CAST

CAST

CAST is a nonprofit research and development organization based in the United States that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning.

Founded in 1984, CAST has earned international recognition for its innovative contributions to educational products, classroom practices, and policies. The acronym “CAST” derives from the original name of the organization, Center for Applied Special Technology. Now it’s simply CAST. Staff includes world-class educators, learning scientists, instructional designers, literacy experts, policy analysts, UX and graphic designers, software engineers, and more.

On a national level, CAST is in the forefront of developing systems and supports to ensure that students who need accessible educational materials receive them in a timely manner. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, CAST leads or has led seven national centers and national consortia related to accessible materials including:

• the National Center for Accessing the General Curriculum (1998-2003)
• the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) Development Center (2004-2009)
• the NIMAS Technical Assistance Center (2004-2009)
• the Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) Consortium with 15 state departments of education (2007-2010); the NIMAS Center (2009-2014)
• the National Accessible Instructional Materials Center (2009-2014)
• the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning (2014-present)
• and the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (2018-present).