Universal Design for Learning and Instruction: Perspectives of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education

Universal design in the setting of education is a framework of instruction that aims to be inclusive of different learning preferences and learners, and helps to reduce barriers for students with disabilities. The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) were used as the framework for this study. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the perspectives of university students with disabilities on teaching methods and strategies conducive to their learning, and evaluate how their perspectives align with UDL/UDI. The findings of this study revealed that there are barriers to learning for students with disabilities. Students with and without disabilities reported having a variety of learning preferences, and rated UDL/UDI principles as useful in improving their learning. The students gave several perspectives that supported the principles of universal design in higher education to enhance the learning of students who have disabilities. This Article (Subscription-only) is brought to you by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Exceptionality Education International by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact jspecht@uwo.ca. Recommended Citation Black, R. D., Weinberg, L. A., & Brodwin, M. G. (2015) Universal Design for Learning and Instruction: Perspectives of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education. Exceptionality Education International, 25, 1-16. Retrieved from http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/eei/vol25/iss2/2 ISSN 1918-5227 Pages 116 Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/eei Exceptionality Education International 2015, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 1–26 ! ! ! ISSN 1918-5227!!"! Universal Design for Learning and Instruction: Perspectives of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education R. David Black, Lois A. Weinberg, Martin G. Brodwin California State University, Los Angeles