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Universal Design for Learning By Dave L. Edyburn Special Education The origin of the term Universal Design for • IEP teams to design measurable annual goals, Learning (UDL) is generally attributed to David including short-term objectives or new bench- Rose, Anne Meyer, and colleagues at the Center for marks, to enable the child to be involved-and Applied Special Technology (CAST). The prin- progress-in the general curriculum. ciples of UDL were developed following the 1997 • A statement of the special education and related reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities services and supplementary aids and services to Education Act (IDEA). At that time there was con- be provided to the child. siderable national interest in the issue of inclusion which placed the majority of students with dis- • A description of any program modifications or abilities in general education classrooms. While supports for school personnel necessary for the students with disabilities had gained physical child to advance appropriately toward the annu- access to the general education classroom, concerns al goals, to progress in the general curriculum, were being raised about how students would gain and to be educated and participate with other “access to the general curriculum.” children both with and without disabilities. , 7(5), 16-22. Reprinted with permission.McLaughlin (1999) reported that IDEA reau-• IEP team members to document an explanation thorization contained several specific mandates of the extent, if any, to which the child will not relative to making the general curriculum acces- participate with children without disabilities in sible for students with disabilities: the general class and activities. • Statements of a child’s present level of educa- Readers interested in a legal analysis of the tional performance to specify how his or her issues associated with access to the curriculum are disability affects involvement and progress in encouraged to review Karger and Hitchcock (2004). echnology Practicethe general curriculum. The issues associated with access to the curriculum Source: Edyburn, D.L. (2005). Universal design for learning. T were at the forefront of CAST’s work and in 1999 they were awarded a federal grant to establish the National Center on Accessing the General Cur- riculum that became instrumental in garnering national attention for the potential of UDL. What is UDL? Rose and Meyer (2002) reveal the basis of UDL is grounded in emerging insights about brain development, learning, and digital media. They observed the disconnect between an increasingly diverse student population and a “one-size-fits- all” curriculum would not produce the academic achievement gains that were being sought. Draw- ing on the historical application of universal design in architectural (e.g., curb cuts), CAST advanced the concept of universal design for learning as a means of focusing research, development, and edu- cational practice on understanding diversity and applying technology to facilitate learning. Special Education Technology Practice 16 November/December 2005 Core Readings in Universal Design for Learning Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every stu- Rose, D.H., Meyer, A., & Hitchcock, C. (Eds.). dent in the digital age. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. (2005). The universally designed classroom: Available online at: http://www.cast.org/ Accessible curriculum and digital technologies. teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/ Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. CAST’s philosophy of UDL is embodied in a Following the backward chain of legal refer- series of principles that serve as the core compo- ence, here is the definition of universal design as nents of UDL: it was included in the Assistive Technology Act of 1998: • Multiple means of representation to give learn- ers various ways of acquiring information and Universal design knowledge The term “universal design” means a concept or philosophy for designing and delivering • Multiple means of expression to provide learners products and services that are usable by people alternatives for demonstrating what they know, with the widest possible range of functional ca- and pabilities, which include products and services that are directly usable (without requiring as- • Multiple means of engagement to tap into learn- sistive technologies) and products and services ers’ interests, challenge them appropriately, and that are made usable with assistive technolo- motivate them to learn. gies. (U.S.C. § 3002) In the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA, the term Recognizing the Value of UDL “universal design” was officially defined within the federal law (20 U.S.C. § 1401) governing special UDL has captured the imagination of policy education: makers, researchers, administrators, and teachers. The term universal design has the meaning While initially focused as a strategy for providing given the term in section 3 of the Assistive access to the curriculum for students with disabili- Technology Act of 1998 (U.S.C. § 3002). ties, it has simultaneous benefits to many other students. UDL provides a vision for breaking the Special Education Technology Practice 17 November/December 2005 “one-size-fits-all” mold and therefore expands the Figure 1. The relationship between opportunities for learning for all students with assistive technology and universal design learning differences. Recognizing and responding for learning. to diversity is a core motivation for engaging in UDL practices. Finally, the expectations associated with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) makes UDL an important and timely strategy for enhancing student academic achievement. The mantra that evolved from our understanding of the value of curb cuts: “Good design for people with disabilities benefits everyone,” provides a powerful rationale for exploring the large-scale application of UDL in education. Clarifying Connections Despite the many attributes of UDL, one down-side has been noted. That is, what is the relationship between UDL and assistive technology Universal access doesn’t just happen. Sch-wan- (AT)? Some educators mistakenly assume UDL will ke, Smith, and Edyburn (2001) have argued that replace AT since all needs will be anticipated and access for individuals with disabilities to facilities, addressed. Rose, Hasselbring, Stahl, and Zabala programs, and information is a developmental (2005) address these concerns by noting that as- process. The A3 model illustrates an ebb and flow sistive technology and UDL can be thought of as of efforts that are needed to obtain universal acces- two interventions on a continuum that involves sibility (see Figure 2). reducing barriers (see Figure 1). At one end of the continuum, UDL seeks to reduce barriers for every- In the first phase, Advocacy efforts raise aware- one. At the other end of the continuum, AT is used ness of inequity and highlight the need for system to reduce barriers for individuals with disabilities. change to respond to the needs of individuals However, in the middle, the interactions of the with disabilities. Accommodations are the typical two interventions merge in a way that prevents response to advocacy. Therefore, inaccessible en- clear demarcation of where one ends and the other vironments and materials are modified and made begins. available in phase two. Typically, accommodations are provided upon request. While this represents a Figure 2 The A3 Model illustrates the developmental phases of accessibility. Special Education Technology Practice 18 November/December 2005 significant improvement over situations found in Figure 3 the earlier phase, accommodations tend to main- A screen print from Thinking Reader that tain inequity since there may be a delay (i.e., time provides extensive supports for readers of all to convert a handout from print to Braille), it may skill levels as they interact with award-winning require special effort to obtain (i.e., call ahead to core literature. schedule), or it may require going to a special loca- tion (i.e., the only computer with screen reading software is in the library). In phase three, Acces- sibility describes an environment where access is equitably provided to everyone at the same time. The proportions illustrated in the graphic reveal the efforts associated with each of the three phases at any point in time relative to the impact of the general strategy being applied (advocacy that argues for need, accommodation to remediate inaccessibility, and accessibility where universal access is provided for all). Thus, the model offers a descriptive audit tool for organizations to self- assess their developmental phase relative to how they are spending their time and energy. While the the play button and the software reads the book model illustrates the optimal value of universal while the text is highlighted on the screen. Key design and accessibility, it also suggests the devel- vocabulary words are underlined indicating a hy- opmental reality associated with the need to make perlink; students can click on the word to access a accommodations and modifications when UDL spoken and printed definition of the word. Spanish environments are not readily available. translations are also provided. UDL in Practice At strategic points, a message appears indicat- After a person has embraced the principles ing: “This is a good place to stop and think about of UDL, there is an urgent feeling to impact daily the story.” Students click on the message and they educational practice. This raises an interesting are linked to directions and questions that engage question: Is UDL a philosophy or an intervention? them in responding to what was just read. Seven Actually, it is both. In this section we examine two research-based effective reading strategies are built strategies for operationalizing the principles of into the software: summarize, question, clarify, UDL. predict, visualize, feeling, and reflect (see Figure 4). Students answer different types and levels of questions such as open-ended, literal, and interpre- Universal Access by Design tative as well as test-like questions such as multiple choice and short answer. CAST has developed a number of products in which they have sought to operationalize their Five levels of embedded reading comprehen- concepts of UDL. One such product is Thinking sion support are built into the program. Level 1 Reader (Scholastic) (see Figure 3). Thinking Reader readers have the most supports and Level 5 has the is a software product that contains electronic books least; levels can be adjusted as each student’s com- with supports for readers of all skill levels. Specifi- prehension skills improve. The program features cally designed for Grades 5-8, the Thinking Reader extensive student performance monitoring and series presents unabridged, grade-level literature reporting tools that allow teachers to view, print, (e.g., A Wrinkle in Time; Roll of Thunder, Hear My or export reports (see Figure 5). Thinking Reader Cry; Tuck Everlasting) that engage students in read- serves as a powerful example of the application ing and interpreting a variety of literary works as of UDL principles and the notion of “considerate they build understanding and fluency. text” as a means of supporting all students. To begin, students log into the program, click Universal Access Through Accommo- Special Education Technology Practice 19 November/December 2005
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