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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Workshop for Student Affairs

Whether you are looking to strengthen accessibility within your programs, rethink how students experience your services, improve engagement and communication, or build more inclusive systems across your area of practice, this workshop offers a collaborative space to explore Universal Design for Learning in meaningful, practical, and actionable ways.

About the Workshop

Student affairs professionals are increasingly being asked to create student experiences that are accessible, inclusive, flexible, and responsive to a wide range of learner needs, often within systems, processes, and environments that were not originally designed with learner variability in mind.

Many practitioners are navigating growing accessibility expectations, communication fatigue, shifting patterns of student engagement, increasingly diverse learner needs, and pressure to create meaningful experiences that support belonging and success for all students. At the same time, much of the work within student affairs still relies on reactive approaches that require students to adapt to systems after barriers have already emerged.

This professional learning workshop introduces participants to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a practical and proactive framework for creating more accessible, equitable, and student-centred experiences across post-secondary environments.

Grounded in reflection, application, and real-world student affairs practice, this workshop moves beyond accommodation-based thinking toward designing programs, services, communications, systems, and environments that are accessible by default.

Rather than retrofitting accessibility after barriers arise, participants will explore how intentional design can create more flexible, responsive, and supportive student experiences from the outset.

Learning Experience

Through a series of interactive virtual sessions, participants will explore how UDL principles can be applied across a wide range of student affairs contexts, including programming, advising, communications, student support services, residence life, leadership development, and departmental processes.

Participants will engage with practical examples, collaborative discussion, guided reflection, and applied activities designed to help identify barriers, rethink existing practices, and explore more inclusive approaches to student engagement and support.

Throughout the workshop, participants will examine the “pinch points” within their own systems, communications, events, services, and student-facing processes while building practical strategies that can be adapted and implemented within their professional contexts.

The workshop is designed to support both immediate application and longer-term reflection, helping practitioners move from reactive problem-solving toward more intentional and sustainable approaches to accessibility and inclusion within student affairs practice.

Who This Workshop is For

This workshop is designed for student affairs practitioners across functional areas who are responsible for designing, delivering, supporting, coordinating, or communicating student experiences.

This may include professionals working in:

• student life and engagement
• orientation, transition, leadership, and peer programs
• academic advising and student success
• residence life and campus community building
• accessibility, wellness, and student support services
• career development and international student support
• communications, marketing, digital content, and student-facing systems
• teaching and learning support or co-curricular learning initiatives
• program coordination, student programming, and campus events

Whether participants work directly with students, oversee programs and services, coordinate events, shape communications, or contribute to institutional processes, this workshop is designed to help practitioners create more accessible, inclusive, and flexible student experiences from the beginning.

What Participants Will Gain

Participants will leave with:

• a stronger understanding of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles within student affairs contexts
• practical strategies to reduce barriers and create more accessible and inclusive student experiences
• tools to evaluate programs, services, communications, systems, and events through a UDL lens
• approaches for designing with learner variability, accessibility, and engagement in mind from the outset
• strategies to improve flexibility, participation, communication clarity, and student engagement across student-facing work
• practical examples, implementation ideas, and reflection tools that can be adapted within their own professional contexts
• increased confidence in identifying barriers and rethinking existing practices through a more proactive and inclusive approach
• a personalized action plan that can be adapted and implemented within their own area of practice

Delivery Format

Virtual workshop delivered via Zoom.

2026 UDL Workshop Dates

Session One — Wednesday, October 14
Session Two — Wednesday, October 21
Session Three — Wednesday, October 28

Time

Sessions run from:

• 10:00am–12:00pm PST
• 11:00am–1:00pm MST
• 1:00pm–3:00pm EST
• 2:00pm–4:00pm AST

Each session is approximately 2 hours.

Facilitator

Janalee Morris is an accessibility, equity, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) specialist with more than 20 years of experience in higher education, student affairs, curriculum development, and inclusive teaching practices across Canada. Her work is grounded in values-driven approaches to accessibility, belonging, learner empowerment, and creating more equitable and compassionate educational environments where students feel supported, understood, and able to thrive.

She has held leadership and practitioner roles at Bow Valley College, Mount Royal University, the University of Manitoba, and other post-secondary institutions in areas including learner equity, diversity and inclusion, accessibility services, academic strategy, disability services, and inclusive learning design.

Janalee brings extensive experience as an educator, facilitator, instructional designer, and curriculum developer. She has taught and developed courses in disability studies, student success, anthropology, and inclusive education, and has facilitated equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility-focused learning initiatives within post-secondary environments.

Her research and consulting work has focused on disability, accessibility, inclusive pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, academic integrity, and student success. Her work includes published research in Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, national and international disability studies collaborations, and institutional initiatives focused on advancing accessibility and inclusion within higher education systems.

In addition to her institutional and research work, Janalee has served on numerous provincial and national committees and advisory groups related to accessibility, disability advocacy, and inclusive post-secondary education, including the Canadian Association of College & University Student Services (CACUSS) Access & Inclusion Leadership Team and the Canadian Higher Education Universal Design for Learning Collective.

Registration Rates

Early bird rate in effect until August 30, 2026.

CACUSS Member Rate

Early bird: $249 + applicable taxes. After 8/30: $279

Non-Member Rate

Early bird: $299 + applicable taxes. After 8/30: $329

Registration includes access to all workshop sessions and related materials.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations must be received in writing (via email) at least 7 days prior to the workshop. Refunds requested less than one week before the workshop will not be issued.

Approved cancellations will receive a refund minus a $40 administration fee.

In extenuating circumstances, registrations may be transferred to another participant with a $20 administration fee.