CAST: Universal Design for Learning

 

Wakefield, MA, May 25, 2012 — CAST and Boston College’s Lynch School of Education announced today the appointment of two postdoctoral UDL Fellows for 2012-2013, part of a multi-year collaboration funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs to prepare leaders for the field of universal design for learning (UDL).

The UDL Fellows will be in residence at CAST beginning in September for one year and will collaborate with research scientists, policy experts, and teacher education professionals from CAST and Boston College on UDL-based projects in issues critical to growing the field of UDL.

"We are very pleased with the high qualifications these two new UDL fellows bring to the postdoctoral fellowship," says Richard Jackson, Principal Investigator of the project. "Once again our efforts have yielded two outstanding appointees for our UDL Postdoctoral Fellowship Award. Both candidates possess outstanding credentials and an impressive record of prior accomplishments in the areas of study they will be pursuing. Indeed, we are most fortunate to have two such talented individuals join our team as we move the project forward over the coming year with significant policy and practice initiatives."

The 2012-2013 UDL Fellows are:

Yvel C. Crevecoeur, Ph.D.
Dr. Crevecoeur is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at City College — City University of New York (CUNY), where he investigates ways to develop and measure evidence-based practices for English language learners with and without exceptional learning needs. Born in Haiti, he is a naturalized U.S. citizen with a doctorate in Special Education from the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education. He also holds degrees from the University of Bridgeport (CT) and Central Connecticut State University. From 1998 to 2005, Dr. Crevecoeur worked in the Stamford (CT) Public Schools as a 5^th grade teacher, a Haitian-Bilingual/ESL teacher, and a curriculum associate for staff development.

Louise G. Lord Nelson, Ph.D.
Since 2008, Dr. Nelson has served as UDL Coordinator for the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) in Columbus, IN. Her work there includes supporting the training of 750 teachers and 25 building-level leaders in UDL implementation. She has also co-led the district’s one-to-one technology pilot (one device per student) and served on a design team charged with revising BCSC’s teacher evaluation system. At CAST, Dr. Lord Nelson will focus on developing better supports for teachers, especially professional development and curriculum development, as they implement UDL. She earned her doctorate in Special Education from the University of Kansas, and holds degrees from Butler University in Indianapolis and Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH.

UDL Fellows receive a generous stipend, tuition credits at Boston College, a travel allowance and have access to the university’s and CAST’s resources and facilities.

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CAST is a nonprofit research and development organization that works to expand educational opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning. To learn more, go to www.cast.org.

CAST's Mission

To expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, through the research and development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies.

Did You Know...?

CAST has earned international acclaim for its efforts to make the World Wide Web more accessible to all learners through the development of tools like Bobby and CAST eReader.

A Word about CAST

"CAST...is revolutionizing the way reading is taught."
Robin Ray, Boston Herald family/technology columnist