Universal Design for Learning

The term universal design for learning (UDL) is attributed to David Rose, Anne Meyer, and colleagues at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) in Wakefield, Massachusetts. When the term was first used in the mid-1990s, it acknowledged the conceptual foundations of universal design in the field of architecture but sought to apply the benefits of accessible design to curriculum and instruction. A motivating factor for this philosophical approach was that students with disabilities were increasingly being educated in general education classrooms where they encountered barriers to learning. The promise of UDL suggested that, by understanding the special academic needs of individuals with disabilities, it would be possible to proactively design flexible learning materials and environments with embedded supports, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for curriculum accommodations. Despite the widespread support for the concept of UDL, the construct has proven difficult to define, measure, implement, scale, and evaluate.

The origins of universal design can be traced to Ron Mace, an architect, who understood the importance of appreciating human differences when designing environments and products. For example, since the 1930s, building codes in the United States have specified interior bedroom doors in a home should be 32 inches (81.28 cm) wide, whereas bathroom doors could be 28, 30, or 32 inches wide, based on the assumption the residents were ambulatory. This decision could later cause tens of thousands of dollars in remodeling costs to modify the doorway to make it accessible if a resident became impaired and needed to use a wheelchair. The keen insight about universal design is that there is relatively little cost involved when the architect designs all internal doorways to be 36 inches (91.44 cm) wide in consideration that a wheelchair user might potentially reside in the home. This design intervention proactively provides support for wheelchair users, but it also makes it easier to move furniture from room to room. Mace’s advocacy about human differences sensitized the design community to issues of disability access and produced a legacy of fostering creativity to identify and eliminate barriers in the built environment.

Perhaps the best example of the success of universal design principles is the curb cut. Originally designed to improve mobility for people with disabilities within our communities, curb cuts accomplished that, but they also improved access for people navigating their communities with baby strollers, roller blades, bicycles, and so on. Another well-known example of accessible design is what is known as the zero-entry swimming pool. This type of pool design was created to provide access for individuals in wheelchairs but has proven to be excellent for anyone seeking to enjoy the water without becoming completely immersed. The historical lessons learned through the architectural application of universal design have led to a statement that serves as a mantra for universal design: Good design for people with disabilities can benefit everyone.

Rose, Meyer, and colleagues at CAST learned about universal design and began pondering its application in the field of education. Rather than wait for students to fail, it makes more sense to embed smart technologies that support all learners, including those with disabilities, into the classroom and learning materials before they fail. The goal of UDL is to proactively value academic diversity such that supports are embedded into instructional materials before a student needs them. The potential of UDL interventions is that they will facilitate the academic performance of students with disabilities, who may be considered the primary beneficiary of accessible design interventions, but also that UDL supports can affect secondary beneficiaries—that is, diverse learners who may benefit from scaffolds, but whom we may not be able to identify in advance. This entry presents the instructional design principles of UDL and discusses issues associated with putting UDL into practice.

...