All About Universal Design(s) for Learning
Fran Smith guides this discussion.
In the late 1970's, architect and consumer Ron Mace recognized the importance of a new approach to the design of products and processes -- that could benefit all individuals. His writing and conversations articulated what became known as universal design and helped to shape the beginnings of a concept that would open many doors for individuals with disabilities, differing abilities, and diverse learning approaches. Since, seven guiding principles have been developed around this area and provide a foundation for applying universal design to education and learning. Universal design for learning (UDL) and Universal design of instruction (UID) are such areas and provide new principles to guide instructional practice.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL), coined by researchers at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), requires that instruction and assessment approaches are flexible enough to automatically include alternatives making them accessible and appropriate for individuals with diverse backgrounds, varied learning approaches, abilities and disabilities. Maximizing the use of digital media is a central premise of the UDL philosophy. UDL “draws upon a student’s strengths and interests which may be blocked by the exclusive use of printed text� and offers a myriad of instructional options that capitalize upon digital formats (Rose & Meyer, 2002, p. 7). CAST offers an online version of their text, Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age, as a guide to practice in this area.