This document discusses strategies for inclusive education for college students and faculty. It begins by noting the diversity of students on college campuses, with many reporting various disabilities. It then discusses concepts like universal design for learning, diversity, inclusion, equity and equality in education. The document emphasizes that universal design benefits all students and helps reduce barriers to education. It notes students' perspectives that communicating needs is an ongoing process and some feel stigma around accommodations. Overall, the document advocates for universal design principles that make education accessible and inclusive for all.

1. Educating all students:
Inclusive education strategies for college
students and faculty.
Ellen Berger Rainville OTD. OTR, FAOTA
Jessica Otolo, OTS
Springfield College
Springfield, MA
Do not copy without author's permission

2. Universal Design for
Learning
“Access to education is not about teaching techniques, it is
about attitude… If a teacher believes that I can learn, I
feel welcome in their classroom.”
Do not copy without author's permission

3. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2015),
https://nces.ed.gov/datalab/tableslibrary/home.aspx
Students report Undergraduate Graduate
Health problems 3.5 10.7
Hearing 7.0 13.0
Mental
illness/depression
30.8 19.1
Blindness/visual 3.6 5.3
ADHD 21.8
Orthopedic/mobility 9.3 16.6
Learning disability 7.2 4.8
Other 19.0 28.0
Any disab 11.1 7.6
Do not copy without author's permission

4. Universal Design for Learning
UDL fosters equity, access, safety, respect,
creativity, collaboration, and learning.
Do not copy without author's permission

5. Universal design for learning
Diversity
Inclusion
Equity
Equality
Education
Do not copy without author's permission

6. Diversity
Individual differences
(e.g., personality, learning styles, and life experiences)
group/social differences
(e.g., race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, country of
origin, and ability as well as cultural, political, religious, or other
affiliations).
The Association of American Colleges and University. (Center for Urban Education, University of Southern California)
Do not copy without author's permission

7. “The active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity—in
the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities
(intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals
might connect— in ways that increase awareness, content
knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of
the complex ways individuals interact within systems and
institutions.”
The Association of American Colleges and University. (Center for Urban Education, University of Southern California)
Inclusion
Do not copy without author's permission

8. Equity
“The creation of opportunities for historically underrepresented
populations to have equal access to and participate in
educational programs that are capable of closing the achievement
gaps in student success and completion.”
The Association of American Colleges and University. (Center for Urban Education, University of Southern California).
Do not copy without author's permission

9. Do not copy without author's permission

10. A model for
teaching
and learning
Do not copy without author's permission

11. Teaching Methods:
How We Teach
Instructor: Know
Thyself
Course Content:
What We Teach
Students: Know
Who They Are
Do not copy without author's permission

12. Universal Design for Learning:
Definition:
A scientifically valid framework for guiding educational practice that:
(A) provides flexibility in the ways information is presented, in the
ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills, and in
the ways students are engaged; and
Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (P.L.110-­315)
Do not copy without author's permission

13. Universal Design for Learning:
Definition:
(B) reduces barriers in instruction,provides appropriate
accommodations, supports, and challenges, and maintains high
achievement expectations for all students, including students
with disabilities and students who are limited English proficient.
Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (P.L.110-315)
Do not copy without author's permission

15. Universal Design or Accommodations ?
“there is an underlying connection between Universal Design principles and disability
accommodations; both encourage accessibility to more diverse groups of people.
While not as specific as individual student accommodations, it is likely that if the
Universal Design principles are incorporated into the class, the need and request for
specific accommodations from students with disabilities may decrease “
Ketterlin-Geller, L. & Johnstone, C. (2008). Accommodations and universal design: Supporting access to assessments in higher education. Journal of
Postsecondary Education and Disability, 19(2), 163-171.
Do not copy without author's permission

16. Accommodations or UDL?
Providing accommodations in higher education “is grounded in the medical
model of disability, in which a professional identifies an individual’s functional
‘deficits’ and prescribes adjustments that allow him or her to participate to
some degree in the ‘normal’ environment” (pp. 3-4).
For example, if the student with a disability receives an official accommodation
for obtaining copies of lecture notes, then a faculty member in many instances
may be more than willing to provide the accommodation.
Burgstahler (2011) Burgstahler, S. (2011). Universal Design: Implications for Computing Education. Trans. Comput. Educ., 11(3), 1–17.
Do not copy without author's permission

17. Is giving a student lecture notes unfair?
Do you think - “if I make this accommodation for one student, then
everyone else will want it too”?
Try reframing this more proactively, or universally.
In fact, any student in the class could benefit from having copies of the
lecture notes.
If every student has the lecture notes, every student benefits.
Accommodations or UDL?
Do not copy without author's permission

18. Mole, H (n.d.) Services for disabled
students in US higher education:
Implementing a social model approach.
University ofLeeds, UK.
Do not copy without author's permission

19. As part of a Masters Research Project,
Occupational Therapy students were interviewed about
their experiences with universal design and
accommodations.
Here are some of the things they said about the myths
and realities of being a student who learns differently.
Do not copy without author's permission

20. Myths and
Beliefs about
Disabilities
Do not copy without author's permission

21. Myth #1- It is easy to understand what students need
Professor- “I understand what my students need.”
Students- “My professor does not
understand what I need.”
In reality. this is a process of continual, effortful negotiation.
Good communication is essential. Do not copy without author's permission

22. Myth #2- some Accommodations are not fair
Professor- “It would be unfair if I did
this for just one student and not the
rest.”
Student- “My professor won’t give me
an accommodation because he/she
believes it is not fair to the rest of the
students.”
Equality and equity (fairness) are not the same
Do not copy without author's permission

23. Do not copy without author's permission

24. Myth # 3- If I tell my teachers, they will understand
and help
Professor- “ I cannot give you any accommodations
unless you are documented through the
disability services.”
Student- “ I do not want to disclose
because I know I will be judged, I will be looked
at differently and feel different from everyone else.”
Everyone can learn and UDL helps everyone access education
Do not copy without author's permission

25. The reality: How some students see it...
Teachers are still in control. There is no collaboration. Education is not student centered
“Professors who did not understand learning disabilities had a harder time
agreeing with and understanding what I was requesting so I had to fight for my needs and
explain to them how I learned and what I needed from them.”
“The teacher had to feel that the accommodation was their idea.”
“The teacher acted like I was asking for an unfair advantage...for something
I didn’t really need.”
“Sometimes, teachers say that if I just work harder, I will do better in school.
That is just not true...”
Do not copy without author's permission

26. There is still so much shame… It helps when I do not feel like I am not alone
“I know that if I ask for accommodations or tell them about my disability
they will think I am lazy or stupid”
“I finally got the extended time I had to be brought to the front of the room to
go into a separate room and I was completely humiliated by that so it was a
very negative experience for me and I didn't want to get help because I was
embarrassed and didn't want my disability to be acknowledged by everybody
else.”
“I was very ashamed of it for most of my life until I got to grad school and I met
a lot of people with similar struggles so that's when I started opening up about
it and talking about it but before that I kept everything inside to myself.”
Do not copy without author's permission

27. I wish we could be more honest about this…
“It was just a huge elephant in the room and everything became awkward.”
“You do kinda feel alone because no one recognizes it and it's there and no
one says anything about it being there...you feel like you do not belong
where you are sitting.”
“We are all very smart to get into this program but we are not all the
same…”
“This has a huge effect on my self esteem and self efficacy.”
Do not copy without author's permission

28. What works? The words of students:
● When the teacher is genuinely enthusiastic, positive and knowledgeable about
their subject and they are interested in my learning. Showing they want to
know and understand me.
● When the teacher is clear about what they want me to
learn or do. (Examples: worksheets, guides, templates,
written directions).
Do not copy without author's permission

29. ● When the teacher allows me different choices to allow me to show my
knowledge. (Examples: oral exams, multiple choice, projects, papers).
● When the teacher helps me to learn something without embarrassing or
humiliating me. For Example when I can submit my papers early and
get comments so my final paper reflects everything I have learned.
● When the teacher does not make general statements about students or
people who have disabilities as though they were objects of interest, not
people, not me.
What works? The words of students: continued
Do not copy without author's permission

30. • When the teacher realizes that even though I have an illness or disability
that has a name and some common characteristics, I am not my illness or
disability. How that illness or disability affects me is different than for other
people so, when they respect my individuality…
• When the teacher asks and then really listens to me when I talk about how I
learn and what I need to succeed in their class.
• When “class participation” means different things for different people.
What works? The words of students: continued
Do not copy without author's permission

31. How can we improve access to education?
● Attitude
● Education
● Understanding
● Advocacy
● Universal Design for
Learning
Do not copy without author's permission

32. Why? The Rules (Laws)
ADA
Amendments to the ADA
Section 504
Higher Education Act of 2008
Do not copy without author's permission

33. How? Strategies:
The UDI/L Process for Educators:
1. Plan for student diversity
2. Consider the perspectives of students
and involve them in course planning
and evaluation
3. Use learning and teaching strategies
that ensure full inclusion for all students.
4. Make all aspects of teaching and learning accessible; lectures, classroom discussions, group work, handouts,
web-based content, labs, fieldwork, assessment instruments, and other academic activities and materials
5. Respect and include individual accommodations as needed
7. Evaluate outcomes through observation and feedback from students
7. Modify (redesign) as needed
Do not copy without author's permission

34. Do not copy without author's
permission

35. “At its best, talk of diversity . . . reminds us of the
extent to which the promise of freedom and equality
for all remains a work in progress: only partially
realized, only partially understood”
Macedo, S. 2000. Diversity and distrust: Civic education in a multicultural democracy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Do not copy without author's permission

36. Resources:
CAST: http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.ViB1CRNViko
National Center on Universal Design and Learning:
http://www.udlcenter.org/implementation/postsecondary
Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology DO-IT
http://www.washington.edu/doit/
For further information, please contact erainvil@springfieldcollege.edu or jotolo@springfieldcollege.edu