Universal Design in Education
Have you ever used a ramp to enter a building? What about those buttons to open doors? Or my favorite - the handicapped accessible restroom! They are the biggest stalls and sometimes they even have their own sink. These features that we find in most public businesses are there to help people with disabilities but they are also convenient for people that don’t have disabilities. In fact, these accommodations are there by law to make these areas accessible to everyone. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) ensures that any building built after 1992 is designed to meet these needs. This includes access to water fountains, sidewalks, bathrooms, emergency exits, and upper floors of a building. This federal law has been updated over the years, most recently in 2016. The idea being that the buildings are designed from the beginning for accessibility for those with and without disabilities. Meaning, the accommodations are not inconvenient or harmful to those without disabilities but they make a world of difference for those with disabilities. When we enter a building, we really don’t think twice about these accommodations. Why not apply this same principal when it comes to education?
The “traditional” model of education (as we know it in the United States) was designed back in the early 1900s with the emergence of “factory model schools” largely influenced by Horace Mann. This model of education was teacher-centered and grouped students into grades based on age. Students sat in rows as they prepared to be factory workers in the Industrial Age of our country. Over 100 years later, that is still the predominant form of education in the United States. What was seen as revolutionary in the early 1900s is now a stifling and woefully rigid way to educate students for the world in which we now live. There have been many attempts to update our education system over the years with varied levels of success. However, students who are not successful in the “traditional” classroom are still stigmatized and labeled as behavior problems. Our education system would greatly benefit if the idea of universal design were implemented in the school setting.
As it stands now, our education system has been “retrofitted”, if you will. We have taken an outdated system and tried to update it to accommodate current needs. We’ve added technology, fun bulletin boards, and implemented group projects to promote “21st century skills” but we have failed to design an education system that is accessible to all from the beginning. The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), originally published in 1975, is a federal law mandating that students with disabilities should be provided with a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. This is law has been in effect for almost 40 years, yet many parents are still fighting with schools to get the accommodations their child is legally afforded in a system that was not originally designed with the needs of all students in mind.
I don’t pretend to know how to improve the entire education system in the United States; however, I can start in my own classroom and my own community to design an educational experience that is accessible to all students. For example, extensive research over many years has confirmed that learning to read through phonics (sounding out of words) is the most effective teaching method and provides the best outcomes when it comes to accuracy and fluency in reading. There are many ways to teach phonics but students with learning differences, such as dyslexia, respond best to phonics instruction that is structured, explicit, multi-sensory, and systematic. If we taught students to read using this method students with disabilities would have better educational outcomes - and guess what… students without disabilities would learn to read too! There is an old saying that goes “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” meaning if it is an effective method for students with dyslexia, then it is an equally effective method for students without dyslexia.
The bottom line is that when you see education through the lens of a universal design then you don’t assume that the student is the problem; you look at other factors first and try to remove barriers that could be preventing the child from accessing the information being presented.
Want to try this in your own classroom or learning environment? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Q: How can I create an engaging environment?
A: Consider student strengths and interests. Create opportunities for choice.
Q: Does this student need visual or auditory supports?
A: Consider changing fonts or colors. Offer audiobooks or text-to-speech options.
Q: Is there a different way that this student could show what they’ve learned?
A: Let students show what they know through creative expressions like posters or digital presentations.
Before you say “Well, that’s not fair to the other students” - keep in mind that these options are part of the design of the whole classroom. Meaning these options are available to all students, regardless of ability or disability.
As a final thought I will share a personal experience: When I was teaching 1st grade, I often had students that struggled with focus and attention. In an attempt to help them concentrate, I provided headphones that blocked out sounds. They were not noise-cancelling headphones but they muffled any noises around them that could be distracting. These headphones became the most popular item in my classroom! All of the students wanted to try them out and found them to be helpful. I ended up with several of these headphones in my classroom to keep up with the “demand”.
Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo to support the students in your life who learn differently!
To learn more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) check out these articles below:
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A teacher’s guide
Reading Rockets: Universal Design for Learning
