Universal Instructional Design
Universal Instructional Design – the design of
instructional delivery methods, materials, and activities that
makes the learning goals achievable by individuals with wide
differences in their abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read,
write, understand English, attend, organize, engage, and
remember.
 Objective: Make each program accessible and available
to the broadest audience right from the start, with
activities and materials that all learners can participate
in, to the greatest extent possible.
 Achieved by means of flexible program materials,
delivery methods, and activities that provide
alternatives for participants with differing abilities.
 Alternatives are built into the instructional design of the
program, activities, and materials – they are not added
on after-the-fact.
 Addresses accessibility for everyone, first without
specific accommodations
 Does not preclude the need for specific
accommodations, including assistive technologies
Curb-cut Advantage: features designed for improved or
equal access for people with disabilities in instructional
settings improve access for all.
Universal Instructional Design Principles
 Inclusiveness - climate of respect for diversity,
including people with disabilities; welcoming
environment;“we want and expect you to be here”
 Physical access – accessible learning space;
minimized need for sustained physical effort as
requirement for participation; options for
operation; assurance of safety for participants
 Delivery methods – multiple modes of instruction:
lecture, demonstration, discussion, hands-on,
group work, field work
 Information access – redundancy; printed
materials with visuals and text; printed versions of
information presented orally; printed materials
available electronically; information wellorganized; Power Pt or other visuals read or
described out loud; captioning of videos/DVDs
 Interaction – multiple modes: open-ended
questions; multiple choice questions; teams and
partners; discussions; participants addressed by
name; communication aids
 Feedback – prompting; verbal and physical cues;
demonstration of correct procedures; modeling
 Demonstration of knowledge – multiple methods;
alternatives to writing tasks; projects;
demonstrations; drawings; models
References:
DO-IT Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking &
Technology
doit@uw.edu
Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org/