Stories of Success

Welcome to the place that highlights stories of success! You'll find stories of how eliminating barriers to access have made significant impacts across systems, within districts, for specific educators, and for individual students and families. The page is continually updated as the stories of success roll in. Please visit again when craving a little inspiration and motivation to support this important work!

Strengthening Home and School Collaboration Around Assistive Technology

Posted by: Mimi Zimlich, M.S., PPS, UDL/AT Content Lead, Open Access Photo by Wix You’re sitting at a school meeting, and someone mentions assistive technology (AT). Maybe your child is already using speech-to-text. Maybe the team is discussing a reading support tool. Maybe you’ve heard about visual schedules or organization apps being tried in class. You nod, but inside you’re wondering: What does this actually look like during the school day? Is it really helping? How c

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mzimlich

Feb 205 min read

Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a Guide for Parenting

Photo by Wix Posted by: Emily DesJardins, M.A, UDL/AT Content Lead Since taking on the role of UDL Content Lead with Open Access, Universal Design for Learning has become a framework I engage with deeply every day. I’ve long resonated with UDL ideas, but in this role, I’ve been able to explore specific considerations in detail and understand why they are essential for human learning. Engaging with these concepts professionally has naturally influenced how I think about parent

Blogs

Emily DesJardins

Jan 279 min read

From Theory to Practice: Demystifying Assistive Technology through the Lens of UDL

Posted by: Mimi Zimlich, M.S., PPS, UDL/AT Content Lead, Open Access Photo by Wix When we talk about Universal Design for Learning (UDL), we might imagine a wide, smooth road that welcomes every learner, a road built with flexibility, options, and access in mind. But sometimes, even with a thoughtfully designed road, a few barriers remain. The path is clear for some learners but uneven for others. This is where Assistive Technology (AT) comes in. AT can be the bridge that con

Blogs

mzimlich

Dec 17, 20254 min read

Deep Play, Deep Learning: A Forest Friday Reflection

Posted by: Emily DesJardins, M.A., SpED, UDL/AT Content Lead, Open Access Photo by Emily DesJardins As I approached the trailhead, two hours after the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class had begun their weekly Forest Friday adventure, I couldn’t help but wonder how I’d ever find them in such a vast stretch of forest. Still, I trusted my instincts and followed the main path. A few minutes in, I reached a fork: three trails, three choices. I paused, unsure, then chose the wid

Blogs

Emily DesJardins

Nov 7, 20256 min read

Designing Lessons for All Voices: Planning for Learner Variability and AAC Users

Posted by: Jennifer Wright, M.A. , CCC-SLP Photo by Open Access Every classroom includes a range of learners, each with their own ways of engaging, understanding, and expressing themselves. For students who are non-speaking or minimally speaking, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems may be used as part of their receptive and expressive language system. Supporting AAC users goes beyond ensuring they have tools and strategies available; it’s about designing

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