A look at all CAST does
We are committed to making learning accessible, effective, and inclusive. From schools to workplaces and any other learning space, our many resources elevate strengths and empower lifelong learners.
Group of diverse college students working together on a project in a classroom setting - Teamwork, diversity, and collaboration, with students engaged in discussion and study activities.
Grounded in scientific research
Barriers to learning are in education design, not individual learners. At CAST, we guide and empower the global community in breaking down these barriers. Grounded in scientific research and educational expertise, our services, programs, tools, and publications uphold quality and strive for continuous improvement.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
The UDL framework drives all of CAST’s initiatives, serving as the foundation for our work. Inspired by advances in cognitive neuroscience research, UDL offers an approach that incorporates what we know about the learning brain to inform the design of environments that reach all learners. The UDL Guidelines are a set of principles and recommendations we’ve developed to assist in the application of UDL.
PreK-12 Professional Development
We offer co-designed, flexible, and budget-conscious options for PreK through 12th-grade educators, schools, and districts. With UDL, we help implement new practices to create inclusive classroom environments and empower learners and educators alike.
Postsecondary Professional Development
We help harness the considerable power of educators in postsecondary education to design proactively for all learners. By partnering with community and technical colleges, four-year institutions, and apprenticeship programs to implement UDL-based strategies and tools, we allow them to reach further and higher.
Workforce Professional Development
Learning is a lifelong practice. The modern workforce can recognize, recruit, and retain diverse talent by adopting a learning design that trains, empowers, and inspires all learners. We guide productive and insightful learning design that engages everyone from students exploring career options to the C-suite.
Research is the key to effective learning strategies
Research drives our initiatives, informing the design, development, testing, and dissemination of innovative educational practices, products, and recommendations that the global community can trust.
Your partners in accessibility
CAST has a long history of expertise and leadership in accessibility, accessible materials, and assistive and inclusive technologies. Our AEM Center at CAST provides customized support so that all individuals, including those with disabilities — from early childhood through the workforce — have equal access to materials and technologies to help reach their goals.
Publishing that inspires and informs
We publish exceptional media products from top UDL thought leaders and champions. Explore inspiring resources by Katie Novak, Andratesha Fritzgerald, Loui Lord Nelson, and other leading practitioners for works that nurture and inform.
Discovering better ways to teach, together
We partner with schools, institutions, federal, state, and local agencies, as well as corporations, to infuse UDL into research-based practice. We harness these partnerships for fresh perspectives and entrepreneurial solutions to educational questions. Together — with our partners — we can ensure accessible, effective, and rewarding education for all.
Evidence & Support
CAST has a proud history of collaborating and raising support for UDL around the world. As a trusted evidence hub for the global UDL community, we collect and share examples and research confirming the transformative power of Universal Design for Learning.