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Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing educational environments that enable all learners to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning. This is accomplished by simultaneously reducing barriers to the curriculum and providing rich supports for learning.

Introduction and Background Information
Laws Relating to Students with Disabilities
Additional Resources on the Web

Introduction and Background Information:

Listen to the Universal Design for Learning Podcast on LD.org
Download NCLD's Universal Design policy Podcast featuring Skip Stahl, Director of Technical Assistance at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). Skip Stahl is also the Project Director for the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) Development Center, Chair of the NIMAS Standard Board, and Co-Director of the AIM (Accessible Instructional Materials) Consortium, all funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.

LD Talk: Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Effective Technology-based Teaching Practices for All Struggling Learners
The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) has created a solution called Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which provides a blueprint for creating flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments that accommodate learner differences.

Summer 2007 Institute at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
"Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning"
The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) is hosting a four-day institute that will demonstrate how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a blueprint for the creation of flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments for the diverse needs of student populations with: Effective research-based practices that support diverse needs of all learners; Ways to identify potential barriers to student success and reduce those barriers; Solutions in education that lead to positive results for all learners; Policies, such as NIMAS, that improve educational outcomes for all learners; New tools and strategies for supporting the diversity of learner needs.

The institue is designed for general and special education administrators, curriculum directors, district administrators, school principals, and teacher leaders and will focus on research, practice, and policy, educational leaders.

Universal Design Introduction and Background
Introductory information and background adapted from the Universal Design for Learning Webinar, co-sponsored by the National Center for Learning Disabilities, the Arizona Literacy and Learning Center and the Council for Exceptional Children.

Universal Design Q&A for Educators and Administrators
Answers to the most commonly-asked questions about Universal Design asked by educators and administrators.
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Laws Relating to Students with Disabilities:

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a civil rights law that protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination in the workplace, as well as school and other settings. ADA does not provide funding for services or accommodations.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that provides for special education and related services for children, ages three through 21, with disabilities. IDEA, which is based on the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, was last reauthorized in 1997. IDEA ensures that a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) based on the individual needs of students with disabilities is available. The law also guarantees rights for children with disabilities and their parents.

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)"the principal federal law affecting public education from kindergarten through high school in the United States. The ESEA was originally passed in 1965. NCLB is based on four principles of educational reform: (1) stronger accountability for results, (2) increased flexibility and local control, (3) expanded options for parents and (4) an emphasis on teaching qualifications and methods. Of these four, accountability for results is the principle that has the potential to greatly improve the educational results for children with LD.

For more information about how NCLB affects students, parents can view Making the No Child Left Behind Act Work For Children Who Struggle to Learn: A Parent's Guide, created by the National Center for Learning Disabilities and Schwab Learning.

Additional Resources on the Web:

LD InfoZone: Assistive Technology
Recent advancements in technology and the introduction of new devices (such as personal data assistances like Palm pilots, reading pens, screen-reader software and more) offer people with disabilities new opportunities for better education and greater control over their day-to-day activities.

Emerging Reading and Writing Strategies Using Technologies (PDF)
Dr. John Castellani and Tara Jeffs

Free C-map Software Rivals Inspiration
eSchool News Online

Software-based Learning Supports for LD Students in the General Education Classroom (PDF)
Dr. Margaret Bausch, Dr. John Castellani, Dr. David Rose, Dr. Patrick Proctor