2. What is universal design?
This concept is the design and making of products,
good, materials, services, and places accessible by
everyone.
Examples in society include: curb cuts, ramps, handicap
accessible doors, shortened counter heights, wider
doors.
Universal design (UD) takes into consideration all
aspects of life and often benefits others outside of the
targeted audience.
3. What is UD’s place in a
school? on those that need
In the classroom, this means focusing
special accommodations in order to learn efficiently.
This should include the goals of the classroom, its
materials, the methods used to teach, and the assessment
of the students.
Principles of UD according to the National Center on
Universal Design for Learning: equitable use, flexibility in
use, simple & intuitive, perceptible information, tolerance
for error, low physical effort, size & space for approach and
use
The purpose is for students to become expert
learners by allowing access to all different ways
of studying.
4. How is it different from a
“normal” classroom?
Instead of focusing on an “average” student, it narrows its
direction onto the marginalized student.
These include special education students, English as a
Second Language students, gifted and talented students,
and children who have physical or mental disabilities.
It puts a large emphasis on how these students learn: how
do they pick up information, how do the express it, and
how are they actively engaged?
Because students vary greatly in their personalities and
learning styles, there should always be multiple means of:
Presentation and representation
Action and expression
Engagement
5. What can be
modified?
Altering text is a very common way of accommodating
students’ needs.
Example: Braille books, recorded tests, captioned movies, and
customized books for students with more special needs
Digital materials are often the easiest to customize and
therefore have the greatest flexibility.
It’s important to understand that these modifications do NOT
“dumb down” the material by lowering its standards, but
redoing the content so that it can be appropriately used by
students.
This often means adding different difficulties or levels to a
6. The main objective?
Universal design is crucial for two main
reasons:
By reducing the disabilities in the classroom itself,
allows more students to readily succeed in them.
Built-in fixes already in place allows for easy use in
the classroom and less disturbances during lessons.
7. Information and Picture Sources
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pGLTJw0GS
xk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfsx3DGpv5o&feature=relmfu
http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NewsIssues/TeachingLe
arningCenter/Curriculum_Access_and_Universal_Design_for_Learning.htm
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/universal_class.html
http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr29/2/fr290207.htm
http://www.lockupservices.ca/commercial/commercial-services/barrier-
free.html
http://dedication2education.com/2011/12/universal-design-for-learning-it-
just-fits/
http://ecologyofeducation.net/wsite/?p=4169
http://universal-design-4-
