Speaker
Description
English language classrooms are increasingly diverse, requiring more flexible approaches to support meaningful second language use. However, limited flexibility in instructional design can create barriers to engagement and understanding, particularly for neurodiverse and plurilingual learners. Using a reflective, practice based approach grounded in experience supporting students with disabilities as a class assistant, note taker, and tutor in higher education, this presentation examines challenges such as text heavy instructions, limited multimodal resources, and difficulties processing abstract academic language. Drawing on Universal Design for Learning, the presentation demonstrates, based on classroom observations and practice informed insights, how multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression can be applied to English language teaching. It further explores how digital tools and open educational resources can be used to adapt instructional materials, simplify complex texts, and support multimodal learning. Participants will gain practical strategies, including text adaptation and multimodal resource design, to reduce cognitive and linguistic barriers and create more accessible and inclusive English language learning environments.
Biography
Anh Le-Noronha is a post-secondary educator and Accessibility Advisor at George Brown Polytechnic in Toronto, Canada. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education at Edgewood University, USA, focusing on inclusive pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, and the use of open educational resources to support neurodiverse and plurilingual learners. With over 15 years of teaching experience in Vietnam and Canada, she has taught courses in hospitality, tourism, business, and English for hotel front office communication at both college and university levels. She also works as a class assistant, note-taker, and tutor, supporting students with disabilities in higher education, where she develops practical, context-informed insights into accessible and inclusive learning design. She has presented at the Colleges and Institutes Canada conference in Ottawa and has published an article in TESL Ontario Contact Magazine. Her work focuses on inclusive learning design, accessibility, and the integration of digital tools to support diverse learners in higher and adult education.
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