1 The Origins of Universal Design for Learning
UDL’s focus is on minimizing or removing barriers to effective learning. It has grown out of a philosophy and practice known simply as “Universal Design”, or UD, which aims to shape our built environment into one where the widest possible range of human needs are met.
The concept was first developed by architect Ronald Mace, a wheelchair user who dreamed of fully accessible buildings becoming the default throughout society. However, interest in this approach quickly spread beyond the realm of those who craft the buildings and spaces that we live in and move through and was taken up in the design of a wide range of products and services, including digital systems and educational practices. In each context, accessibility may look quite different, but wherever it is found, UD remains governed by a commitment to proactively identify and remove barriers.
Universal Design has been strongly influenced by disability activism, especially by what is known as the social model of disability. Beginning in the 1970s and 80s, the social model marked a revolutionary shift in how disabled people understood themselves and advocated for their own needs. Most famously expressed by British sociologist Mike Oliver, the social model rejects the idea that there is “something wrong” with disabled bodies and minds. Instead, this model identifies the problem as one of barriers – barriers in how we construct the world and the things in it, in people’s attitudes toward disability and disabled people, and in how activities, including teaching and learning, are designed and carried out. By removing barriers, the social model asserts that people of all ability types and levels experience increased access and independence. This is sometimes referred to as the curb-cut effect, referring to the ways that sloping curbs (“curb cut”) at the end of sidewalks provide improved access for both disabled and non-disabled people.
But UD is not only about disability. As in architecture, where accessible buildings can better meet the needs of many people, including older adults, children, people of different sizes and statures, and those who push strollers or bring groceries home. Universal Design for Learning benefits students who may not have a disability label, but who may struggle for any number of reasons. While people’s access requirements are so diverse and wide-ranging that even the most-accessible design practices cannot fully meet the needs of every person, planning from a UDL perspective can significantly increase the number of learners who are able to fully participate and learn effectively. And when the barriers that some learners face are reduced or eliminated, everyone has the potential to benefit.
