Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction

Inclusion, in the educational system, is the integration of learners with disabilities into general education classes (Voltz et al., 2001). This concept may sound simple, however the reality is much harder to achieve. Inclusion primarily focuses on how to put students with special needs into a general education class, instead of focusing on how to change the general and special education system to better support all students. This is a necessary shift in the way educators, administrators, parents, and communities view the structure of inclusion, which is necessary for its underlying purpose to be realized.

For decades the focus of special education has been to “fit” students with disabilities into a program that has not provided them the tools necessary to further succeed in life. Educational standards for students in special education programs are often lowered, and students are not challenged to think critically and expand their knowledge above and beyond these lowered expectations. The implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) began to challenge this standard and demanded free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities (Sands, Kozleski, & French, 2000).

Once practices such as mainstreaming and inclusion were set into place, pressure was on teachers to create a curriculum that would encompasses the various learning needs for all the students in their classroom. Teachers began to retro-fit the current curriculum in ways that would meet individual students’ needs (Udvari-Solner et al., 2002); not an easy task considering education is generally taught in a teacher-directed way, to the “average” student. This type of instruction is what stu...

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...man, N., & Meyer, A. (2003). Differentiated instruction and implications for UDL implementation. A National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC) Effective Classroom Practices Report.

Sands, D., Kozleski, E., & French, N. (2000). Inclusive education for the 21st century: A new introduction to special education. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Udvari-Solner, A., Villa, R. A., & Thousand, J. S. (2002). Access to the general education curriculum for all: The universal design process. in J. Thousand r. Villa & A. nevin (Eds.). Creativity and collaboration: A practical guide to empowering students and teachers. , (pp. 85-103). Balimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing.

Voltz, D. L., Brazil, N., & Ford, A. (2001). What matters most in inclusive education: A practical guide for moving forward. Intervention in School and Clinic, 37(1), 23-30.