FETC names 2027 Inclusion Leaders as districts face new accessibility rules

The Future of Education Technology Conference has announced two featured speakers for its 2027 Inclusion Leaders track as school systems brace for updated federal digital accessibility requirements. The session lineup is aimed at helping districts, teachers, and IT leaders prepare for rules affecting websites, learning platforms, mobile apps, forms, and public documents.

Why it matters: - The updated ADA Title II rule expands digital accessibility expectations for public schools and districts. - Public digital services, including websites, learning management systems, mobile apps, online forms, and public-facing documents, must be accessible to people with disabilities. - Only 14% of districts report being close to ready, making compliance a near-term operational issue across the country. - The Inclusion Leaders track is aimed at helping education leaders build classrooms and systems that work for all students.

What happened: - The Future of Education Technology Conference announced two featured speakers for its 2027 Inclusion Leaders track. - FETC 2027 runs Jan. 26-29 in Orlando, Florida. - Registration is open at fetc.org. - Inclusion Leaders access is included with All-Access, Session+, and Session registration passes.

The details: - Kelli Suding, M.Ed., CPACC, an accessibility specialist at CAST, is one of the featured speakers. - Suding leads professional learning at CAST, the organization behind Universal Design for Learning. - Suding also serves as a technical assistance specialist for the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems. - Before CAST, Suding worked inside a state education agency helping schools build access for students with learning disabilities and autism. - Research cited by FETC says full implementation of Universal Design for Learning principles has been shown to increase overall learner performance by 37.4% and improve outcomes for previously disengaged learners by 42.8%. - Shana Vidal White, director of CS Equity Initiatives at the Kapor Foundation, is the second featured speaker. - Vidal White leads national equity work in K-12 computer science at the Kapor Foundation. - Her work includes programming through CSforAtlanta, CSforOakland, and CSforDetroit. - The Inclusion Leaders track is designed for special education teachers, IT leaders vetting platforms, and classroom teachers who differentiate lessons. - The track sits alongside an Inclusive Leaders Summit, roundtables, hands-on workshops, and concurrent sessions focused on inclusion and accessibility. - More than 8,000 educators from 1,300-plus districts across all 50 states attend FETC annually. - FETC says the broader conference includes more than 450 solution providers in its exhibit hall.

Between the lines: - The speaker mix points to two pressure points for districts: legal compliance and practical classroom implementation. - Suding brings expertise in accessible design and professional learning. - Vidal White brings a national equity lens to computer science and STEAM participation for historically underserved students. - FETC is framing accessibility as a systems issue, not just a technology procurement issue.

What's next: - Districts will keep preparing for accessibility requirements that affect both instructional tools and public-facing digital content. - FETC 2027 will gather inclusion and accessibility experts for sessions, workshops, and peer learning in Orlando. - The conference is expected to be a major stop for leaders looking for implementation guidance before compliance deadlines intensify.

The bottom line: - FETC is using its 2027 Inclusion Leaders track to meet a growing need: helping schools turn digital accessibility from a mandate into everyday practice.