ADCET UDL Symposium: CAST - International UDL Open Research Hub

Online brainstorm

CAST and partners from the University of Queensland, the University of Newcastle, the State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota, and Central Connecticut State University are developing the idea of an International UDL Open Research Hub. This Hub would be a universally designed and accessible space to share research and spark global collaboration around UDL interventions, implementation, methodologies, and outcomes. The Hub concept is still in the initial stages of development, and we would be thrilled to learn from your feedback. Would a Hub be useful to you and your practice? What kinds of features would support you? How might we design the Hub to build community? 
 
The session began with a brief overview of the Hub concept. Then participants shared their ideas. The session concluded with ways to get involved in further developing the Hub idea. Participants’ feedback was shared with both attending session participants as well as with participants who might not be able to join but who still wanted to contribute their ideas and perspectives. 

Presenters

Jenna Gravel is CAST’s Senior Director of PreK-12 Research. She leads efforts to connect research and practice by supporting educators to apply UDL to design inclusive learning environments in which learners are honored, supported, and challenged. Jenna co-chaired the community-driven, research-based process to develop the most recent version of the UDL Guidelines. She is also an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to these roles, Jenna was a middle school special educator and a research associate at CAST where she contributed to the original editions of the UDL Guidelines.

Elizabeth Hitches research interests lie in inclusive education at a national and international level, as well as equity, achievement, and wellbeing for students with disability, chronic health conditions and/or accessibility requirements. Her research is currently exploring academic stress in higher education, and how this can be reduced in inclusive and accessible ways through a UDL lens. She is also a sessional academic teaching in inclusive education across various universities, and a teacher of research methods at the UQ.

(June 2026)