ADCET UDL Symposium: Inclusion from the Ground Up - Using Equity Impact Assessment to Embed UDL in the Hume Tech School

In-person presentation

This presentation explored how Equity Impact Assessments (EIAs) can be used as early-stage design tools to embed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) before curriculum, pedagogy, or delivery are finalised in new programs.

The Hume Tech School EIA was conducted prior to program development, positioning equity as a design driver rather than a post-implementation compliance activity. It asked program leads to challenge assumptions about the “typical” STEM learner, and found that Hume Tech School would serve all secondary schools in the City of Hume, including cohorts historically excluded from STEM, such as culturally and linguistically diverse students, First Nations learners, students with disability, girls, gender diverse young people. EIA research informed design decisions by providing local demographic and social context and recognising the compounding impacts of trauma and disadvantage. This evidence base reinforced that fixed delivery models would create barriers to engagement and participation.

UDL was operationalised through development of the Hume Tech School EIA Program Design Inclusion Checklist and accompanying AI inclusion bot. Together, these tools translate equity goals into practical design prompts aligned with multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression, while explicitly anticipating learner variability and supporting executive functioning. The checklist embeds student voice and co-design, cultural safety, accessibility and psychological safety as non-negotiable design considerations.

In practice, the EIA functioned as a frontloading mechanism, ensuring accessibility, flexibility, and learner agency were designed in rather than retrofitted. Early impact measurements will centre around learner confidence, clearer participation pathways for students unfamiliar with STEM learning environments, reduced anxiety for neurodivergent students, and decreased reliance on individual adjustments informed through visiting teacher and facilitator observation and student feedback.

The goal of this session was to provide participants with a transferable model for using Equity Impact Assessments and inclusion checklists as practical infrastructure for embedding UDL 3.0 at an organisational level.

Presenters

Alice Bennett is a Diversity & Inclusion specialist with a strong focus on access and equity in education. She leads strategic and operational initiatives that strengthen organisational culture, capability, and inclusion across Bendigo TAFE and Kangan Institute. Alice partners with leaders, employees, and students to embed respectful, inclusive, and accessible practices in policies, systems, and everyday ways of working, teaching, and learning. Guided by principles of Universal Design for Learning, she is committed to removing barriers and building working and learning environments where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.

Alex Sipidias is an experienced educator, professional learning facilitator and the inaugural Program Manager of Hume Tech School, a specialist STEAM education centre delivering hands-on, industry and curriculum aligned programs to secondary students in the City of Hume in Melbourne. With a background in biotechnology, secondary teaching and learning design, Alex is deeply passionate about teaching and works at the intersection of schools, industry and community to translate emerging technologies into learning that is ethical, practical and classroom ready. Alex brings a practitioner’s lens to the EdTech space, working closely with schools and students from underrepresented cohorts in STEAM, to build capability, strengthen STEAM identity, and ensure technology is introduced with purpose, equity and student wellbeing at its core.

(June 2026)