Tool Kit – Universal Design and Accessibility

What is Universal Design for Learning?

Instructors often observe that students in their courses think, learn, and share information in various ways; students show preferences for different modes of learning and engaging with content. First defined in policy in the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a validated framework that proactively designs learning experiences and curricula to be inclusive for all learners within an educational community or context (Hollingshead et al., 2022). The foundation of this framework is recognizing that people have diverse strengths, challenges, and preferences for how they engage with content. This concept and process aims to create inclusive educational environments that cater to the diverse needs of all students (The Center for Applied Special Technology, 2018).

According to the Center for Universal Design, Universal Design is defined as “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”  Universal design for learning is achieved using flexible curricular materials and activities that provide alternatives for students with differing abilities. The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), a leading organization that has developed key tenets of Universal Design and Learning, created a set of three principles with roots in cognitive neuroscience to underpin practices and curricula for teaching and learning. According to CAST, the UDL framework operates on three main principles, represented by three networks of learning which are as follows:

Multiple Means of Representation (The WHAT of learning): This aspect focuses on presenting information in different ways. It suggests offering options in how information is presented, perceived, and comprehended by learners.

Multiple Means of Action and Expression (The HOW of learning): This principle concentrates on providing various options for learners to interact with and express their knowledge. It suggests diverse methods for response, navigation, and communication to allow for personalized and varied expression of learning.

Multiple Means of Engagement (The WHY of learning): This centers on engaging learners’ interests, sustaining effort and motivation, and fostering a sense of purpose and autonomy in learning. It involves providing choices, promoting collaboration, and ensuring the relevance and authenticity of learning experiences.

The UDL guidelines serve as a tool for education offering specific recommendations and strategies that can be applied across various subjects and disciplines. These guidelines are not just for educators but are beneficial for curriculum developers, tutors, learning consultants, researchers, administrators, and anyone involved in creating or enhancing learning environments.

As Burgstahler (2021) explains, “Three principles have been established for the universal design of teaching and learning materials and activities that makes the learning goals achievable by individuals with diverse characteristics, including wide differences in abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read, write, understand English, attend, organize, engage, and remember. This approach is about recognizing and embracing learner variability, providing multiple means of representation, action, and engagement to support the diverse needs of all individuals in educational settings.

In short, a curriculum created using the UDL framework will provide appropriate challenges for all learners through the use of materials that support all student’s learning. Such materials will have a flexible format and teaching methods will likewise be flexible enough to provide support and experiences for all students. As such, “assessment is sufficiently flexible to provide accurate, ongoing information that helps teachers adjust instruction and maximize learning” (Hitchcock et al., 2017, p. 8).

What is Accessbility?

“Accessibility is a component of usability but is no longer focused exclusively on people with disabilities. Rather, universal usability challenges the designer to improve the user experience for everyone” (Edyburn, 2021, p. 310-311). Accessibility in higher education refers to creating an inclusive environment that allows all individuals to fully participate in educational opportunities. It involves removing barriers and providing accommodations to ensure that students, faculty, staff, and visitors with diverse needs have equal access to educational resources, facilities, programs, and activities.

Key Considerations When Making Education Accessible:

1. Educational Materials: Providing course materials, textbooks, and resources in accessible formats. This might involve offering materials in alternative formats like Braille, large print, audio, or electronic text to accommodate different learning styles and disabilities.

2. Physical Accessibility: Ensuring that campuses, buildings, classrooms, and facilities are designed to accommodate individuals with physical disabilities. This includes wheelchair ramps, elevators, accessible restrooms, and designated parking spaces.

2. Technological Accessibility: Making digital content and technology accessible to individuals with various disabilities. This involves using accessible design principles for websites, online learning platforms, digital documents, and multimedia materials. For instance, using screen readers, closed captioning, alternative text for images, and ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies.

4. Inclusive Teaching Practices: Employing teaching methods that consider diverse learning styles and needs. This includes offering multiple ways to present information, providing flexibility in assignments and assessments, and utilizing universal design principles in course design to cater to a wide range of learners.

5. Support Services: Offering support services and accommodations to assist students with disabilities. This can include academic support, note-taking services, sign language interpreters, assistive technology, extended time for exams, and other accommodations specified in disability services.

6. Awareness and Training: Raising awareness among faculty, staff, and students about accessibility needs and best practices providing training on creating accessible content, and ensuring that all members of the educational community understand the importance of inclusivity.

7. Legal Compliance: Ensuring compliance with laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which mandate equal access and prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities in educational settings.

In essence, accessibility in higher education fosters an environment where everyone has equal opportunities to learn, participate, and contribute regardless of their physical, sensory, cognitive, or other abilities. It aims to create an inclusive educational experience that values diversity and supports the success of all individuals within the academic community. Please see the additional Toolkit resources for more specific suggestions and strategies.

References

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Hitchcock, C., Meyer, A., Rose, D., & Jackson, R. (2002). Providing new access to the general curriculum: Universal design for learning. Teaching exceptional children, 35(2), 8-17.

Hollingshead, A., Lowrey, K. A., & Howery, K. (2022). Universal Design for Learning: When Policy Changes Before Evidence. Educational Policy, 36(5), 1135-1161. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904820951120