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Does Universal Design for Learning replace curriculum modification?
Modifying existing general curriculum has long been the primary way to create more accessible learning environments to support all students and their teachers in various educational contexts.
However, curriculum modification can be problematic. For one thing, modifying the general education curriculum is a challenging and time-consuming process, especially when the task is left to individual teachers. Few teachers have the time, resources, or training to modify curricula effectively. In addition, many modifications may not provide adequate instruction to the neediest students"which may violate such students' right to equal opportunities to learn from a high-quality curriculum.
Replacing barriers in the curriculum with flexible learning options for teachers and students through Universal Design for Learning may be a more effective way to ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, make the kind of academic progress envisioned by NCLB and IDEA.
Are classroom materials based on Universal Design for Learning already available in the marketplace?
There are some but not many. However, many organizations and companies are referencing Universal Design for Learning as a needed model for the development of more effective learning materials, including Kurzweil, Scholastic, Pearson Education, and others.
One especially promising program is Scholastic/Tom Snyder's Thinking Reader® editions of leading middle-school novels. These digital books "titles such as "The Giver," "Tuck Everlasting," "Bridge to Tarabithia" — provide built-in supports based on reciprocal teaching, which two decades of research has shown to be an effective approach to reading comprehension instruction.
The Thinking Reader® editions include supports for physical access, such as text-to-speech and synchronized highlighting features. They also include supports for intellectual/cognitive access: reading-strategy prompts, model answers, background knowledge, and vocabulary support. All of these can be accessed and responded to in multiple ways, depending on what students need.
Progress monitoring tools also help teachers identify who is learning — and who needs more individual attention. These are powerful supports for teachers and students that technology makes possible in a busy classroom setting.
Does it cost more to adopt Universal Design for Learning?
To answer that question, it is essential to ask "more than what?" There are certainly new costs associated with implementing UDL. But those costs can only be estimated when compared to the costs of NOT implementing Universal Design for Learning.
Consider the building of a new school. Hiring a qualified architect to plan the building is an additional cost. But that cost must be compared with the costs "financial, aesthetic, functional" of NOT hiring an architect. In constructing buildings, as in most other cases, the initial costs of getting the job done right are usually less expensive than the alternative.
Likewise when "building" curriculum, we need to consider the costs of implementing and NOT implementing Universal Design for Learning.
