The principles of Universal Design (UD) were first developed during the early 1990s by the architect Ron Mace at North Carolina State University’s Center for Universal Design. According to Mace, "Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design."
Physical access to classrooms and other educational facilities was an important first step toward accessibility within the educational process. Many schools began to embrace the philosophy of inclusion by physically including students with disabilities in the classroom. However, this did not ensure equal access to the general curriculum or opportunities for students with disabilities to benefit from what the school curriculum offered. Typical curriculum in schools tends to take a "one-size-fits-all" approach, which is evidenced by the strong emphasis on textbook instruction. Textbooks require time-consuming modifications to become accessible to many students with disabilities, such as facilitating a means for a student with physical disabilities to turn pages, or for a student with reading challenges to gain meaning from grade level content.
Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST has earned international recognition for its development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies. CAST applied the concept of universal design to a framework for curriculum reform in education. Based on brain research, the Universal Design for Learning concept focused on providing flexibility in curriculum so that the diversity of learners found in today's schools would have access and opportunity to learning that would meet individual needs. By applying UDL, educators can minimize barriers and provide supports and challenges appropriate to each learner.
Just as with the universal design in architecture, the basis premise to UDL is that the flexibility within curriculum must be integrated at the development stages, not as a retrofit after the fact.
Educators and instructional designers have since adapted Mace’s original principles of “universal design” to create Universal Design for Learning (UDL) also known as the Universal Design of Instruction. These principles include the following (Sheryl Burgstahler, Universal Design: Principles, Process, and Applications, Do-It, University of Washington):
Equitable Use. The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. For example, a professor’s website that is designed so that it is accessible to everyone, including students who are blind and using text-to speech software, employs this principle.
Flexibility in Use. The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. An example is a museum, visited as a field trip for a course, that allows a visitor to choose to read or listen to the description of the contents of a display case.
Simple and Intuitive. Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. Science lab equipment with control buttons that are clear and intuitive is an example of an application of this principle.
Perceptible Information. The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities. An example of this principle being employed is when multimedia projected in a course includes captions.
Tolerance for Error. The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. An example of a product applying this principle is educational software that provides guidance and background information when the student makes an inappropriate selection.
Low Physical Effort. The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue. Doors to a lecture hall that open automatically for people with a wide variety of physical characteristics demonstrate the application of this principle.
Size and Space for Approach and Use. Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user’s body size, posture, or mobility. A flexible science lab work area designed for use by students who are left- or right-handed and with diverse physical characteristics and abilities is an example of employing this principle.
UDL was inspired by the need to address various needs of learners who may have disabilities that limit their ability to learn, such as being visually or hearing impaired, learning disabilities, and limited physical mobility. The idea of Universal Design shares the same ideological foundation in both, learning environment and build environment, the principles and techniques for achieving universal design reflect the differences in them. The principles of UDL are not guidelines. They are derived for learning and not for architecture or product design.They address access to the process of teaching and learning. They are three principles that propose that educators strive three kinds of flexibility:
To represent information in multiple formats and media. (The ¨What¨ of Learning)
To provide multiple pathways for students action and expression.(The "How" of Learning).
To provide multiple ways to engage students interest and motivation. (The "Why" of )Learning
A physical environment that lay a foundation for applying the principles ofUD to learning would beclassroom settings in which the teacher has a class of disabled students(learning or physical disabilities)in which she needs to reduce those barriers for learning by providing differentiated instruction that will be challenging, engaging, and flexible.
The History of UDL
The principles of Universal Design (UD) were first developed during the early 1990s by the architect Ron Mace at North Carolina State University’s Center for Universal Design. According to Mace, "Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design."Physical access to classrooms and other educational facilities was an important first step toward accessibility within the educational process. Many schools began to embrace the philosophy of inclusion by physically including students with disabilities in the classroom. However, this did not ensure equal access to the general curriculum or opportunities for students with disabilities to benefit from what the school curriculum offered. Typical curriculum in schools tends to take a "one-size-fits-all" approach, which is evidenced by the strong emphasis on textbook instruction. Textbooks require time-consuming modifications to become accessible to many students with disabilities, such as facilitating a means for a student with physical disabilities to turn pages, or for a student with reading challenges to gain meaning from grade level content.
Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST has earned international recognition for its development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies. CAST applied the concept of universal design to a framework for curriculum reform in education. Based on brain research, the Universal Design for Learning concept focused on providing flexibility in curriculum so that the diversity of learners found in today's schools would have access and opportunity to learning that would meet individual needs. By applying UDL, educators can minimize barriers and provide supports and challenges appropriate to each learner.
Just as with the universal design in architecture, the basis premise to UDL is that the flexibility within curriculum must be integrated at the development stages, not as a retrofit after the fact.
Educators and instructional designers have since adapted Mace’s original principles of “universal design” to create Universal Design for Learning (UDL) also known as the Universal Design of Instruction. These principles include the following (Sheryl Burgstahler, Universal Design: Principles, Process, and Applications, Do-It, University of Washington):
References:
ACCESS. The history and philosophy of UDL. Colorado State University. Retrieve from
http://accessproject.colostate.edu/udl/documents/philosophy.cfm#history
UDL was inspired by the need to address various needs of learners who may have disabilities that limit their ability to learn, such as being visually or hearing impaired, learning disabilities, and limited physical mobility.
The idea of Universal Design shares the same ideological foundation in both, learning environment and build environment, the principles and techniques for achieving universal design reflect the differences in them. The principles of UDL are not guidelines. They are derived for learning and not for architecture or product design.They address access to the process of teaching and learning. They are three principles that propose that educators strive three kinds of flexibility:
- To represent information in multiple formats and media. (The ¨What¨ of Learning)
- To provide multiple pathways for students action and expression.(The "How" of Learning).
- To provide multiple ways to engage students interest and motivation. (The "Why" of )Learning
A physical environment that lay a foundation for applying the principles of UD to learning would be classroom settings in which the teacher has a class of disabled students(learning or physical disabilities)in which she needs to reduce those barriers for learning by providing differentiated instruction that will be challenging, engaging, and flexible.
Examples
http://www.slideshare.net/astrang/udl-presentation-slides.