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What's New - NCAC

What's New - NCAC:

NCAC Hosts Acquisition and Distribution of Accessible Curriculum Materials Meeting at CAST - Posted June 06, 2003

May 2, 2003: Erica Pearl and Martha Minow, NCAC Partners from the Children's Initiative at Harvard Law School, chaired an all day meeting at CAST to discuss current practices regarding the acquisition and distribution of accessible curriculum materials to serve students with disabilities. Participants included CAST NCAC and NFF staff, Jim Allan, Statewide Technical Support Specialist, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Carrie M. Brasier, Library Director, Vision Resources Library of MA, George Kerscher, Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, Preston Lewis, Program Services Branch, Kentucky Department of Education, Dick Scribner, President and CEO, Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, and Bonnie Jones, US Dept. of Education. Fred Demay and Dan Ryan represented the NY Dept. of Education by phone as did Rod Brawley, Director, California Clearinghouse for Specialized Media and Technology.

NCAC Hosts Advisory Board Meeting - Posted June 06, 2003

May 1, 2003: Chuck Hitchcock chaired an all day meeting of the NCAC advisors to review and discuss past accomplishments, current work in progress, plans for the year ahead, and ideas for going to scale. Participants included all of the CAST NCAC staff, Boston College, Harvard Law School, the PACER Center, the US Dept. of Education, the MA Dept. of Education, The National Association of State Directors of Special Education, EDC, University of Oregon, and the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Lizanne DeStefano, Associate Dean for Research at the University of Michigan and the NCAC project evaluator, also participated. The day was considered informative and productive.

Pre-Conference Session for the Council for Exceptional Children’s - Posted June 06, 2003

April 9, 2003: Chuck Hitchcock and Tracey Hall conducted an all day pre-conference session on Universal Design for Learning at the 2003 CEC Annual Convention and Expo in Seattle, WA. The session was attended by 60 participants and included a combination of lecture, demonstration, discussion, and hands-on technology experiences. The group was responsive to the UDL theme and approach.

Panel at the Personnel Prep Conference in D.C. - Posted June 06, 2003

February 21, 2003: Chuck Hitchcock and Grace Meo represented NCAC on a panel at the OSEP Personnel Prep Conference in Washington, D.C. They presented recent work with the state of NY then met with Paula Burdette from the Delaware Department of Education and Bonnie Jones, NCAC's OSEP Project Officer.

Chuck Hitchcock to Serve on National Education Association Panel - Posted June 06, 2003

December 2002: Chuck Hitchcock was named to the new Accessible Classroom Project Advisory panel for the National Education Association (NEA). This group is interested in the work of CAST and the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC). Andrew Noyes, director of the NEA initiative, has asked Chuck to involve other panel members in the work of establishing a voluntary National File Format, an initiative that is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) as a supplement to NCAC at CAST.

NCAC Looks Ahead - Posted June 06, 2003

December 2002: The staff of the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC) hosted a full day meeting with Lizanne DeStefano, Ph.D., who has been contracted to serve as the NCAC outside evaluator. Dr. DeStefano worked with the David Rose, Chuck Hitchcock, Grace Meo, Tracey Hall, Skip Stahl, and Julie Wyman to revise the NCAC year 4 project goals and development methods for ongoing measurements of impact.

NCAC Article Published in Teaching Exceptional Children - Posted June 06, 2003

November 2002: The lead article in the November/December issue (v.35 no.2) of Teaching Exceptional Children is an article written by Chuck Hitchcock, Anne Meyer, David Rose & Richard Jackson entitled "Providing New Access to the General Curriculum: Universal Design for Learning."

NCAC Participates in National Teleconference - Posted December 04, 2002

October 24, 2002: Chuck Hitchcock presented the concepts of universal design, universal design for learning, and accessible curriculum materials in a national teleconference sponsored by the PACER Center, a national family advocacy center in Minneapolis, MN. "Accessible Information Technology in Schools: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know" was a live teleconference hosted by PACER and presented by Chuck Hitchcock, Director of NCAC, and by Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D., Co-Director of the National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education (AccessIT), University of Washington. The teleconference was moderated by Janet Peters, Director of the PACER Simon Technology Center. Janet reported that the information provided was of value and that the feedback from participants very positive.

NCAC and HCI Host Ground-Breaking Meeting at Harvard Law School - Posted December 04, 2002

October 17 & 18, 2002: Harvard Law School welcomed participants to a two-day roundtable meeting on "Policy, Property and Permissions: A Discussion of Accessible Curriculum Materials." This event was developed and sponsored by the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, The Harvard Children's Initiative, the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum at CAST, and the Association of American Publishers.

Many participants found the event to be nothing short of ground-breaking. By juxtaposing the current system - which leaves publishers struggling to operate under conflicting states law requirements to accommodate students with disabilities and under ambiguous federal disability law and copyright law - and potential alternatives, the session opened up the chance to envision the ideal system. The group will publish a report of its findings and recommendations, and members of the group have already taken the findings to meetings among publishers and state and federal government officials. Feedback received from participants was extremely positive.

The National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum and the Harvard Children's Initiative were pleased to help facilitate such an important discussion, which promises to have far-reaching benefits for students and educators.

Additional Support Provided for New York Professional Development Trainers - Posted December 04, 2002

September 25, 2002: Bart Pisha presented to an audience of 180 professional development trainers from New York at the New York Department of Education. The meeting was a follow-up to the Universal Design for Learning Summer Institute sponsored by the National Center for Accessing the General Curriculum and further supports the Office of Special Education Programs' initiative to provide technical assistance to NY.

NCAC Unanimously Recommended for Funding - Posted December 04, 2002

August 2002: After a rigorous evaluation, the Office of Special Education Programs has informed CAST that the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum will be funded for Years 4 and 5. The decision was unanimous. The American Institutes for Research, the contractor for OSEP, prepared a full evaluation report, which outlines a significant number of strengths and accomplishments and provides recommendations for the final two years of the project. Chuck Hitchcock and David Rose will work with the NCAC staff and partners to develop appropriate plans.

Capacity Building Institute: Access, Participation and Progress in - Posted December 04, 2002

July 10, 2002: Approximately 70 general and special educators and parents attended the National Capacity Building Institute on Access, Participation and Progress in the General K-12 Curriculum, held on July 10, in Arlington, VA. The meeting was designed to encourage dialogue and consensus building regarding solutions to improving curriculum access for students with disabilities, and was part of a series of capacity building institutes co-sponsored by the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum and the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET). The one-day institute provided an opportunity for participants to listen to four keynote speakers and a panel of key stakeholders. Keynote speakers included Lou Danielson (Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education), Margaret McLaughlin (Director, Center on Policy Studies, University of Maryland), Martha Minow (Harvard University), Tracey Hall (Researcher, CAST, and David Rose (Co-Executive Director, CAST).

CAST Co-Hosts Roundtable on IDEA '97 - Posted December 04, 2002

May 30, 2002: Chuck Hitchcock and Grace Meo hosted a brown bag lunch at CAST for educators throughout Massachusetts interested in learning more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The session featured a two-hour interactive roundtable discussion of the meaning of the terms access, participation, and progress in the general curriculum; barriers to access, participation, and progress; and how to reduce or eliminate them. Approximately 30 parents' advocates, teachers, and administrators attended. The meeting was sponsored by the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC), CAST, the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative, the Federation for Children with Special Needs, the Educational Development Center, and IDEA Local Implementation by Local Administrators (ILIAD).

UDL Recommended in Testimony before President's Commission - Posted December 04, 2002

April 30, 2002: Deborah Leuchovius, National Coordinator of The Technical Assistance on Transition & the Rehabilitation Act for the PACER Center, and PACER parent representative partner for the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum, recently testified in favor of UDL before the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education. While addressing the need for improvement in the area of access to the general education curriculum, Deborah praised the work of NCAC and CAST and spoke strongly in favor of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Deborah emphasized UDL's tremendous potential for meeting the needs of all youth and called specifically for the implementation of UDL in her recommendation to the committee: " Federal education policy should promote the philosophy of universal access to learning, direct resources towards the speedy development of Universal Design for Learning strategies and materials, and direct states to incorporate UDL textbooks and classrooms into their schools as soon as possible."

NCAC 3+2 Meeting in Washington, D.C. - Posted December 04, 2002

April 29-30, 2002: A 3+2 evaluation meeting took place in Washington, D.C. to determine whether the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC) will receive two additional years of funding. The meeting was conducted by the American Institute of Research (AIR) under contract to the Office of Special Education Programs. CAST staff Chuck Hitchcock, David Rose, Grace Meo, Richard Jackson, and Tracey Hall; together with Erica Perl from Harvard Law School and Chris Mason from the Council for Exceptional Children, presented the work of NCAC to a panel of national experts in special education and disability. NCAC also developed a 250-page briefing book to prepare panel members in advance of the presentations. During the last hour, the presenters fielded questions from the panel. Initial feedback has been very positive, and NCAC anticipates that they will receive the additional funding.

CAST Visits New York Department of Education - Posted December 04, 2002

March 25, 2002: Chuck Hitchcock, representing the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum, participated in a working session in Albany, New York to help provide guidance to schools required to comply with a new law and regulations relating to accessible formats for curriculum materials. The law requires that local schools establish policies for giving preference to publishers that provide curriculum materials in formats that will be accessible by all students, especially those with disabilities. Chuck brought recommendations for formats as well as information on Universal Design for Learning.

Meeting of the NCAC Advisory Board - Posted December 04, 2002

March 1, 2002: The National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC) hosted a meeting of its advisory board at CAST. Participating in the meeting were NCAC staff, NCAC partners from Harvard Law School, Boston College, and the Council for Exceptional Children; the NCAC Project Officer for the U.S. Office of Education, OSEP; and advisors Judy M. Zorfass, Allan Macurdy, Ted Sizer, Gerald Tindal, and Bill East. NCAC was especially pleased to be joined by Milli Pierce of the Principal's Center at Harvard Graduate School of Education and CAST's Board of Directors. The meeting included partner presentations of their newest work; presenters included Martha Minow, Jay Heubert, Erica Perl, and Tracey Hall. Chuck Hitchcock and David Rose facilitated the meeting.

Article Published in the Journal of Special Education Technology - Posted December 04, 2002

January 2002: Chuck Hitchcock published an article in the Fall 2001 issue of the Journal of Special Education Technology (JSET 16 (4) 2001). This special issue includes articles based on papers presented at the Office of Special Education Program's Fourth Technology Project Directors' Meeting. Chuck's article, "Balanced Instructional Support and Challenge in Universally Designed Learning Environments," envisions the classroom of 2006 while exploring a topic central to CAST: the potential of technology for teaching and learning, especially with respect to diverse learners. There are plans to incorporate these articles into a book.

National Teleconference Features Two NCAC Staffers - Posted December 04, 2002

December 11, 2001: Grace Meo and Chuck Hitchcock accepted an invitation from the University of Minnesota to present on Universal Design for Learning and the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC) during a monthly national teleconference hosted by the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition. Titled "Universal Design for Learning: Improved Opportunities for Access, Participation, and Progress," Chuck and Grace's presentation focused on Universal Design for Learning and research into the strengths and weaknesses of individual learners across three functional brain networks. The presentation helped to disseminate work to teachers and university professionals who listened and called in. A transcript is available at:

http://ici.umn.edu/ncset/events/transcripts/2001/12_11.html.

NCAC and Partners come together at Annual Meeting - March 29, 2001 - Posted June 26, 2001

The 2nd annual National Center Partner meeting was held on Thursday, March 29, 2001. Graciously hosted at the new offices of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in Arlington, Virginia, the NCAC partners and the US Office of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), came together to review and discuss the work of the past year, current activities and plans for the year ahead. Discussions regarding curriculum, teacher practice, policy, family advocacy and consensus building with general and special educators was substantative and essential for establishing future directions for NCAC and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

The meeting was chaired by Chuck Hitchcock, the NCAC Project Director. The vision for the work of the NCAC was provided by David Rose, the NCAC Principal Investigator. Participants included Lou Danielson, Bonnie Jones, Marlene Simon and Grace Duran of OSEP, Vanessa Yolles of the Harvard Children's Initiative, Jay Heubert of Columbia Teachers College, CEC's Christine Mason and June Behrmann, Deborah Leuchovius of PACER, Richard Jackson and David Scanlon of Boston College, and attending from CAST, Grace Meo, Kathy O'Connell, Lisa Poller, Lynn Coppinger, Roxanne Ruzic, Irma Gonzalez, and David Grogan.

TechIDEA's That Work - January 31-February 2, 2001 - Posted June 26, 2001

Sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the annual Project Director's conference quot;Look to the Future: TechIDEA's that Work for Learners with Disabilities" was held on January 31-February 2, 2001. This conference brought together Principal Investigators and staff from over 100 OSEP-funded projects that focus on technology to discuss predicted future trends for learners with disabilities.

The National Center was well represented at this event. An informative presentation on human cognition was given by NCAC's Principal Investigator, David Rose, and a technology demonstration was provided for members of Congress and staffers by CAST's Bart Pisha and Bridget Dalton. A Universal Design for Learning session was followed by a lively roundtable discussion.

Chuck Hitchcock, NCAC's Project Director, participated in the panel presentation, "Future Trends in Technology and Education" where he presented his futures paper titled, Balanced Instructional Support and Challenge in Universally Designed Learning Environments.

The First Annual Cadre Winter Institute - January 25, 2001 - Posted June 26, 2001

The National Center and the National Consortium for Universal Design for Learning presented to an audience of between 60-70 Cadre leaders from the ILIAD and ASPIIRE partnership on January 25, 2001. David Rose and Grace Meo presented the work of NCAC's first year and reviewed recent advances in neurology of learning and curriculum design that provide new hope for teachers of all students.

NCAC helps to provide "Keys to a Brighter Future" - January 25, 2001 - Posted June 26, 2001

On January 25, 2001, the National Center joined with Parent Centers serving families of children and youth with disabilities at the Fourth Annual Alliance Conference, "Keys to a Brighter Future," held in Washington, D.C. Chuck Hitchcock, representing NCAC, was a speaker on the panel, "Accessing the General Curriculum." More than 300 participants from parent training and information centers and community parent resource centers attended. Participants provide information and training to children with disabilities and their families on their rights and protections for a free, appropriate, public education.

A Capitol Hill reception for parents, educators, government administrators and members of Congress followed in the Senate Office Building. This event was sponsored by the PACER Center, Center for Exception Children, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, and others.

New Brain Research and Next Stage Technologies Draw Fifteen Education Associations - Jan/Feb 2001 - Posted June 26, 2001

This article, taken from the Council for Exceptional Children's publication Teaching Exceptional Children, Vol. 33, No. 3, Jan/Feb 2001, talks about a Universal Design for Learning workshop offered by NCAC's David Rose and Chuck Hitchcock.

To read about this UDL workshop: http://www.cast.org/ncac/index.cfm?i=1180.

Accessing the General Curriculum: Promoting a Universal Design for Learning at the American Youth Policy Forum - November 3, 2000 - Posted June 26, 2001

On November 3, 2000, NCAC's Principal Investigator, David Rose, and Project Director, Chuck Hitchcock, presented with Lou Danielson, Director, Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), at a lunchtime forum on Capitol Hill. This presentation and discussion-Accessing the General Curriculum: Promoting a Universal Design for Learning-was attended by more than fifty individuals representing organizations interested in education, disability and policy. The session was sponsored by the NEC Foundation.

National School Board Association's Technology and Learning Conference - October 25-28, 2000 - Posted June 26, 2001

NCAC along with the WGBH Media Access Group and the Policymaker Partnership presented at the NSBA's 14th Annual conference on October 25-28, 2000. The title of this well-received session: Accessible Technology: Necessary for Some and Beneficial to All, highlighted the USDOE initiatives funded by the National Science Foundation and the Office of Special Education Programs.

NCAC presents at Regional Conferences - Fall/Winter 2000 - Posted June 26, 2001

The NCAC Director and Principal Investigator present at the U.S. Department of Education's 7th Annual Regional Conferences on Improving America's Schools

September 18-26, 2000 - Sacramento, California
October 2-4, 2000 - Louisville, Kentucky
December 13-15, 2000 - Washington, D.C.

Accessing the General Curriculum and Universal Design for Learning Workshop - October 12, 2000 - Posted June 26, 2001

Coordinated by the Council for Exceptional Children, this Universal Design for Learning event was held on October 12, 2000, by the National Center for Accessing the Curriculum (NCAC) in the Cable in the Classroom's learning laboratory at George Mason University's Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human Disabilities in Fairfax, Virginia. In this informative workshop, CAST's David Rose and Chuck Hitchcock presented to representatives from fifteen national general education associations on how new brain research and next stage technologies are transforming the curriculum for all learners.

Recent OSEP Conference Participation by NCAC Staff - June 2000 - Posted June 26, 2001

OSEP's Transition and System Change Project Directors' Conference June 12-14, 2000
OSEP's Technical Assistance and Dissemination Conference June 13-15, 2000
OSEP's Research Project Directors' Conference July 12-14, 2000

NCAC Talks Organized by the PolicyMakers Partnership (PMP) - March 2000 - Posted June 26, 2001

In early March 2000, PMP organized and hosted talks pertaining to NCAC and UDL for the National State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), for the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and for the U.S. Office of Special Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

First National Center Partner Meeting held at CAST - February 23, 2000 - Posted June 26, 2001

On February 23, 2000, CAST hosted the first meeting of the project partners in Peabody, Massachusetts. This meeting was deemed essential for creating a cohesive working group and to create a shared vision of the National Center's work. General feedback following this session indicated enthusiasm for the work and optimism regarding the project objectives.

Interfaces Volume 6, Number 3 - Fall 1999 - Posted June 26, 2001

A Message from Martha L. Minow
Professor of Law, Harvard University
Research: National Center to Address Making the General Curriculum Accessible to All Learners

Page updated April 11, 2003

This Web Site was developed pursuant to cooperative agreement #H324H990004 under CFDA 84.324H between CAST and the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the Office of Special Education Programs and no endorsement by that office should be inferred.