The Author
Dr. Frances (Fran) G. Smith has been following the collective fields of instructional, assistive, and distance technologies for over 25+ years. She completed her doctoral work at The George Washington University (GWU) where the focus of her dissertation was entitled, “The perceptions of universal design for learning in college classrooms”. Fran began making adaptations to tools in her very early work as a vocational evaluation practitioner during the late 1970’s and quickly realized that many an individual with a disability could not “fit into the square” that a standardized test required. She began following the exciting field of assistive technology during her graduate work at GWU in the 1980’s and again realizing the amazing potential of technology to level the playing field for all. She currently works at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as Coordinator of Technology & Distance Learning for the VDOE Training and Technical Assistance Center and as an affiliate faculty with the Dept. of Teaching and Learning in the School of Education. She has been a member of the VCU Center’s for Teaching Excellence Faculty Learning Community and Learning Technology Research Group for the past several years. Their collective research efforts have explored technology in teaching and learning at VCU. Fran is also a visiting adjunct faculty with the Dept. of Teacher Prepartation and Special Education at GWU where she teaches a graduate course in universal design for learning each summer. Her interests are in all facets of universal design, instructional and assistive technologies, career assessment, and the growing use/reliance of social media. Dr. Smith is currently President of the National Vocational Evaluation and Career Assessment Professionals Association (VECAP). She represents VECAP on the National Task Force on Universal Design for Learning and contributes to this national conversation as a co-moderator for the IDEA Partnership Community of Practice on Universal Design for Learning.
