Universal Design for Learning

It just blew me away to come across this again in this course. But as I reflected on where I first came across UDL, I wasn't so surprised. I was introduced to UDL and CAST book builder at the VSTE conference last year (2/09). I went on from there to give my own presentation on CAST book builder at our district's "Parent University" as I felt it would be extremely helpful to students who are struggling readers and writers.
So now I'm wondering what it is about me that lets me forget about such a wonderful resource? Or have I avoided using it because I couldn't get a classroom teacher to collaborate? Had I acted sooner, I could have had the second graders take pictures of the animal habitat dioramas they made and then have them write a description. We could have made a book! As it is I'm mulling some ideas on civilizations and trying to find a common enough thread.
My biggest difficulty in incorporating technology is equitable access--I only have 10 computers available for student use; classes are at least 20 students--and the teachers at my school are like steel rods when it comes to asking for flexability. I have no adaptive technology (mice, keyboards). I've noticed in our district those tools only come about if they are written into the IEP.
I also believe we are doing our students, especially the disadvantaged ones, a grave disservice by not incorporating keyboarding into education earlier than middle school. I truly wonder how much of a student's creativity is stifled because she gets fed up with trying to find the right letters on the keyboard. Never mind the absolute time drain hunt-and-peck typing is. And when I only get the kids for 30 minutes once a week, I can't afford to have them take 15 minutes to type out a sentence.