Universal Design and Its Applications in Educational Environments

Universal design (UD), a concept from the field of architecture, is increasingly evident in discussions of approaches to enhance educational access for students with disabilities. Several emerging models of educational applications of UD—Universal Design for Learning, Universal Design for Instruction, and Universal Instructional Design—are discussed, with a call to the field for a collaborative approach to examine the efficacy of applications of UD to educational environments. Several critical areas for a research agenda are articulated, with caveats that the promise of UD for enhancing access not be undermined because of premature promotion of the concept before its validity is thoroughly examined.