This thread will be on universal design (UD) in the classroom. I'm not calling this UDL because that framing supposes that instructors are abled and only students have disabilities. Consideration of disabilities within all classroom roles provides roadmaps towards UD. 1/n

That isn't to say that UDL isn't important. I've been there - it is hella important!
When I was a student I was reluctant to ask instructors to modify their course to be more accessible. They are the teaching experts, right? 2/n

As a Professor I know that I can't anticipate every accommodation that might benefit students. So I build in flexibility and have an access statement in my syllabus. This statement is not the boilerplate from DS but my own earnest statement. 3/n

"Should you have concerns about participating in this course or have comments on how it may be better organized for your learning, you are encouraged to contact me directly or anonymous at this link."
Students still rarely bring up suggestions (besides have less homework). 4/n

The traditional classroom setting presumes that instructors are abled-that we can stand and speak for the duration of the lecture at the front of them room and field questions/comments from folks seated anywhere in the audience.
5/n

Although I tried for many years to teach in this model, it didn't work for me. I remember standing outside the classroom wanting to turn and run rather than deliver another lecture hoping noone would ask questions. I started to enjoy teaching when I stopped expecting this. 6/n

In most classes I break up 'lectures' with activities or small group discussions, I walk around the classroom, I use different forms of content assessment. These are all elements of UDL but they also help me because I get exhausted modulating my speech for 50 min. 7/n

I never write on the board while talking. I write then turn and face the audience to talk. I don't do this because a student requested so but because this is how I would have liked to have been taught. It turns out that the pauses in lecture patter benefit a lot of students. 8/n

Although I teach hearing students, I provide live AI-based auto-caption for all my lectures. Many students have said that it helps them. Meanwhile a lot of my colleagues know about auto-caption but are waiting for a student to request it in order to implement. 9/n

I wish that Teaching Centers would de-emphasize accommodation checklists that map to specific disabilities that students may have and would instead encourage instructors to experiment creatively with their classroom and work to help us assess impact of these experiments. 10/n

Instructors with disabilities are already doing this. Our 'crip hacks' can provide a roadmap for universal design in the classoom. 11/11