UDL Workshop Requests
Upcoming UDL-Related Sessions
Expand each accordion panel below for upcoming session descriptions and registration information. Come chat with and learn from our community through the UDL Conversations Series. Visit the U of T Teaching and Learning Calendar for more teaching and learning events.
Note: (M) = Monday, (T) = Tuesday, (W) = Wednesday, (R) = Thursday, (F) = Friday
Until Jan. 7 (T): Exhibition "The Whole World in Our Hands"
From Tuesday, September 3, 2024 to Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in person
Exhibition curated by Jacqui Usiskin
The Whole World in Our Hands is an invitation to break apart, remodel, and act out new grammars of empathy and togetherness. Composed of public artworks, experiential workshops, and a film made by, for, and with disabled artists and collaborators, this program asks: how does the presence of blindness, deafness, illness, and neurodiversity nurture a language that is sensed rather than spoken? What are the syntaxes of touch, smell, sound, and movement? With the understanding that everyone plays a role in how disability is experienced, The Whole World in Our Hands embraces our shared responsibility for making livable worlds for all.
The Whole World in Our Hands extends across six public sites at UTM, including four outdoor lightboxes, a forest clearing, and a screen at the entrance to the campus Meeting Place (Davis Building), as well as through an open research forum, film screening, and guide for sensorial engagement.
Jan. 14 (T): Digital Document and Web Accessibility Fundamentals
Tuesday, January 14, from 9 am to 12 pm, online
Facilitated by Chris Sabatinos, Web Accessibility Specialist, (AODA)
This session focuses on accessible content creation practices. Techniques for conceptualizing, creating and maintaining accessible documents will be discussed and how to build these into department wide processes. A heavy emphasis is placed on why those techniques are important, and the ramifications of formatting decisions.
Register for Digital Document and Web Accessibility Fundamentals
Jan. 14 (T): UDL Conversation with Chris Sabatinos
Tuesday, January 14, from 1:30 pm to 2 pm, online
Facilitated by Chris Sabatinos, Web Accessibility Specialist, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Office
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that leverages the values of accessibility and inclusion in designing accessible, inclusive, and usable methods, materials, and environments that reduce learning barriers and welcome learner variability.
The UDL Conversations Series highlights practices and considerations from U of T staff and instructors. Starting Winter 2025, come chat with and learn from our community in fostering accessible and inclusive teaching and learning for all.
Jan. 22 (W) & 23 (R): Web Content Accessibility Crash Course (2 days)
Wednesday, January 22, and Thursday, January 23, from 9 am to 12 pm, online
Facilitated by Ben Poynton, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Officer and Chris Sabatinos, Web Accessibility Specialist, (AODA)
This session aims to give a foundation or refresher for website content editors on web accessibility fundamentals. Participants will learn about Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) and how they apply to the AODA, what this means for their role at the University and provide a foundation for discussion of web accessibility with different types of stakeholders. Suggested tools and techniques will be discussed for making sure the greatest number of people can use your content with emphasis on structure of information. Participants will work alone and in groups using accessibility checking tools to identify content accessibility issues with live websites.
Jan. 22 (W): Accessible Events
Wednesday, January 22, from 1 pm to 3 pm
Facilitated by Ben Poynton, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Officer
This session will provide event professionals at the University with some key resources, tips and techniques to facilitate accessible hybrid events. Participants will be reminded of our obligations to create accessible spaces in online and physical environments, introduced to accessible facilitation techniques, and provided with advice on how to seamlessly integrate online and in-person experiences to maximize accessibility.
Feb. 3 (M): UDL Conversation with Cheryl Lepard
Monday, February 3, from 1:30 pm to 1 pm, online
Facilitated by Cheryl Lepard, Educational Developer, Universal Design for Learning, Centre for Teaching and Learning, UTSC
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that leverages the values of accessibility and inclusion in designing accessible, inclusive, and usable methods, materials, and environments that reduce learning barriers and welcome learner variability.
The UDL Conversations Series highlights practices and considerations from U of T staff and instructors. Starting Winter 2025, come chat with and learn from our community in fostering accessible and inclusive teaching and learning for all.
Feb. 11 (T): Digital Document and Web Accessibility Fundamentals
Tuesday, February 11, from 9 am to 12 pm, online
Facilitated by Chris Sabatinos, Web Accessibility Specialist, (AODA)
This session focuses on accessible content creation practices. Techniques for conceptualizing, creating and maintaining accessible documents will be discussed and how to build these into department wide processes. A heavy emphasis is placed on why those techniques are important, and the ramifications of formatting decisions.
Register for Digital Document and Web Accessibility Fundamentals
Feb. 11 (T): Universal Design 101
Tuesday, February 11, from 1 pm to 3 pm, online
Facilitated by Ben Poynton, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Officer
This session will provide all staff with key resources, tips and techniques to support the embedding of universal design principles in all aspects of their work. Participants will be introduced to the concepts and principles of universal design, provided with guidance on what spaces, built and not, universal design has been applied, and given advice on what aspects of university administration and services can be designed using this concept. Participants will leave this session with practical strategies for applying universal design to their own roles.
Feb. 18 (T): Accessible Social Media
Tuesday, February 18, from 1 pm to 3 pm, online
Facilitated by Chris Sabatinos, Web Accessibility Specialist, (AODA)
This session will provide communications professionals with key resources, tips and techniques to support the development and creation of accessible social media content. Participants will be reminded of our obligations, legal and social, to create accessible content, provided with guidance on common social media platform accessibility features, and given advice on how to design accessible content within social media apps. Participants will also be introduced to the importance of using of accessible language within social media posts.
Feb. 24 (M): Language, Ableism & Inclusion
Monday, February 24, from 2 pm to 4 pm, online
Facilitated by Reshma Dhrodia, Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Faculty of Music and Ben Poynton, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Officer
This session will provide participants with a foundational knowledge on how communication and language can create barriers to accessibility, and how to address these barriers. Participants will be (re-) introduced to AODA guidelines for accessible communication, language and terms that may be problematic, invited to consider how language changes over time, and to discuss how this knowledge might change interactions with all members of the University community moving forward.
Feb. 27 (R): UDL Conversation with Laura McKinley
Thursday, February 27, from 12:30 pm to 1 pm, online
Facilitated by Laura McKinley, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Accessible Pedagogy Coordinator, Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, UTM
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that leverages the values of accessibility and inclusion in designing accessible, inclusive, and usable methods, materials, and environments that reduce learning barriers and welcome learner variability.
The UDL Conversations Series highlights practices and considerations from U of T staff and instructors. Starting Winter 2025, come chat with and learn from our community in fostering accessible and inclusive teaching and learning for all.
Quercus and Educational Technology Consultations
Available from December 9 to 13, 16 to 20, and January 6 to 10, 13 to 17, between 10 am and 4 pm
Book a 30-minute consultation with a Faculty Liaison from the Teaching, Learning and Technology team at the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) to discuss accessibility questions you have related to your Quercus and educational technology for your upcoming course(s).
Past UDL Webinars
Equity Roundtable: Universal Design for Learning: Engaging All of Your Students
Join Ben Poynton, AODA Officer, U of T and Cristina D’Amico, Faculty Liaison Coordinator, Graduate Student Development & TA Training for a roundtable on the opportunities and affordances of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—a set of principles for curriculum development and engagement that strives to give all students equal opportunities to learn.
Exploring Captioning and Transcription Tools
In this webinar, we will explore the various options for generating captions and transcripts for rich media-based content (Audio/Video).
Making Learning Accessible: Accessibility Services and Accommodations
In this round table webinar, we will explore the AODA requirements for accessibility and accommodation at the University of Toronto.