Workshop 1: Universal Design for Learning

Building a Firm Foundation for the Inclusive Achievement of All

Presented by Joy Zabala

Click here to download the presentation slides (PDF 3.7 MB) from Joy's Universial Design workshop at the 2013 Conference on Inclusive Education. 

Do you want to be sure that learning and living environments encourage and support the participation and achievement of everyone? Are you thinking that Universal Design for Learning (UDL) might be the answer? Do you wonder what UDL means for you, what its all about, where it came from, if "universal" really includes the people you care for and are responsible for, how UDL "fits" with the other things you do, and what resources and tools are "out there" to help you? This session holds the answers to these questions and more! Participants in this lively session will journey from the foundations of UDL right up to most current thinking about UDL implementation!

Come see examples of UDL in action and learn more about the National Center for UDL, the UDL Guidelines, and many other resources and supports that help families and educators understand and apply the principles of UDL in the four areas of the curriculum. Find out how UDL complements and increases the effectiveness of other initiatives such as Response to Intervention (RTI), Assistive Technology (AT) and Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM). And, learn where to find free online tools that are useful in the implementation of UDL!

About Joy:

Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed.D., ATP, is a general and special educator who has worked with students, families, education agencies, and others across the USA and abroad for more than 25 years to expand the use of assistive technology to increase the communication, participation and productivity of people with disabilities. She is the developer of the SETT Framework (http://www.joyzabala.com/), an active member of TAM (http://www.tamcec.org/), a founder of QIAT, and the facilitator of the QIAT List (http://www.qiat.org). Dr. Zabala is the Director of Technical Assistance for CAST and the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials. The work of the AIM Center focuses on providing knowledge development, technical assistance and leadership to improve the quality, availability, and timely delivery of accessible instructional materials to elementary and secondary students with print-related disabilities (http://aim.cast.org). Dr. Zabala is a strong supporter of Universal Design for Learning (http://www.cast.org/) as the foundational support for the educational participation and achievement of all students and of AT and AIM as complementary supports for those students who require them for active participation and achievement in UDL environments.