Accessibility and UDL
UDL
Universal Design of Learning (UDL) is a way that we better design learning to positively impact all students. UDL is defined by CAST as "... a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn."
Another way to think about UDL is similar to how we design all new buildings to be accessible to all people, even those in wheelchairs. You see all new buildings being built with wheelchair ramps, elevators, wider doorways, and other features that make it so a person in a wheelchair can freely move around. Older buildings, like our current school, had these features added on after the fact and they are not as well designed as if they were added from the start. These features do not just help people in wheelchairs but can positively impact many others. This universal design of our buildings may have initially been focused on one group of people but can positively impact all others.
The same can be applied to our lessons, if we initially design for all learners, we will see a positive impact for all instead of just if we add-on later when our lessons are not working for a certain group of learners.
