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Accessible Ed & Disability Resources

Universal Design

This page is designed for you! It is a place to find information and context, but it is also connections and opportunities to partner.

What is Universal Design?

Universal Design is about making things (objects, spaces, events, activities, etc.) more usable to more people. It is about recognizing that decisions we make when planning and offering educational opportunities will have an impact on who can benefit from those opportunities. Universal Design is about recognizing that there are often barriers built into programs, courses, and assignments, and that sometimes students with disabilities will use the formal accommodation process as a way to get around the barriers, but that other times students are hitting those barriers without support. Thus, Universal Design is about taking the affirmative stance to identify and reduce barriers at the design stage.

There are many ways to learn more about Universal Design. Below is an annotated listing of videos and websites.

Videos

Here are a collection of  really short videos from CAST:

  • This video discusses .
  • This video discusses
  • This video discusses .

Here are some additional options:

  • (18 minute long TEDx Talk)
  • (3 minutes on the 7-10 split)
  • (13 minute TEDx Talk)
Websites

The list below is not exhaustive, but hopefully it serves a good entry point to some of the different approaches

  • The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) has done some phenomenal work with Universal Design for Learning, and have done so through a based approach. The  website has a lot of great information, including a section on .
  • The California State University system offers which includes guidance for course redesign workshops, syllabus rubrics, and research on student outcomes.
  • The has been offering guidance around the implementation of Universal Design for decades through a variety of demonstration projects. Their work builds off the 7 principles of Universal Design first articulated by Ron Mace for use in the field of architecture. Here is a DO-IT article titled
  • The  has a model organized around 9 principles of Universal Design for Instruction, and their site provides outlining evidence-based practices.
  • The University of Minnesota also received funding for a Universal Design demonstration project, and produced the  which offers excellent write-ups from a variety of perspectives.

Connection Points

There are many ways to get involved: