Building Inclusive and Accessible Learning Experiences

Are you committed to creating learning experiences that are inclusive and accessible to all?

Join us for an online conference dedicated to exploring the intersection of accessibility and inclusivity in learning design.

DAY 1: August 27

101: Leadership’s Role in Building Inclusive Learning

Rebecca Alimorong, Robert Half

11:25 AM – 12:30 PM ET / 8:25 AM – 9:30 AM PT

Accessibility in learning isn’t just a design requirement—it’s a leadership responsibility. This session explores how inclusive learning cultures begin with intentional leadership, supported by organizational values, systems, and behaviors. When accessibility is championed at the top, it becomes more than a compliance effort; it becomes part of the organization’s core.

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201: Accessible and Inclusive Learning Design That Goes Beyond Compliance

Daniel Iglesias, Advent Health

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT

“Designing for accessibility is about more than just checking boxes – it’s about creating meaningful, equitable learning experiences that empower all learners to succeed. In this session, explore the intersection of accessibility, inclusion, and instructional design. Discover how learning professionals can shift from compliance-based approaches to proactive, human-centered design rooted in the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

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301: Beyond Compliance: Using the University of California Checklist to Build Better Courses

Doug Harriman, University of California Office of the President

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PT

This session will take you on a tour through the University of California eCourse Accessibility Checklist. This resource has evolved over the years, including a major update in spring 2025, to aid eCourse developers in numerous ways. It provides criteria for ensuring eCourse accessibility and WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, as well as guidance on going beyond minimum requirements and striving to create a highly inclusive experience for learners with various disabilities.

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401: A Plus-One Approach to Accessible and Inclusive Learning Design

James Kruck, Occupational Health and Safety Group

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM PT

Many L&D professionals feel overwhelmed by accessibility requirements, assuming they need to redesign everything from scratch. While we all know we need to make our training more accessible, we don’t always know where to start. What if you could make meaningful progress with just one small change at a time? This session introduces the “plus-one” strategy, a core practice drawn from Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that helps you expand accessibility and inclusion without overhauling your entire content library.

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DAY 2: August 28

501: Using AI to Build Accessibility-First eLearning Experiences

Catherine Cash, Blue Origin

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET / 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM PT

Accessibility isn’t an add-on—it’s a design principle. But ensuring that eLearning content meets accessibility standards can be time-consuming and difficult to scale. This session explores how AI tools can help designers and developers create accessible content more efficiently, without sacrificing quality or compliance. You’ll see how generative AI and automation can support tasks like writing accurate alt text, creating accessible color palettes, checking for WCAG compliance, generating transcripts, improving keyboard navigation, and more.

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601: Creating Exceptional Screen Reader Experiences in Learning Design

Jacob Wood, Accessible Games

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT

Have you ever wondered what your content sounds like to someone using a screen reader? Screen readers process your content differently than visual readers do. Without proper structure, even WCAG-compliant learning can be confusing to navigate. In this session, you’ll experience how a screen reader “sees” your content. You’ll listen to a screen reader navigate through a course to reveal hidden barriers that compliance checklists often miss.

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701: Busting Barriers: A Learning Design Game

Diane Elkins, Artisan Learning

Amy Morrisey, Artisan Learning

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PT

Designing truly inclusive learning experiences requires more than checking compliance boxes; it demands a broad understanding of real-world barriers that many learners face. In this interactive session, you’ll take on the role of learners with diverse needs and use our learning design card game to identify and tackle common challenges. You’ll analyze scenarios, identify barriers, and brainstorm solutions to make learning more inclusive. This fast-paced activity will shift your perspective and equip you with actionable strategies to improve accessibility in your own training designs.

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801: Inclusive Microlearning using AI, Personas, Storytelling & Design Thinking

Arpita Pal, Inova Health System

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM PT

Your microlearning can offer an equitable, engaging, and effective experience to all learners. This session explores how you can embed inclusion, accessibility, and belonging into every stage of your microlearning design process using AI, inclusive persona design, storytelling, and liberatory design thinking. Drawing on real-world case studies from healthcare and corporate leadership development programs, we will examine how to shift from compliance-focused accessibility to equity-centered, emotionally resonant design practices.

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