Conference Agenda
Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 19th Aug 2026, 21:28:44 EET
|
Daily Overview |
| Session | ||
04 SES 10 A: Interrogating Universal Design for Learning 3.0: Inclusion, Agency, and Persistent Barriers in Education
Research Workshop | ||
    | ||
04. Inclusive Education
Research Workshop Interrogating Universal Design for Learning 3.0: Inclusion, Agency, and Persistent Barriers in Education Maynooth University, Ireland Presenting Author:Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has become a dominant framework for inclusive education across European and international contexts. With the release of UDL 3.0, the framework signals a significant shift in emphasis—placing stronger focus on learner agency, contextual barriers, and the systemic conditions that enable or constrain participation. While this evolution has been widely welcomed, there remains limited critical interrogation of what UDL 3.0 enables, what it leaves unresolved, and how it is interpreted and enacted within real educational systems. This workshop invites participants to critically engage with UDL 3.0 as a framework for inclusive education, rather than treating it as a neutral or purely technical solution. The workshop is guided by a set of critical questions central to inclusive education debates:
The theoretical framing draws on social models of disability, which locate barriers within educational systems rather than individual learners, and on rights-based perspectives, which position access, participation, and agency as entitlements rather than accommodations. UDL 3.0 is treated not as a finished solution, but as a living framework that must be interrogated, contextualised, and contested in practice. The purpose of the workshop is threefold. First, it aims to support participants to develop a critical and reflective understanding of UDL 3.0, beyond surface-level implementation. Second, it seeks to connect participants’ lived experiences—whether as educators, leaders, policymakers, or researchers—to the updated framework, making visible tensions between inclusive ideals and institutional realities. Third, it aims to foster empowerment and agency, enabling participants to identify meaningful, context-sensitive actions that advance inclusion within their own settings. Although the workshop is practice-facing, it is explicitly grounded in inclusive education theory and research, making it suitable for an ECER audience. Its relevance extends across European contexts, as many education systems face similar challenges: standardisation, performativity, digitalisation, and uneven recognition of learner diversity. By interrogating UDL 3.0 collectively, the workshop contributes to European dialogue on how inclusion can be enacted ethically, critically, and systemically. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used This workshop is designed as an interactive, participatory learning space, reflecting UDL principles of engagement, representation, and action & expression. It is suitable for participants with beginner to intermediate familiarity with UDL, while also offering depth for more experienced practitioners. The session begins with a brief, accessible overview of key developments in UDL 3.0, highlighting shifts in structure, language, and emphasis on learner agency. Rather than presenting UDL 3.0 as prescriptive, this introduction positions it as a framework open to critique, interpretation, and contextual adaptation. Participants will then engage in facilitated small-group and whole-group discussions, structured around critical questions aligned with inclusive education and disability studies. These discussions encourage participants to: Reflect on their current engagement with UDL Identify assumptions underpinning their practice or institutional approaches Examine where UDL 3.0 aligns—or conflicts—with lived realities in their contexts Multiple modes of participation will be offered, including spoken discussion, written reflection, and visual mapping of ideas, ensuring accessibility for a diverse audience. Participants are encouraged to draw on their own experiences, institutional roles, and disciplinary perspectives, recognising these as valid forms of knowledge. Throughout the workshop, attention is paid to student experience and participation, particularly where inclusive intentions have not translated into inclusive outcomes. Participants are invited to consider how power, voice, and decision-making operate within their institutions, and how UDL 3.0 might be used to disrupt exclusionary practices rather than reproduce them. The final phase of the workshop focuses on action and agency. Participants will individually identify one realistic, context-specific strategy or shift—pedagogical, organisational, or policy-oriented—that they can take forward. This emphasis on achievable change aligns with ECER criteria for relevance and impact, while avoiding simplistic “quick fixes”. The workshop is deliberately dialogic rather than didactic, modelling inclusive pedagogy while creating space for critical engagement, disagreement, and shared learning. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed a critical, informed, and reflective understanding of UDL 3.0 and its implications for inclusive education. Rather than viewing UDL 3.0 as a neutral framework, participants will be equipped to interrogate how it is shaped by, and operates within, broader educational systems. Key outcomes include: Enhanced understanding of how UDL 3.0 aligns with social models of disability and rights-based inclusion Increased awareness of persistent barriers that remain despite inclusive frameworks Greater confidence in questioning institutional norms and assumptions around teaching, learning, and assessment A personalised, actionable strategy for advancing accessibility, participation, or learner agency in participants’ own contexts The workshop contributes to inclusive education research and practice by modelling how critical engagement with frameworks can coexist with practical action. It reinforces the importance of families, learners, and marginalised voices in shaping inclusive design, aligning with the Inclusive Education Network’s emphasis on empowerment and participation. At a European level, the workshop supports cross-context dialogue about the opportunities and tensions associated with UDL 3.0, offering insights that are transferable across higher education, further education, and policy environments. It positions UDL not as an endpoint, but as a site for ongoing critical inquiry within inclusive education. References CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, Version 3.0. Wakefield, MA: CAST. 3.0 Florian, L. (2014). What counts as evidence of inclusive education? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 29(3), 286–294. Gibson, S. (2015). When rights are not enough: What is? Moving towards new pedagogy for inclusive education within UK universities. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19(8), 875–886. Oliver, M. (1996). Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practice. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Slee, R. (2011). The Irregular School: Exclusion, Schooling and Inclusive Education. London: Routledge. UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (2016). General Comment No. 4: The right to inclusive education. Geneva: United Nations. | ||