Library 2.012: Universal Design for Library Instruction

Welcome Library 2.012 attendees!

Sources referenced in my session, along with some related resources, are listed below. They are also available via the Diigo collaborative bookmarking site: mbfortson’s library2012access Bookmarks on Diigo.

The session recording is available here: Universal Design for Library Instruction.

A pdf of my slide deck is available here: Universal Design for Library Instruction. If this document is not accessible to you, please contact me so I can get it to you in a format that is.

Thanks for visiting.


Session description

Universal Design is “the idea that we should always keep the largest possible audience in mind in our design decisions, ensuring that our final product serves the needs of those with disabilities as well as those without” (ProfHacker, Academic Resources and Universal Design). Originally used in reference to architecture, “universal design” meant designing physical paces that could be used by people of all abilities. When applied to learning, universal design “is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn” (CAST, About UDL).

This session will provide an introduction to Universal Design for Learning: what it is and how its principles can be applied to library instruction. Examples of universally designed instructional materials and strategies will be shared, and attendees will leave the session with tools to help them ensure full access for learners of all abilities.

Referenced in the session

Academic Resources and Universal Design – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education
“The situation would be much improved if more of us embraced the concept of universal design, the idea that we should always keep the largest possible audience in mind in our design decisions, ensuring that our final product serves the needs of those with disabilities as well as those without.”

About UDL | CAST
“Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone–not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.”

How Do You Teach? A UDL Checklist (PDF & docx)

Principles of Universal Design Quick-Reference | Design Research and Methods Journal
“A simple guide that explains and illustrates the principles of Universal Design (UD), providing specific guidelines for implementing UD in any project.”

Redefining Disability according to the World Health Organization | Art Beyond Sight: Handbook
Valerie Fletcher on redefining disability: “Disability is a phenomenon of the experience that occurs by the individual intersecting with the environment. And that may be the physical environment, the information environment, the communication environment, or the social and political environments.”

UDL Guidelines 2.0 | National Center On Universal Design for Learning
“The UDL Guidelines, an articulation of the UDL framework, can assist anyone who plans lessons/units of study or develops curricula (goals, methods, materials, and assessments) to reduce barriers, as well as optimize levels of challenge and support, to meet the needs of all learners from the start. They can also help educators identify the barriers found in existing curricula.”

UDL: Principles and Practice | YouTube
“National Center on UDL Director David Rose explains how UDL helps meet the most pressing issues facing educators today. Drawing on brain research and the latest learning sciences, Dr. Rose describes the three UDL principles and what they mean for classroom practice.”

Universal Design of Instruction (UDI): Definition, Principles, Guidelines, and Examples (PDF)
“Students are in school to learn and instructors share this goal. How can educators design instruction to maximize the learning of all students? The field of universal design (UD) can provide a starting point for developing a framework for instruction. You can apply this body of knowledge to create courses that ensure lectures, discussions, visual aids, videos, printed materials, labs, and fieldwork are accessible to all students.”

What Can Angry Birds Teach Us About Universal Design for Instruction? – ProfHacker – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Angry Birds as “a powerful metaphor for learning.”

Learn more

The Center for Universal Design in Education
“The Center for Universal Design in Education (CUDE) develops and collects Web-based resources to help educators apply universal design to all aspects of the educational experience: instruction; student services, information technology, and physical spaces.” Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction, a “checklist for inclusive teaching” (HTML and PDF), provides examples of UDI practices.

National Center On Universal Design for Learning
“Founded in 2009, the National UDL Center supports the effective implementation of UDL by connecting stakeholders in the field and providing resources and information.” For examples of universally designed instructional materials and strategies, the UDL Examples and Resources may be of particular interest.