Accessibility - The degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access” and benefit from some system or entity. In education, accessible methods, materials, assessments and environments means all students can acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services in an equally integrated and equally effective manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. For more information about designing accessible educational materials see AEM Center’s Designing for Accessibility with POUR.
Curriculum - Curriculum is defined as the interrelationship of instructional goals, assessments, materials, methods and environment.
Equity - Responding to variability by providing everyone with what they need in order to be successful.
Expert learner/learning -. Learning and expertise are not static. They are continuous processes that involve practice, adjustment, and refinement. CAST defines expert learners as purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, and strategic and goal-directed. For a further description of the characteristics of expert learners please refer to https://www.learningdesigned.org/resource/goal-udl-becoming-expert-learners .
Inclusion - All students, regardless of any challenges they may have, are placed in age-appropriate general education classes that are in their own neighborhood schools to receive high-quality instruction, interventions, and supports that enable them to meet success in the core curriculum (Bui, Quirk, Almazan, & Valenti, 2010; Alquraini & Gut, 2012).
Job-Embedded - Professional learning that occurs during the workday and in the workplace that is grounded in day-to-day teaching practice and is designed to enhance instructional practices with the intent of improving student learning. Instructional coaching is one example of job-embedded professional learning. (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995; Hirsh, 2009).
Learner Variability - Learner variability refers to the infinite range of combinations of learning strengths and needs that make each of us unique in how we learn. Learner variability is systematic, predictable and context dependent.
School leaders - Administrators who provide daily instructional leadership and managerial operations in the elementary school or secondary school building.
School community
School community: Full staff (teachers, building staff, administrators), families
Community: Members of the community who don’t have children in the school, businesses
School culture - The beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors which characterize a school” (Phillips, 1996, p. 1).
UDL Leadership Team - A collaborative and diverse group of stakeholders who are tasked with overseeing UDL implementation.
UDL Framework - The UDL Framework refers to an iterative design process that uses the UDL guidelines to anticipate variability and reduce barriers in learning experience goals, methods, materials and assessments (UDL Critical elements).