Rowell
      • Conveying Research Results Meaningfully with UDL
        Angel Morgan
      • Let's Talk About EdTech-quity
        Multiple presenters
  • 1:45 – 2:15 pm: Break
  • 2:15 – 3:15 pm: Concurrent Sessions
    • In-person Sessions (not available to online attendees)*
      • UDL Ubiquity: Going from Principles to Policies, Practices, and Culture
        Thomas J. Tobin
      • Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: A UDL Framework for College Coaches
        Whitney Griffin & Jeanette McKillop
      • UDL Rising to Equity: Community Conversation
        Jenna Gravel & Nicole Tucker-Smith
      • Empowering Diverse Learners Utilizing Nearpod
        Katey Armstrong & Katie Phillips
      • UDL as the Foundation: A Look at Early Childhood and UDL
        B. Canham, K. Gerould & D. Mendoza
    • Online Sessions (available to both in-person and online attendees)
      • Oodles of "n-UDL-s" (noodles): A recipe for increasing engagement
        Kate Morgan, Alicia Swaggerty & Meagan Wilkinson
      • Creating State Accessibility Microcredentials for Educators & Aligning with UDL
        Krystle Merry & Kirsten Wilson
      • "But there's too much to cover!": learning to create UDL-focused lessons
        Brandy Dudas & Holly Salmon
      • Students as Access Partners: Teaching Accessibility, UDL, and Anti-Ableism
        Katie Healey & Jennifer Healey
  • 5:00 – 6:00 pm: Reception*

Day Two: Tuesday, August 1, 2023

  • 9:00 – 9:15 am: Welcome Session
  • 9:15 – 10:15 am: Keynote
    Loui Lord Nelson
    President, The UDL Approach
    From single vision to transition lenses: UDL is maturing
  • 10:15 – 10:45 am: Break
  • 10:45 – 11:45 am: Concurrent Sessions
    • In-person Sessions (not available to online attendees)*
      • A Simple View of Reading: Growing Literacy through Discourse
        Michele Estill & Joann Phillips
      • UDL at Work
        James McKenna
      • Building District-Level UDL Buy-In
        Danielle Hamblin & Jennifer Pusateri
      • Incorporating Employability Skills in Math Courses for Business Using UDL
        Subhadra Ganguli
      • Making the Inclusive Classroom Work for Autistic Students—and Everyone
        Aaron Lanou
    • Online Sessions (available to both in-person and online attendees)
      • ChatGPT: A Tool for Inclusive UDL and Culturally Responsive Instruction
        Jess Egan, Joan Giovannini, Marisha Marks, Jennifer Wallace & Mary Wiseman
      • Continuous Improvement and UDL: Synergy for Systemic Impact and Implementation
        Alia Latorre
      • UDL Academy for Faculty: Pairing UDL with High-Impact Pedagogies
        Breanne Kirsch
      • Empowering Learners and Minimizing Barriers with iPad Accessibility Tools
        Tolulope (Tolu) Noah
  • 11:45 am – 12:30 pm: Lunch* / Break
  • 12:30 – 12:45 pm Break
  • 12:45 – 1:45 pm: Concurrent Sessions
    • In-person Sessions (not available to online attendees)*
      • Engaging Higher Ed Instructors Through the Lens of UDL
        Virginia Hutcheson
      • Amplify, Access, Equity
        Fred Cochran & Rhonda Marriott Spencer
      • Circle Up: Design and Problem Solving - UDL and SEL
        Jess Gropen & Bill Wilmot
      • Five Questions (+1) : When Antiracism Meets Universal Design
        Andratesha Fritzgerald
      • Experience Corgi: Explore digital organizers that support students' discipline-specific practices
        Jenna Gravel & Beth Fornauf
    • Online Sessions (available to both in-person and online attendees)
      • Rethinking School Discipline & Classroom Management through UDL, CSP, and Restorative Practices
        Carla-Ann Brown & Jalea Turner
      • Laying the Foundation for Co-Teaching with UDL
        Sung Park & Sandya Lopez
      • Universally Designed, Inquiry-Based Science Professional Development for Special Educators
        Meagan Karvonen & Lindsay Ruhter
      • Universal Design for SEL: It's Possible & Here's How
        Aurora Dreger & Jared B Fries
  • 1:45 – 2:15 pm: Break
  • 2:15 – 3:15 pm: Concurrent Sessions
    • In-person Sessions (not available to online attendees)*
      • Breakout! Discovering the Benefits of UDL as a Language Learner
        Michele Estill & Joann Phillips
      • The UDL Journey Guide: A North Star for Implementation
        James McKenna & Zachary Smith
      • Zero Barriers in STEM: Supporting Students with Disabilities through Systems Change
        Carol O'Donnell & Sherrell Williams
      • No Crystal Ball Needed: Using UDL to Plan Your Future
        M. Patterson, T. Wilder, Y. Tazi, A. Grays & M. Marino
    • Online Sessions (available to both in-person and online attendees)
      • Change Ideas: Using UDL and Student Voice for Institutional Transformation
        Abigail Wilberding
      • UDL as the Catalyst for Inclusive Practices
        Barb Gentille Green & Robin Cunconan-Lahr
      • Trauma Informed Design is Accessible Design
        Alexis Reid & Luis Perez
      • Universal Design for Learning and its intersections with Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies
        Humberto Hernandez
  • 3:15 – 3:30 pm: Break
  • 3:30 – 4:30 pm: Closing Keynote Panel
    Hosted by Lindsay Jones, CAST CEO
    Nothing Without Us: Leadership, Disability & the Importance of Visibility
    Find out more and live stream this panel for free!

Pre-recorded Sessions

  • Aligning LGBTQ+ Best Practices with the UDL Guidelines
    Alia Latorre 
  • UDL: The Base of Equitable Online Course Quality
    Sally Baldwin & Jeff Suarez-Grant
  • A powerful combination: Mental health promotion and UDL
    Natalie M Frandsen
  • The Language of Behavior
    Joshua Stamper
  • Transformative Learning Model: Using UDL Principles to Promote Leadership in Neurodivergent Learners
    Lindsey Balderaz & Abby Neel
  • Education Leaders Advancing Equity with UDL and Digitally Mediated Learning
    Jennifer Elemen
  • Universal Design for Learning: What Our Educational World Needs Now More Than Ever
    Kari J. Reneau
  • Inspiring Learner Voice Through Racial and Social Justice in UDL
    Jennifer Munoz
  • Better Teaching Through UDL: Training Future STEM Faculty
    Justi Echeles & Amy Forester
  • Understanding and reducing academic stress for university students through UDL
    Elizabeth Hitches
  • Building campus-wide UDL Training: Bristol's Accessibility Academy
    Julie Jodoin-Krauzyk & Julie Jodoin-Krauzyk
  • Empowering student-led learning with project management practices supporting executive function
    Heather Cowap
  • Reimaging Online Courses: UDL through the lens of instructional design
    Jana Hitchcock & Sonya Woods
  • Building Your Own Community of Muppets: A UDL PLC
    Michelle Patterson, Mia Laudato, Tracy Galvin, Eric Moore, Shihua Brazil,  Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles & Sue Jones
  • You Belong Here: How Universal Design Principles Can Cultivate Inclusive Learning Communities (A Look at Vision, Strategies and Collaborative Tools)
    Cathi Davis & Carolyn McCoy
  • UDL in practice: main challenges and possibilities in Brazil
    Raquel Neves Matos Carvalho & Luhany Ercleide Ponciano
  • Start Here: The first 8 steps to build expert learners
    Susanne Croasdaile
Top of Page