Applying Universal Design for Learning Principles

An Introduction to UDL 

Universal design first originated in architecture with features such as curb cuts. A curb cut helps not only wheelchair users, but also parents with strollers or those delivering goods with a cart. Just like a ramp is useful to bicyclists, closed captioning helps English language learners and those who prefer to read rather than listen to lecture content. Ally in Blackboard helps those with visual impairments listen to written text, but also MP3 files created from text can help students with long commutes study while in the car, and World language translation helps students learn in any language. 

You can also see:

• UDL Presentation slides with embedded links

• When we design for disability, we all benefit TED Talk

• The myth of average TED Talk

UDL, going deeper

The UDL guidelines, from the Center for Applied Special Technology, or CAST, provide a practical framework for applying universal design to teaching and learning. You can also see:

• The UDL Guidelines (interactive site with detailed descriptions and examples)

• UDL Guidelines downloads (easy to print PDF documents)