Universal Design is an educational approach that aims to help all students succeed by incorporating multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. It recognizes that students learn in different ways and may need alternatives to standard instruction. The goal of Universal Design is to reduce the number of students labeled as disabled by teaching in a manner that considers various learning needs, abilities, and styles. It seeks to create learners who are resourceful, strategic, purposeful and motivated by providing options for perception, language comprehension, physical expression, sustaining effort, and self-regulation.

1. B Y C H R I S T O P H E R C O D Y
Universal Design

2. What is Universal Design?
 Universal design was created to
help the “not so average” student
be able to succeed at the
elementary and middle school
levels by using different tactics to
intrigue their minds
 This includes both students who
struggle in school who need a
different way of learning as well as
those who excel and are not being
challenged enough
 It brings to light that not all
students learn and absorb
information the same way
 UD achieves this by:
 Multiple Means of Representation
 Multiple Means of Expression
 Multiple Means of Engagement

3. Universal Design Guidelines
• Representation
• Provide options for perception
(making sure every student can
understand it)
• Provide options for language and
symbols
• Provide options for comprehension
• Expression
• Provide options for physical
action(tend to be a wide range)
• Provide options for expressive skills
and fluency (both writing and
speaking)
• Provide options for executive
functions (being able to get projects
done)
• Engagement
• Provide options for recruiting
interest (many different interests in
students)
• Provide options for sustaining effort
and persistence
• Provide options for self-regulation
(finding internal drives, goal setting)

5. UD Goal
 The end goal of this program is to begin to
eliminate the number of students that get
labeled as “disabled” by teaching them in ways
that they can understand and continue to grow
from
 Helping certain students to jump over
boundaries that previously stopped them is a
great accomplishment from Universal Design
 These types of guidelines are helping to create
learners who:
 Resourceful and knowledgeable
 Strategic and goal directed
 Purposeful and motivated