Empowering Learning Through Universal Design and Accessibility
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that optimizes teaching and learning for all individuals by providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression. Accessibility is a vital component of UDL, ensuring that educational resources and pathways towards success are available to all students.
Using the official UDL guidelines published by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), I have made this page as a resource of highlighting key components of the guidelines, while also sharing my personal philosophy as it related to Universal Design for Learning.
Personal UDL and
Accessibility Philosophy
UDL is meant to support multiple modalities of learning. To achieve this support, faculty members and administrators must provide consistent variability within their course materials, structure, and delivery.
Consistency provides clarity and organization to learning that helps students access, comprehend, and internalize content easier. This clarity reduces information uncertainty for students, while enabling open channels for engagement with information.
Variability allows students to optimize their learning by finding multiple routes for accessing information, understanding information, and demonstrating information mastery. Modern academic technology should support a high level of variability within course and curriculum creation.
Consistency
Courses should be designed with consistent structures, materials, formatting, and delivery.
Consistency allows students to create expectations for themselves, the course, and faculty members, while also creating goals to meet those expectations.
Variability
Courses should also offer variability within their materials, delivery, and assessment methods.
Variability within pedagogy provides support for multiple types of learning, comprehension, and delivery.
Core Principles of Universal Design for Learning and Accessiblity
Engagement
Curriculum should provide optimization of choice for students in how they engage with content.
This engagement includes heightened avenues for feedback, collective learning, awareness, and support.
Representation
Support customization of information display through multiple mediums, while also representing an array of diverse perspectives and illustrations.
Cultivate multiple methods of understanding and meaning to avoid biases in language, symbols, and types of media.
Action and Expression
Recognize multiple means of information demonstration, navigation, and communication.
Challenge exclusionary practices by using collaborative technology to build accessible, equitable, and bias-free modes of expression.
