Have you heard of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

UDL helps teachers to address the needs of all students in the classroom at the same time!

At DSi we advocate for inclusive education - children with Down syndrome being educated alongside their peers in mainstream schools - but many professionals ask 'How?'

One of the answers to this is UDL.

UDL has been developed by a nonprofit education research and development organisation called CAST, whose mission is "to transform education design and practice until learning has no limits".

UDL is a collection of best practices from education, special education, psychology, and neuropsychology that educators can use to design lessons and learning environments so all learners have the opportunity to become purposeful, motivated, resourceful, knowledgeable, strategic, and goal-directed.

Underneath all of that is a single driving factor: learner variability.

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UDL is a rich tapestry.

Loui Lord Nelson, PhD, is a UDL Consultant who trains educators to use UDL. Loui describes UDL as a "rich tapestry that envelops and supports all learners". Loui has created a new infographic which explains what UDL is about. Click the button to view:

UDL Infographic

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UDL and its role in ensuring access to inclusive education for all.

The International Disability Alliance (IDA) states that "UDL is a critical component of inclusive education". IDA has written a technical paper which answers some key questions about UDL:

• What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
• How can UDL support a truly inclusive education system?
• What kind of evidence is available on how UDL has helped implement an inclusive education system?

You can download the technical paper here:

IDA TECHNICAL PAPER ON UDL

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UDL Guidelines.

If you would like to learn more about UDL, you can access the full UDL guidelines by clicking the image below:

THE UDL GUIDELINES

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Learn more about what we at DSi are doing to advocate for inclusive education:

Inclusive Education