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Paper Presentation

University-Community Partnerships

Session: Collabortive Engagement leads to Sustainable Outreach

Centering Collective Access and Lived Expertise: A Province-Wide Universal Design for Learning Initiative

Communities of practice (CoP) create shared spaces for fostering collaboration, building capacity, and addressing accessibility challenges in education. This presentation explores the development of a province-wide CoP for universal design for learning (UDL) in Canada, emphasizing innovative approaches to equity, inclusion, and collective access.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:
  1. Upon completion, participants will be able to identify strategies for engaging community organizations, advocacy groups, and underrepresented populations in co-creating inclusive educational initiatives, focusing on addressing barriers and amplifying diverse perspectives for long-term engagement.
  2. Upon completion, participants will be able to define methods for integrating flexible and accessible formats, such as hybrid engagement models and practical resources, to enhance participation and equity in communities of practice.
  3. Upon completion, participants will be able to design and launch their own communities of practice using the Community of Practice Design Guide (Cambridge et al., 2005), including understanding its six-phase structure and practical applications for various organizational contexts.