Kirk Behnke

M.Ed., ATP

Education and Technology Specialist

Behnke Consulting, LLC.

Friday Night Keynote with Kirk Behnke & Dr. Joy Zabala:

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework offers pathways to educational success for ALL students by proactively reducing barriers to educational participation and achievement. The flexibility of UDL enables educators to design ways to provide students with multiple ways to engage in learning activities, multiple representations of content, and multiple ways to interact with and respond to learning activities. For some students, assistive technology (AT) and other individualized supports are needed to ensure that students are fully integrated into the curriculum in all learning environments. Join Kirk and Joy to consider ways that UDL and AT dove-tail to provide, not just access, but progress toward achievement and success for all students!

Kirk's Bio:

Kirk Behnke delivers professional development, technical assistance and learning opportunities regarding Assistive and Accessible Technologies, Accessible Educational Materials and Universal Design for Learning within the US and internationally. His passion is helping to facilitate excellence in learning for all, whether it is in a classroom or presentation room. As a co-strand advisor for the Assistive Technology Industry Association’s (ATIA) Education and Learning strand, Kirk encourages others to share their AT applications through presentations, poster sessions and webinars.

As part of the Center on Disabilities team at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), he developed and implemented the “Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program (ATACP)” through the Tseng College of Extended Learning. This program was also adopted in Ireland as their national “Certificate in Assistive Technology Applications” program.

Kirk has served in many capacities at CAST including Director of Professional Learning, the Accessible Educational Materials National Center, and lead a national team to build the foundation for Universal Design for Learning Credential/Certification Initiative (UDL-CCI), specifically in development of the district certification process.

Kirk holds a master’s degree in Education/Special Education from Temple University, a credential as an Assistive Technology Professional from the Rehabilitation and Engineering Society of North America (RESNA) and a Certificate in Assistive Technology Applications from the University College of Dublin, Ireland