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Universal Design for Learning – Access for All Webinar Series Spring 2026

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) at SUNY is proud to continue to offer the Access for All Webinar Series. This series of one-hour online webinars addresses topics of interest related to digital accessibility in higher education, with a focus on supporting instructors, staff and students in developing content and assignments that aligns with the Title II requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Sessions emphasize discipline-specific strategies and explore how students can create accessible materials that support their peers.

Learn more and register on the Access for all Webinar Series website

Spring 2026 Webinar Schedule

Disability, Ableism and Digital Accessibility

  • March 4th, 2026, from 2:00PM-3:00PM
  • Utilizing a Disability Studies lens, this webinar will explore cultural understandings of disability and accessibility challenges that occur in higher education and society, highlighting the experiences of disabled people. Attendees will explore ableism as a form of oppression, identify its presence in social and cultural contexts, and examine the impact of ableism on disabled and non-disabled individuals. Participants will discover how ableism is replicated in society and institutions of higher education and identify ways to make our communities more inclusive of all bodies and minds. We will also examine how ableism manifests in a pervasive lack of accessibility in physical, social, and digital spaces and identify effective approaches for mitigating these accessibility barriers. The webinar will emphasize the importance of faculty engagement in digital accessibility work to meet Title II requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the importance of accessible materials for all students.

Beyond the Image: Writing Alt Text That Includes Everyone

  • March 11th, 2026, from 12:00PM-1:00PM
  • Alternative text and image descriptions are an essential part of inclusive design. Join us for a deep dive into writing effective alternative text, with real-world examples of charts, graphs, diagrams, and even infographics. Learn tips for leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help you write alternative text. You will leave this session equipped with the skills to ensure every student gets the full picture.

Accessible Math: Steps to More Inclusive Math Content

  • March 18th, 2026, from 2:00PM-3:00PM
  • Math materials often utilize expressions with seemingly arcane symbols and notation, graphs and diagrams, and spatial reasoning—features that can create access barriers for many students. This session explores the unique accessibility challenges of mathematical content and offers practical strategies to improve clarity and inclusion. Participants will explore why math content presents unique accessibility challenges and review examples of inaccessible math and accessible math. The session will focus on practical workflows for creating accessible math from the start, including using accessible equation editors, writing effective descriptions of graphs and notation, structuring problem sets for flexibility, and checking materials with accessibility tools. Participants leave ready to identify common barriers in their own math materials and apply at least one strategy to make math content more accessible for all students.

Helping STEM (and Other) Students Understand and Create More Accessible Content

  • March 25th, 2026, from 12:00PM-1:00PM
  • While faculty can provide accessible materials for students, it's not always clear what that means to the students. This webinar talks about ways to show students the benefits for accessible content and how they can make sure materials they create are more accessible. Many of the techniques are straightforward to demonstrate and use. There are additional benefits to students if they use these techniques that instructors can demonstrate, beyond accessibility. What’s in to for students? They can promote their ability to create and understand accessible materials as they search for jobs. Students thrive with transparent and explicit instruction, which includes clear understanding of not only the “rules” and requirements of course work, but also its underlying principles and purposes. This session introduces participants to strategies, resources, and tools for embedding accessible, inclusive practices in communication and problem-solving in any course. In addition, participants will explore how to prepare and integrate straightforward, ready-to-use “templates” into course work and student products such as assignments, documents, presentations, and digital artifacts.

More information and other UDL course offerings can be found on the Universal Design for Learning at SUNY website.

Questions? Please reach out to cpdinfo@suny.edu

Submitted by: Brooke L. Capotosto