Jean Whitney

Memorable Experience(s) with CAST: 

I was Executive Director of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation during the time when we supported CAST in 2008-2009 for the Read-with-Me eBooks Project. During this period, the Foundation was very interested in supporting assistive technology for persons with disabilities. This project was an outstanding example of Universal Desgn for Learning (UDL), benefitting all learners who may be struggling with their reading skills. The President of the Foundation, Ronny Zinner, and I went CAST's headquarters in Wakefield to see first-hand how this project worked. Not only were we impressed with the project itself, but we were able to get a complete tutorial on UDL - now understood worldwide to be an educational practice that benefits all kinds of learners.

What Does CAST Mean to You?

To me, CAST represents a powerful effort to make learning more inclusive and eqitable. Not only is this important for students with disabilities, but it also helps to address barriers faced by so many other students who, for one reason or another, struggle with curricula in one or more areas. CAST's work with teachers, school administrators and others to teach the UDL appraoch ensures that implementation adheres to key components of the model and promises a more widespread use of it.

How has CAST Changed Over the Years?

While I have not had close contact with CAST over the years, it appears that its influence has only expanded - not only through projects in different areas of curricula, but also geographically and through inflencing public policy in education, the latter of which is an important measure of its impact.

What Are You Most Excited About CAST Celebrating its 40th Anniversary?

What excites me is that CAST is still here, pushing for equitable and inclusive learning for all. There is still much work to be done - more educators need to learn themselves about the potential of UDL to better serve their diverse students and about how they can tap exisitng resources to implement it in their classrooms.