UDL Stories

UDL is not just a theory – From students to staff and faculty, UDL has reshaped many people’s tangible university experiences. The following interviews and stories from our UBC community explore the ways that UDL has impacted personal, educational, and professional lives across faculties.


  • Isaac Holloway and Sunah Cho

    UDL Stories: Isaac Holloway and Sunah Cho

    Isaac Holloway, a Sauder School of Business professor in the Strategy and Business Economics Division, worked closely with Sunah Cho, Sauder’s CTLT Faculty Liaison, as part of the 2023 UDL Fellows Program. They discuss the strategies they used to break down learning barriers associated with complex economic concepts.

  • Rayna Friar

    UDL Stories: Rayna Friar

    Rayna Friar is a 4th year undergraduate student and working as a UDL Student Facilitator. They share the ways that flexibility and UDL are important in the classroom and how they can help improve the university experiences of students with physical disabilities.

  • Robert Pammett and Jocelyn Micallef

    UDL Stories: Robert Pammett and Jocelyn Micallef

    Robert Pammett, Associate Professor Partner in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Jocelyn Micallef, Manager, Educational Development, talk about incorporating UDL practices in PHRM 441. They share their experience making online asynchronous learning more engaging and accessible.

  • Antoine Coulombe and Bosung Kim

    UDL Stories: Antoine Coulombe and Bosung Kim

    Antoine Coulombe, Assistant Professor of Teaching at the School of Social work, along with CTLT Learning Design Consultant Bosung Kim, discuss the changes they made to their practice as well as the compatibility of UDL with social work.

  • Robert Russo

    UDL Stories: Robert Russo

    Robert Russo is a faculty member at the Allard School of Law and participated in the 2023 UDL Fellows Program. He shares the ways that he incorporated the UDL principles into his practice, breaking down barriers in traditional law education.

  • Patricia Hingston

    UDL Stories: Patricia Hingston

    From the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, Patricia Hingston, an Assistant Professor of Teaching in Food, Nutrition and Health, shares all of the ways she incorporated UDL into her practice and how many of her students have responded positively to the changes.

  • Xiaoying Zhang

    UDL Stories: Xiaoying Zhang

    Xiaoying Zhang is a UDL Student Facilitator who works closely with the UDL Fellows Program, sharing her perspective as a student. She discusses many of the learning challenges that arise at larger academic institutions and how UDL can be an important step in alleviating them.

  • Amir Shiva

    UDL Stories: Amir Shiva

    Amir Shiva, Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Anthropology, participated in the 2023 UDL Fellows program. Here, he discusses how he has incorporated UDL into his practice and what makes UDL critical not just to the field of Anthropology, but to learning as a whole.

  • Lee Salmon and Frederick Qi

    UDL Stories: Lee Salmon and Frederick Qi

    Together, Lee Salmon and Frederick Qi participated in the 2023 UDL Fellows Program with the goal of using education to make higher-level Forestry jobs more accessible. Through exploring virtual fieldwork in FRST 239, Lee and Frederick push the limits of how Forestry can be taught.

  • Weaver Show and Brian Wilson

    UDL Stories: Weaver Shaw and Brian Wilson

    From Vantage College, Academic English Instructor Weaver Shaw and Curriculum Manager Brian Wilson discuss the importance of a robust accessibility statement as well as the ways that UDL can improve the ease of course delivery.

  • duncan mchugh and another person in a studio

    UDL Stories: Duncan McHugh

    Duncan McHugh is a digital and instructional media producer at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. As a co-instructor of LFS 400, Duncan discusses his experience with UDL, the challenges and rewards, and the importance of student feedback.

  • Polina Spakovsky

    UDL Stories: Polina Spakovsky

    Polina Spakovsky was the Communications Assistant for the UDL Fellows Program. In her proximity to the program, she gained a greater insight into universal course design at UBC. She shares her thoughts about how UDL is changing the way we view accessibility, the importance of reciprocity, and the impact that a student perspective can make.