Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational concept to improve the educational outcome for students with disabilities, as well as their peers.

You’ve probably heard about universal design in buildings, where architectural features such as automatic doors and curb cuts benefit not only wheelchair users and slow walkers, but bicyclists and people with strollers. When applied to learning, universal design involves a curriculum that not only meets the needs of students with disabilities, but enhances the classroom experience for a wide range of learners.

UDL Benefits all Students
Students of all abilities have unique needs in the classroom for optimal learning. By incorporating universal design, these needs can be met without having to make specialized classroom adaptations later on. Videos with captions, for example, are critical to deaf students. But they also benefit those who are not native English speakers, struggling readers, students with ADHD and even those who are bothered by background noise.

The key to helping all students achieve is identifying and removing barriers from current teaching methods and curriculum materials, according to the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). The UDL framework, based on brain research and the use of innovative media, suggests that educators strive for three kinds of flexibility:

•    Inspire student motivation and interest via multiple pathways.
•    Provide numerous means for student action and expression.
•    Represent information in various formats and media.

Assistive Technology
Universal design architectural features will still be needed in UDL classrooms. Workspaces that accommodate wheelchairs, adaptive switches to control devices and accessible bathrooms are all foundations for accessibility. But universal design for learning goes beyond these elements.

Assistive technology will be used, not because materials are inadequate to the task, but to enhance the experience of all students, including those with disabilities. Digitized text, multimedia software, video recorders, tape recorders and the Internet all play a part in the learning experience. Such tools help teachers provide a flexible environment that caters to a broad range of learning styles.

Several innovative computer technologies included in universal design for learning are reshaping the way students work. 

•    Science Writer guides students through the process of writing a science report. The software helps the student come up with a goal for the report, then it steps the pupil through the introduction, collecting and analyzing data, and the writing itself.

If, for example, the student gets hung up on writing the introduction, one of Science Writer’s animated mentors will remind him or her of the critical elements.

As the student finishes each section, a text-to-speech feature reads it back to her so the student can recognize areas that need more work.

•    Thinking Reader supports reading comprehension by combining research-based strategy supports, text-to-speech decoding and glossary definitions in digital versions of books. These comprehension supports include word definition, identifying image, and a synonym. Thinking Reader stops periodically to ask questions about the text. The student types a response, which is stored for teacher review.

•    eTrekker and eReader help students organize their web searches, as well as checking spelling and identifying search terms. Students can press a button to have text read aloud, and the eTrekker program will store research subjects, keywords, websites visited and notes from an onscreen notepad for quick retrieval at a later date.

For more information on universal design for learning, visit the CAST website.