The Accessible Learning Experience Podcast
The contents of this podcast were developed under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Education, #H327Z190004. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer: Rebecca Sheffield, Ph.D.
Turn learning barriers into learning opportunities by exploring the world of accessibility and Universal Design for Learning.
Each episode of The Accessible Learning Experience features interviews with national, state, and local leaders whose work focuses on turning learning barriers into learning opportunities. These leaders share their top tips and strategies for implementing accessibility best practices in a variety of settings. They also shine a spotlight on the partnerships and collaboration that are needed to create robust systems for the timely provision and use of accessible educational materials and technologies in support of inclusive teaching and learning practices. Episodes are released monthly and you can listen on the web through Anchor or through the podcast app of your choice.
Visit the podcast home on Anchor
Episodes
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Bonus Episode: July 2024
S.03, Ep.11: ADA Title II Updates and Requirements
National AEM Center at CAST
2024In April 2024, the United States Department of Justice issued a final rule requiring state and local governmental entities — including early childhood, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions — to ensure web or mobile app-based digital learning resources are appropriate for and usable by students with disabilities.
Blog Post: Explore the blog post titled Learning on the Go: ADA Title II Updates and Requirements to learn more about the final rule.
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June 2024
S.03, Ep.10: Get Ready for UDL Guidelines 3.0
National AEM Center at CAST
2024Explore the updates in version 3.0 of the UDL Guidelines with the team that lead the community-driven effort.
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May 2024
S.03, Ep.9: Accessibility in Correctional Settings
National AEM Center at CAST
2024On this episode, we are excited to welcome CAST Career and Technical Education and UDL trainer Donald Walker to the podcast. Donald is joined by Jennifer Montag, Director of Disability Services at Marion Technical College, which offers a number of programs that take place in a correctional setting.
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April 2024
S.03, Ep.8: An AAC User’s Perspective on Access and Inclusion with Jordyn Zimmerman
National AEM Center at CAST
2024On this episode, we would like to introduce Jordyn Zimmerman, a passionate educator and disability advocate who is currently the Head of Product Strategy at the Nora Project.
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March 2024
S.03, Ep.7: A Student’s Perspective: Connor Joyce
National AEM Center at CAST
2024A key goal for this podcast is to share the lived experience of learners who use and benefit from providing accessible educational materials and technologies. In that spirit, this month we are lucky to have Connor Joyce on the podcast.
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February 2024
S.03, Ep.06: What’s New from the Technical Assistance Centers at CAST
National AEM Center at CAST
2024On this episode, we would like to introduce our new AEM Center Project Director, Dr. Elizabeth Barker.
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January 2024
S.03, Ep.05: Inclusive Early Childhood Education for Students with Visual Impairments
National AEM Center at CAST
2024On this episode, Diana Garcia Mejia shares many practical tips and ideas for ensuring young learners with visual impairments get off to a strong start in their educational journey.
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December 2023
S.03, Ep.04: UDL, Accessibility, and Podcasting: A Conversation with Loui Lord Nelson
National AEM Center at CAST
2023For our final episode of 2023, we discuss UDL, accessibility and how Loui Lord Nelson has modeled both in the creation of her popular podcast UDL in 15 minutes.
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November 2023
S.03, Ep.03: Building Inclusive Technology Systems - Stories From CITES Districts
National AEM Center at CAST
2023CAST Senior Technical Assistance Specialist and CITES Project Director Maggie Pickett, talks with Janna, Samantha, and Bijul to pull back the curtain and share their stories about what worked to build and sustain inclusive technology ecosystems in their districts.
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October 2023
S.03, Ep.2: Fostering Inclusive Early Childhood Education
National AEM Center at CAST
2023CAST Technical Assistance Specialist Maggie Pickett is joined by Michelle Schladant and Austin Garilli from Step Up AT and Jani Kazlowski from ECTA to discuss how their respective centers are working to foster more inclusive learning in early childhood settings.
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September 2023
S.03, Ep.1: Collaboration for a Greater Impact: Digital Accessibility at the U.S. Department of Education
National AEM Center at CAST
2023We are excited to launch season 3 of the podcast with a conversation featuring Rebecca Sheffield from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and Ellery Robinson from the Office of Educational Technology (OET)
Season Two
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September 2022
S.02, Ep.01: It’s Not Cheating! Myth Busting
National AEM Center at CAST
2022Are using assistive technologies and accessible educational materials cheating? Find out in our season two opener.
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October 2022
S.02, Ep.02: Inclusive Workplaces
National AEM Center at CAST
2022Tune in to hear Dr. Eric Moore’s insights on how we can all work to create more inclusive workplaces.
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November 2022
S.02, Ep.03: Family Engagement & Inclusive Technology Practices
National AEM Center at CAST
2022Our guest Yokasta Urena shares her unique perspective on family engagement based on her lived experience as both the parent of a student with a disability and an education professional supporting families in a variety of roles.
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December 2022
S.02, Ep.04: Procurement as a Collaborative Process
National AEM Center at CAST
2022In this episode, a team from the Francis Howell school district in Missouri shares their process for collaboration across departments to support more inclusive procurement practices.
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January 2023
S.02, Ep.05: Technical Assistance at CAST
National AEM Center at CAST
2023CAST CEO Lindsay Jones hosts this special episode to discuss technical assistance with the entire TA team at CAST, spanning two national technical assistance centers.
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February 2023
S.02, Ep.06: Digital Accessibility at Virginia Tech
National AEM Center at CAST
2023Learn about the CALM, or Choose Accessible Learning Materials initiative helping drive digital accessibility at Virginia Tech in the latest episode.
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March 2023
S.02, Ep.07: Inclusive Learning 365
National AEM Center at CAST
2023Meet the authors of Inclusive Learning 365: Edtech Strategies for Every Day of the Year and listen in on their conversation about the importance of an inclusive mindset.
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April 2023
S.02, Ep.08: Systemic Improvement with States at the Design Table
National AEM Center at CAST
2023Learn more about ways to coordinate work around Universal Design for Learning across states to support more systemic and sustainable UDL implementation.
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May 2023
S.02, Ep.09: Emphasizing Accessibility in Virtual Learning Programs
National AEM Center at CAST
2023In this episode, CAST Disability and Digital Inclusion Lead Luis Perez chats with Mia Murphy and Chris Smith from the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS).
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June 2023
S.02, Ep.10: Intersectionality, UDL, and Communities of Belonging in Higher Ed
National AEM Center at CAST
2023Learn how one university celebrates the intersectionality and variability learners bring into our learning environments and through the application of UDL, create communities of belonging for all learners.
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Bonus Episode: July 2023
S.02 Ep.11: From Compliance to Culture: Digital Accessibility in South Carolina
National AEM Center at CAST
2023In this Season 2 bonus episode, we interview two members of the South Carolina Department of Education and discuss how they improved digital accessibility within the agency and for districts across the state.
Season One
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October 2021
S.01, Ep.01: Accessibility at CAST, The Early Years
National AEM Center at CAST
2021In part 1 of our three-part interview, CAST co-founders David Rose and Skip Stahl look back to the early years of accessibility at CAST and the work that laid the foundation for a number of innovations that continue to shape the field of education today.
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November 2021
S.01, Ep.02: Accessibility at CAST, Moving into Policy
National AEM Center at CAST
2021In part 2 of our three-part series focusing on the history of accessibility at CAST, CAST co-founder Skip Stahl picks up the story from David Rose in the mid-1990s, when CAST becomes more involved in the world of policy in order to have a broader impact.
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December 2021
S.01, Ep.03: Accessibility at CAST, The Legacy Continues
National AEM Center at CAST
2021In the conclusion of our three-part series exploring the history of accessibility at CAST, co-founders Skip Stahl and David Rose reflect on how that history continues to inspire and inform the work of the technical assistance centers based at CAST.
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January 2022
S.01, Ep.04: A State-District Partnership for Accessibility in Georgia
National AEM Center at CAST
2022In this episode, Carson Cochran, from the Georgia Department of Education, and Somer Smith, from Marietta City Schools, share the insights and lessons they have learned through their collaboration as part of the National AEM Cohort.
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February 2022
S.01, Ep.05: Oklahoma’s Five Star Rubric Promotes Accessibility in Workforce Development
National AEM Center at CAST
2022In this episode, our guests from Oklahoma share how they collaborated on a Five Star Rubric that will drive continuous improvement on accessibility for workforce development agencies throughout the state.
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March 2022
S.01, Ep.06: How Assistive Technology Opens the Door to Opportunity in Oregon
National AEM Center at CAST
2022In this episode, our guests from the Tigard-Tualatin School District in Oregon share powerful personal and professional stories highlighting the power of assistive technology and accessible educational materials.
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April 2022
S.01, Ep.07: Stepping Up for Young Children with Disabilities with Assistive Technology
National AEM Center at CAST
2022In this episode, our friends from Step Up AT explain how they are addressing the challenge of building capacity for the effective use of AT in the diverse settings where young children with disabilities and their families receive services.
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May 2022
S.01, Ep.08: Making Learning Inclusive with Clusive
National AEM Center at CAST
2022In this episode, Lynn McCormack and Kristin Robinson from the Clusive team join us to explain the many accessibility features and Universal Design for Learning supports that are built into Clusive to create a more personalized learning environment that adapts to individual needs and preferences of each learner.