UDL – Enhancing
Learning for All
Promoting Collaboration
A New Function for Special Education
Getting Off To a Good Start
Play is the exultation of the possible.
- Martin Buber
They were in the house alone...
Just the two of them. It was a cold,
dark, stormy night. The storm had
come quickly
and each time the thunder boomed he
watched her jump.
She looked across the room and
admired his strong appearance...and
wished that he would take her in his
arms, comfort her and protect her
from the storm. She wanted
that...more than anything.
Suddenly, with a pop, the power went out...
she screamed...he raced to the sofa where
she was cowering.
He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms.
He knew this was a forbidden union and
expected her to pull back.
He was surprised when she didn't resist but
instead clung to him.
The storm raged on...as did their growing
passion and there came a moment when
each knew that they had to be together.
They knew it was wrong...
Their families would never
understand... So consumed were they
in their passion that they heard no
opening of doors...just the faint click
of a camera......
Have you smiled today?
Let us show you how . . .
Always Remember How To Smile!!!
Life may not be the party I had hoped
for...........
But while I'm here I might just as well
listen to the music and dance!
Make Today Count
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Stay in curiosity
Listen for nuance
Share your questions and concerns
Don’t take yourself or others too
seriously
Credits and Thanks
 www.udlcenter.org
 Those willing to post PowerPoints publicly
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Jenna Gravel
Patti Ralabate
Lisa Thomas
Elizabeth Dalton
Paul Sherlock
CAST (National Center on Universal Design for
Learning)
Collaboration and UDL? Why?
 Accessing the general curriculum
 Improving instruction and learning
 Improving results
Some people
spend their time
looking forward
mostly to the past.
- John Oshborne
You don’t have to
do it. Survival is
not compulsory.
- Deming
The future is now . . .
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE
&feature=related
Which is closer to your classrooms?
But . . . .
 This is not a
session on
technology (per se)
 This is a session
on access to
learning through
instruction based
on UDL
Today’s Session at a Glance
 What is UDL?
 Principles of UDL
– What are they?
– Examples of each
 UDL Guidelines
 Tools & Resources
What is UDL?
A way to provide learning opportunities
in the general education curriculum that
are:
INCLUSIVE and EFFECTIVE
FOR ALL
Universal Design for Learning
 Born from architectural world
 Intended to design and construct
equal access facilities
 Concept transferred to education
Civil Rights Legacy – Universal Design
Universal Design:
Access for everyone!
Old design:
Some are denied
Universal Design
“Consider the needs of the broadest
possible range of users from the
beginning.”
— Ron Mace
Universal design principles
 Not an afterthought: Full access is
designed from the outset
 More cost-effective than retrofitting
 More elegant and easy-to-use
. . . I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough
for a man to depend simply upon himself.
-Lone Man, Teton Sioux
1. Think and list – all of the things that you
come across or use in your daily life that
make it easier for you to function. (1min)
2. Share and combine lists with two
colleagues. (3 min)
3. Count up items on your list.
4. Who has the most items?
Universal design (UD) examples
Assistive
Technology
Universal
Design
Assistive
Technology
 Ramps and curb cuts
 Digital books with text-tospeech
 TV and video captioning
 Easy-grip tools
 Electric doors
 Highlight text
 Minimize distraction
Universal design for learning
Combines new insights from brain
research about the nature of
learner differences…
…with a century of
best practices in
progressive education.
HTTP://WWW.NASDSE.ORG/
Universal Design for Learning
BACKGROUND AND
PRINCIPLES
Defining UDL
 Principles laid down by CAST in the
1990s
 Federal support for UDL research,
dissemination since 1999
 Defined by federal statute in 2008
Higher Education Opportunity Act
Universal Design for learning
“A scientifically valid framework for guiding
educational practice”
(Source: Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008)
Universal Design for Learning…
 reduces barriers in instruction
 provides appropriate accommodations
[and] supports
 maintains high achievement expectations
(Source: Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008)
Universal Design for Learning
 Eliminating or reducing barriers to
academic success for all students
 Valuing diversity in the classroom
through proactive design of inclusive
curriculum
Universal Design for Learning
 Increasing options
for access
 Increasing options
for participation
 Increasing options
for demonstrating
learning
 Leading to
increased
equitable access
to the general
curriculum 
– Higher achievement
– More graduation
– Less drop out
Universal Design for Learning…
“Provides flexibility in the ways
– Information is presented
– Students respond or demonstrate
knowledge and skills
– Students are engaged”
(Source: Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008)
Three Fundamental Principles
 Multiple Means of Representation
– To increase recognition
 Multiple Means of Expression
– To expand purposeful output
 Multiple Means of Engagement
– To enhance involvement
What are the UDL Principles?
In each area of the curriculum provide
varied and flexible options for:
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Representing information
Action and expression
Engagement
Universal Design for Learning Guidelines
Recognition through Representation
 Provide options for
perception
 Provide options for
language,
mathematical
expressions, and
symbols
 Provide options for
comprehension
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Perception
– Customized displays
– Auditory alternatives
– Visual alternatives
Expression
– Vocabulary and symbols
– Syntax and structure
– Decoding
– Understanding
– Multiple illustrations
Comprehension
– Background knowledge
– Patterns and relationships
– Information processing
– Transfer and generalization
Multiple Representations of Information
Examples
– Offer text-to-speech, video, audio, and
other multimedia; integrate assistive
technologies into learning environment
– Provide vocabulary support and
background knowledge
– Highlight critical features & main ideas
Exploring the Three Principles
http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutu
dl/udlguidelines
Does Not Have to Be Complex
 Read aloud
 Highlight phrases
 Listen to
audiotapes
 Text-to-speech
 What are your
ideas?
– Generate examples
of how you have
represented
information in
alternative formats.
– Generate new and
creative possibilities.
Provide Multiple Means for Action
and Expression
 Options for physical
action
 Options for
expression and
communication
 Options for
executive functions
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Physical action
– Vary response and navigation
– Optimize tools and
technologies
Expression and
communication
– Multiple media
– Tools for construction and
composition
– Graduated levels of support
Executive functions
– Goal setting
– Planning and strategy
development
– Managing information and
resources
– Enhance monitoring progress
Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Examples
– Let students show what they know
with voice recording, graphic displays,
performance, etc.
– Provide models of expert performance
– Offer executive-function supports such
as graphic organizers, outlines, etc.
Exploring the Three Principles
http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutu
dl/udlguidelines
Does Not Have to Be Complex
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Voice recording
Graphic displays
Graphic organizers
Dance or movement
Embedded prompts
Checklists
Spellcheck
Story webs and
outlines
 Sentence starters
 What are your
ideas?
– Generate examples of
how you have allowed
multiple means for
action and expression.
– Generate new and
creative possibilities.
Provide Multiple Means for Engagement
 Options for
recruiting interest
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 Options for
sustaining effort
and persistence
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Recruiting Interest
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 Options for selfregulation
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Individual choice and autonomy
Relevance, value and authenticity
Minimize threats and distractions
Sustaining effort and
persistence
– Heighten salience of goals
and objectives
– Vary demands and resources
– Foster collaboration and
community
– Increase mastery-oriented
feedback
Self-Regulation
– Promote expectations and
beliefs
Exploring the Three Principles
http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutu
dl/udlguidelines
Does Not Have to Be Complex
 Flexibility in use of
tools
 What are your
 Provide choice in
ideas?
mode of expression
– Generate examples of
how you provided
 Connect to community
multiple means for
opportunities
engagement.
 Use flexible grouping
– Generate new and
strategies
creative possibilities.
 Create positive school
culture
 Peer tutoring
 Differentiated goals
Multiple Means of Engagement
Examples
– Vary levels of challenge and support to
prevent frustration or boredom
– Tie work to real-world examples
– Where possible, give choices
– Teach self-assessment and reflection
– Implement school-wide positive
behavioral interventions and support
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports:
Managing Student Behavior
“Creating classroom norms,
expectations and rules are a
golden opportunity to establish
and sustain student
engagement, use it.”
- Dr. Mary Magee Quinn
Summing it all up
The old days will not
be again, even as a
man will never again
be a child. (Dakota)
 http://www.youtub
e.com/watch?v=1
heHn7j_AEY&feat
ure=related
You are shaping the future!
UDL applies to the whole curriculum
Goals
Traditional
– Learning goals may
get skewed by the
inflexible ways and
means of achieving
them.
UDL
– Learning goals are
attained in many
individualized ways,
by many customized
means.
Materials
Traditional
– Mostly print and
everyone gets the
same materials
– Few options
UDL
– Variety of materials
and formats to
reach learners with
diverse abilities,
styles, and needs
equally well.
Methods
Traditional
– Teacher centered
(lecture)
– Homogeneous
grouping
– Burden on student to
adapt to “get it”
UDL
– Interactivity
– Heterogeneous
grouping
– Rich supports for
understanding,
independent
learning
Assessment
Traditional
– Confuse goals with
means.
– Summative—when
it’s too late to adjust
instruction!
UDL
– Many positive
means as long as
they measure
learning!
– Supports
instructional
improvement.
UDL Unplugged
 The Role of Technology in UDL
 http://www.udlcenter.org/resource_libr
ary/articles/udlunplugged
 The Seed Lesson
– Example lesson illustrating how all principles
of UDL can be met even with limited
technology
With UDL, more students are…
 Engaged in their
own education
 Learning at greater
breadth and depth
 Achieving at higher
levels
 Motivated to
continue learning
More educators are…
 Teaching effectively
in classrooms with
diverse student
needs
 Spending more time
on
instruction and
facilitating
learning
 Helping ALL
learners succeed
Federal supports for UDL
Statutes and regulations
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No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA)
National Instructional Materials Accessibility
Standard (NIMAS)
Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA)
Federal investment in UDL
US Department of Education
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Office of Special Education Programs
Institute for Education Sciences
Office of Postsecondary Education
National Science Foundation
What can you do now?
 Apply UDL to your instruction
 Demand universally-designed products
 Share your UDL resources and lesson
plans with others
 Advocate curriculum adoption policies that
require UDL principles
For More Information
 OSEP Ideas that Work - UDL
Toolkit
http://www.osepideasthatwork.org/udl/
 National UDL Task Force
www.udl4allstudents.org
 CAST
www.cast.org
 National UDL Center
www.udlcenter.org
Thank You!
May you be one who makes
things happen for the students
you teach.
May you have a wonderful and
successful school year.