Universal design is an approach to designing products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. It is meant to reduce disabilities in the classroom by guiding teachers to design flexible lessons that engage students through demonstration rather than just explanation. When designing lessons or online content, teachers must consider the needs of all students by differentiating instruction, making modifications, and ensuring equal access for people of varying abilities.

2. WHAT IS UNIVERSAL DESIGN?
• A design made with all people and skill levels in
mind so that it can be accepted and utilized by
all.
• All characteristics, abilities, and disabilities
must be taken into consideration when creating
a design.
• There are several steps to creating a universal
design in order to ensure that it will be a
success
• Some principles include equitable use,
flexibility, and simplicity.

3. IMPLEMENTING UDL IN THE CLASSROOM
• Meant to reduce disabilities in the classroom
• Teachers use UDL framework as a guideline to design
lessons
• Emphasis on demonstration rather than explanation
• Administrators are the “cheerleaders” for teachers in
order to promote effective instruction
• Make learning exciting!

4. MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS
• Designing a lesson with the help of the students
• Using UDL helps address the needs of all of the
students
• Teachers must be flexible and modify the
curriculum for their students
• Differentiating instruction is a way for teachers
to effectively teach diverse classrooms with
varying levels of comprehension and ability

5. EQUAL ACCESS AND WEB PAGES
• People of all walks of life have equal opportunity to
access an education, and that includes the Internet
• When designing a distant course, designers and
instructors must take all peoples’ needs into
consideration
• No Child Left Behind states that all students have equal
access to the web and web pages that teachers create
• Teachers teach their students about these stipulations
and encourage them to create accessible presentations
and web pages

6. REFERENCES
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Programs/ud.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3ardmq0a0&feature=relmfu
http://4.17.143.133/udl/index.cfm?i=4992
http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers
differentiated_instruction_udl
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/equal_access_uddl.
html
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/universal_class.htm
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