Podcast: Universal Design for Learning in Action - How to talk to colleagues about UDL with Dr Thomas Tobin

ADCET welcomed Dr Thomas Tobin as one of the presenters for our inaugural UDL Symposium with his Workshop "How to Talk with Your Colleagues about Universal Design for Learning". This podcast is an audio version of that workshop.

As instructors and support professionals, we should advocate for our colleagues around us to design their interactions with students to be as broadly accessible and inclusive as possible, in order to foster greater student agency, autonomy, and satisfaction. In the process, our collective work to support learners in addressing access barriers can shift to focus more energy on more challenging concerns.

This advocacy starts with grassroots champions who can help colleagues with practical advice, as well as lobby campus leaders for funds, resources, and time toward inclusive-design efforts. This webinar shared concrete strategies for how to approach colleagues in productive ways to talk about universal design for learning (UDL) in their own work. It also explored how to talk with your campus leaders to get them to see the positive impact of UDL on campus operations (and on the budget), especially during times of disruption.