ADCET UDL Symposium Student Panel: The Importance of Lived Experience in UDL

In-person Panel

This student panel examined the intersection of Universal Design for Learning, academic integrity in the AI era, and student inclusion through the lens of lived experience. The panellists discussed how institutional policies affect learning for students with diverse needs, interrogated limitations of the traditional accommodation model, and considered the essential role of student consultation and co-design in developing accessible education.

Chaired by PhD Candidate Gemma Lucy Smart with student panellists Sarah Huffman, Remy Lebreton and Victor Zhang, the discussion presented insights from lived experience and student representation, offering educators and administrators practical advice for creating equitable learning environments.

Topics included:

• Balancing academic integrity concerns with inclusive practices
• Shifting from reactive accommodations to proactive support systems
• Implementing meaningful student consultation in policy development.

The session aimed to move beyond identifying barriers to propose practical approaches for designing education that authentically addresses diverse learning needs across Australian higher education contexts.

Chair

Gemma Lucy Smart is a PhD Scholar in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney researching the history of community mental health in Australia. She serves as Disabilities Officer for Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Council (SUPRA) and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA). Gemma also works as a Research Officer at the University's Faculty of Medicine and Health in the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP), as well as for the NGO Penthos Inc. 

Panellists

Sarah Huffman is a current Juris Doctor Student at the University of Sydney Law School. She was the  2024 Sydney University Law Society Disabilities Officer and is the incoming 2025-2026 SUPRA Disabilities Officer. Sarah is passionate about raising awareness and reducing stigma around psychosocial disability and neurodivergence.

Remy Lebreton is a long-term activist, social work student, and currently serving Disabilities Co-Officer and councillor in the 2025 University of Sydney SRC. They are passionate about disability and accessibility politics, and has a strong interest in the continually changing landscape of assessment criteria and learning design at our University, especially as the rise of AI challenges traditional models and underscores the growing importance of universal design for learning!

Victor Zhang is currently an Honi Soit Editor, the University of Sydney newspaper, and the Disabilities Inclusion Action Plan Coordinator for the University of Sydney Union (USU), working on ensuring that the student experience is genuinely inclusive. They served as the USyd SRC Disabilities co-officer in 2024. In their roles and their own lived experience, they've seen and heard the struggles that students face and the need for learning design to adapt to current needs.

(June 2025)