Universal Design: Promoting Access to Instruction for All Students

Universal Design has been defined as "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" (The Center for Universal Design). First apparent in the design of buildings, public spaces, and products, Universal Design has been hailed because it is cost-effective, seeks one integrated approach to accommodate diverse user characteristics, and addresses the needs of many people without stigmatizing any group.

What are some examples of Universal Design?

In architectural design, the automatic door-opener, often used in residential garages as well as supermarkets and department stores, removes an access barrier for people with and without disabilities. In public spaces, curb cuts, originally designed for people who use wheelchairs, are equally popular with people pulling luggage carts or pushing baby strollers, skateboarders, people with canes, and other pedestrians with and without disabilities. In product design, cookware with thick, soft handles works well for people with arthritis and also appeals to cooks without disabilities. In educational settings, students with a variety of disabilities use voice-activated software—but so do many people without disabilities who appreciate the convenience and ease of dictating their thoughts rather than typing them.

How might Universal Design be useful to postsecondary instructors?

Effective postsecondary instructors try to meet the needs of diverse learners: not just students with disabilities, but also students without disabilities who—for a wide variety of reasons—simply experience difficulty learning in traditional academic environments. Using the Universal Design model, instructors can design courses that benefit most of the students in their classrooms; they need not spend a disproportionate amount of time addressing the needs of any one group.

What are the principles of Universal Design when applied to instructional design?

According to the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), Universal Design for Learning makes the following assumptions about teaching and learning:

  • Students with disabilities fall along a continuum of learner differences rather than constituting a separate category.
  • Teacher adjustments for learner differences should occur for all students, not just those with disabilities.
  • Curriculum materials should be varied and diverse including digital and online resources, rather than centering on a single textbook.
  • Instead of remediating students so that they can learn from a set curriculum, curriculum should be made flexible to accommodate learner differences.

How can I get more information about Universal Design and postsecondary teaching?

Bowe, F. G. (2000). Universal Design in Education: Teaching Nontraditional Students. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.

Scott, S. S., McGuire, J. M., & Shaw, S. F. (2003). Universal Design for Instruction: A New Paradigm for Adult Instruction in Postsecondary Education. Remedial and Special Education, 24(6), 369-379.

Tincani, M. (2004). Improving Outcomes for College Students with Disabilities: Ten Strategies for Instructors. College Teaching, 52(4), 128-132.

www.cast.org: Offers a wealth of information on "universal design for access and learning." Provides excellent background material on educational theory. Unfortunately there are few practical examples from postsecondary education.

www.facultyware.uconn.edu/home.cfm: The University of Connecticut's "Universal Design for Instruction Project" provides specific ideas and materials for postsecondary instructors who wish to apply the principles of Universal Design in the courses they teach.

trace.wisc.edu: Provides excellent information on the principles of Universal Design as applied to architecture and product design, and also discusses the importance of Universal Design in terms of demographic, legislative, economic, and social changes among older adults and people with disabilities throughout the 20th century.

www.tss.uoguelph.ca/uid: The University of Guelph's Universal Design website includes guidelines for applying Universal Design principles to course development, tip sheets for teaching assistants, workbooks for faculty, and a listserv for those interested in discussing the application of Universal Design principles in postsecondary settings.