Universal Design for Multi-modal Communication: Unlocking Opportunities Before Accommodations

Inclusive education starts with ensuring that all children can fully participate and thrive. At the heart of learning, emotional growth, social development, and life experiences lies the successful transfer of messages—a two-way street where children must both understand their environment and be understood by others. However, traditional educational settings are built on an assumption of spoken language as the primary medium of communication, creating significant barriers for many learners.

Universal Design for Multi-Modal Communication is about dismantling these ableist and oralist barriers in schools and early childhood settings. The Australian curriculum, from reading programs and group instruction to assemblies and peer interactions, relies heavily on spoken language, excluding children who communicate in different ways. To achieve true inclusion, we must prioritise communication practices that underpin equitable learning and school experiences, ensuring that every child feels they can understand and be understood.

This presentation will challenge the way we think about universal design and explore the realities of communication inequity in classrooms. We will discuss how to shift our mindset to prioritise opportunity before accommodations along with practical strategies and systemic considerations for meaningful next steps.
Attendees will gain insight into the essential tools, knowledge, and attitudes needed to transform educational settings into communication inclusive environments that enable autonomy, belonging, connection, and opportunity for everyone.

Guest Presenter:

Janelle Sampson is a certified Practicing Speech Pathologist and has worked for over 35 years in both Australia and Canada, predominantly with a focus on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). In 2011, she founded Two Way Street, an innovative practice in Adelaide focusing solely on meaningful and inclusive communication outcomes for people with communication disability. She has many years of practical experience providing workshops, consultation, individual home and school based intervention, and various other programs and projects. She has worked extensively working alongside schools and other organisations to support children and adults with complex communication needs of all diagnoses. Janelle is the creator of the ROCC (Roadmap of Communicative Competence) Assessment, a certified PODD presenter and she provides regular consultations and varied workshops around Australia.

What’s Included:

✅ Access to the webinar recording for two weeks after the event

✅ Resources provided/recommended by the guest presenter

Important Information:

Ensure your email is entered correctly when registering, as all correspondence will be sent to the email provided.
We recommend saving the School Inclusion email address as a contact so you do not miss important correspondence: admin@school-inclusion.com
Your Humanitix ticket confirmation serves as your receipt of purchase. No additional invoices or receipts will be issued by the presenter/host.

We look forward to your participation!