“True accommodations are not added on to a classroom environment; they are built into its infrastructure, with flexibility and ongoing revision part of its very foundation.” –Margaret Price, Mad at School (2011)
The University of Oregon recognizes that academic inquiry flourishes when instructors value the contributions of students with disabilities. Students with disabilities can often ask questions that nondisabled people can’t articulate, offer perspectives that deepen understanding of complex human experiences and problems, and challenge fundamental assumptions of power and belonging in every academic discipline and field. Yet disability has historically been excluded, ignored, and/or stigmatized in the traditional learning environments of the academy. UO is actively working to change this by promoting inclusive excellence in teaching.
The concept of universal design originally emerged in architecture in the 1990s. It refers to “the design of products and environments to be usable by everyone, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” (Ron Mace). Curb cuts are a great example of universal design in the physical environment. Curb cuts ensure street access for wheelchair users, while also providing street access for delivery people with carts, bicyclists, and people with strollers.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) adapts this framework for education, helping instructors understand and meet diverse student needs in the classroom. In writing a syllabus, generating assignments, or structuring class time, instructors can use UDL to ensure that students with disabilities and all classroom learners maximize opportunities to develop and strengthen course knowledge. UDL strategies improve learning opportunities for all. For example, showing captioned videos in class benefits students who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as students with auditory processing disorders. Captioning also supports students with varying English proficiency and students streaming videos in spaces where sound may be a distraction, like the bus ride home from campus.
UDL challenges instructors to be creative in how course content is presented, in how students are allowed to express what they learn, and in the strategies instructors use to motivate student learning in the classroom. There are three primary principles, as defined by CAST:
- Principle #1: Provide multiple kinds of representation: the what of learning
- This includes perception, language, expression, symbols, and comprehension
- Principle #2: Provide multiple kinds of action and expression: the how of learning
- This includes physical action, expression and communication, and executive functions
- Principle #3: Provide multiple kinds of engagement: the why of learning
- This includes recruiting interest, sustaining effort and persistence, and self regulation