On-Line Handout for American Youth Policy Forum

Accessing the General Curriculum: Promoting a Universal Design for Learning

This event is made possible through a grant from the NEC Foundation of America.

This Page: http://www.cast.org/aypf/reference

About CAST

Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to expand opportunities for individuals with disabilities through the development of and innovative uses of technology. We pursue this mission through research, product development, and work in schools and educational settings that further Universal Design for Learning.

Through its applied research program, CAST investigates the needs of diverse learners and the effectiveness of Universal Design for Learning teaching tools and strategies in a variety of real-life contexts. Research is conducted in classrooms, homes and community organizations, and, increasingly, via the Internet. Support for this research comes from government agencies, foundations, corporations, other not-for-profit agencies, and individual donors. Applied research informs CAST's concept development and product design.

Product development at CAST focuses on the creation of accessible curricula and software that are defining the evolving standards of Universal Design for Learning. Current CAST products include a software tool designed to support learners of all ages who may lack the skills needed to read materials independently; evaluation tools for World Wide Web accessibility; and supported learning tools and curriculum in the areas of literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies. Products are developed in-house as well as in partnership with major educational publishers and university-based researchers.

For more information about CAST and its work: http://www.cast.org/

About The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is a component of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which is one of the principal components of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In addition to OSEP, OSERS includes the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). OSEP's mission and organization focus on the free appropriate public education of children and youth with disabilities from birth through age 21.

For more information about OSEP and its work: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/

National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC)

In a collaborative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, CAST has established a National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum to provide a vision of how new curricula, teaching practices, and policies can be woven together to create practical approaches for access to the general curriculum by students with disabilities. This five-year project brings together OSEP and five key partners: Boston College, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Harvard University, and the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER) to effect change that will improve learning outcomes for all students.

December 1, 1999 and November 30, 2004, Agreement Number H324H990004
Bonnie D. Jones, Project Officer, U.S. Department of Education
David Rose, Principal Investigator, CAST
Chuck Hitchcock, Project Director, CAST

For learn more about NCAC: http://www.cast.org/ncac

Universal Design for Learning - What is UDL?

Drawing on new brain research and innovative media technologies to respond to individual learner differences, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a new paradigm for teaching, learning and assessment. For UDL to become a reality in schools, we need flexible materials from curriculum developers; policies that support individualized goals, learning methods, and assessment; professional development practices that support educators in the UDL approach. But implementing UDL is ultimately the province of teachers. With true learning and engagement for each student as the goal, teachers reframe learning goals, teaching techniques, materials and assessment, individualizing for each learner with the help of flexible learning tools and media.

No single curriculum or software program can provide all of the flexibility needed to create a UDL environment. This requires assembling a variety of tools, programs, materials, and Web sites that can be used in different combinations for different learners and for different teaching purposes. The flexibility comes in part from the collection itself, which enables varied approaches for reaching a given instructional goal, and in part from the inherent flexibility of each component.

To learn more about UDL: http://www.cast.org/udl/

UDL Tools and Resources

Education requires both challenge and resistance, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)- the framework developed by CAST for teaching, learning, and the development, selection, and use of curriculum- requires careful attention to the goals of any given learning experience when selecting curriculum materials. UDL, as conceptualized by CAST, strives to make the curriculum adjustable for students with varied abilities and learning styles rather than forcing students to work with a set curriculum with inflexible materials. The tools and resources described on these linked pages support UDL concepts.

For UDL Tools and Resources: http://www.cast.org/udl/ToolsResources3.cfm

CAST eReader

Available both in Macintosh and Windows versions, the CAST eReader adds spoken voice, visual highlighting, document navigation, or page navigation to any electronic text. The software can take content from any source--the Internet, word processing files, scanned-in text, or typed-in text-and combine it with the most powerful features of talking and reading software.

For information, contact Gabrielle King 39 Cross Street, Peabody, MA 01960; Toll Free: 888-858-9994; Fax: 978-531-0192; E-mail: gking@cast.org

To find out more about the CAST eReader: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=211

Bobby

This leading Web-based program is helping designers make sites accessible to the largest possible number of people, including those with disabilities. Bobby identifies accessibility problems on Web pages and teaches how to correct these problems. It also illustrates how Web pages will look via different browsers. Bobby is a free public service supported by these year 2000 corporate sponsors: IBM's Special Needs System, Microsoft Accessibility, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, Sun Microsystems Enabling Technologies Program, and HalfthePlanet.com.

For more information about Bobby: http://www.cast.org/bobby

The Strategic Reader: Textbooks Today, Web Tomorrow

To support higher level reading comprehension in high school students with learning disabilities, this formative research project is refining and further developing the CAST eReader as a strategic reading tool, providing text mark-up guidelines for publishers of digital textbooks, and creating instructional techniques for the use of the resulting tool and enhanced content. This project is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education.

Engaging the Text: Reciprocal Teaching and Questioning Strategies in a Scaffolded Learning Environment

This research project seeks to determine the effectiveness of the highly regarded Reiprocal Teaching Method (RTM) for developing active reading comprehension strategies in combination with the use of traditional curricular content that has been significantly enhanced (using the CAST eReader) through digital text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies. This project is expected to a yield the design of a new instructional approach to improve reading comprehension in middle school students with learning disabilities. This project is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education.

eTrekker - A Web Learning and Productivity Software Tool

This two-year research and development project is creating a product, eTrekker, for Web-based learning and productivity. The software tool is expected to help students with learning disabilities to plan, search, analyze, read, organize, and present information from the Web.

Professional Development

Guided by the framework of Universal Design for Learning, representatives of CAST assist teams of regular and special educators, administrators, and instructional resource coordinators to effect systemic change at the district, state, and national levels.

For additional information: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=171

National Consortium on Universal Design for Learning

CAST recently announced the formation of the National Consortium on UDL, a community of educators and other professionals dedicated to developing systemic practice models that better serve the educational needs of all students, including those with disabilities. The principles of Universal Design for Learning are central to the mission of the National Consortium.

For more information about Consortium: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=359

Wiggleworks

The Scholastic Beginning Literacy System is an inclusive early literacy curriculum co-developed by CAST and Scholastic Inc. Universal design features make WiggleWorks a flexible tool for teaching literacy skills to diverse learners and working with mixed ability groups in classrooms.

For more about Wiggleworks: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=216

Reading in the Computer Age

"In Learning to Read in the Computer Age, authors Anne Meyer and David Rose provide a thoughtful book that will help educate teachers in the theories and uses of computers for the teaching of reading. It presents rich knowledge both about computers and about the process of learning to read, relating computers to theories of the brain and to the teaching of reading skills and strategies. It also shows how computers can enhance student motivation and engagement."

(from the preface by Jeanne S. Chall, Series Editor and John F. Onofrey, Editor).

To read the book on-line: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=18

The Future is in the Margins: The Role of Technology and Disability in Educational Reform

This paper was prepared under contract to the American Institutes for Research on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology (Contract 282-98-0029).

To read this white paper: http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=542

CAST Contacts: