ORIGINS OF UDL WORK GROUP

1
Universal Design for Learning Tipping Points
from Research to Practice CEC 2008 Strand B,
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Universal Design for Learning Tipping Points
from Research to Practice CEC 2008 Strand B,
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Session 2 From the Margins to the Mainstream
UDL and its Implications for Education
Policy Session leader Tom Hehir, Harvard
Graduate School of Education Presenters Nancy
Reder, National Association of State Directors of
Special Education Ricki Sabia, National Down
Syndrome Society Discussant Laura Kaloi,
National Council for Learning Disabilities
If you find these materials useful, heres how to
cite this presentation using the APA
style Sabia, Ricki. (2008, April 3). The
national UDL task force. Presented at the Council
for Exceptional Children National Convention,
Boston, MA.
2
ORIGINS OF UDL TASK FORCE

• Started by the National Down Syndrome Society in
  September 2006.
• Comprised of 23 national education and disability
  organizations. See list of organizations at
  www.udl4allstudents.com

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GOALS OF TASK FORCE

• 1. Improve instruction and assessment for ALL
  students by incorporating UDL in NCLB, IDEA and
  the Higher Education Act.
• 2. Promote UDL through grants, technical
  assistance and communication campaign

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KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Created a growing coalition of key education
  stakeholders
• Increased the knowledge base of the press and
  policymakers
• Recommended provisions that were put in the House
  draft of the NCLB reauthorization bill and the
  House bill reauthorizing the Higher Education
  Act.
• Promoted the need for an OSEP UDL Toolkit

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FOCUS ON UDL

• UDL goes beyond UD in education to emphasize
  comprehension of the curriculum content and
  assessments, not just physical access.
• All the work on UD in education supports aspects
  of UDL and is important to its implementation.

6
CHALLENGES

• UDL is a new term for many policymakers.
• People are looking for a a prepackaged toolkit to
  reform education.
• We need model districts/States and data.
• Misconceptions
• -- UDL is only for special education
  students.
• -- UDL is too complicated and new
• -- UDL has already been tried.

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NEXT STEPS

• Continue to work on HEA and NCLB.
• Add UDL to IDEA.
• Develop communication tools on UDL.
• Increase technical assistance to States and
  districts.
• Increase availability of universally designed
  instructional materials and assessments.
• Improve pre-service training for educators on the
  use of technology and UDL in the classroom.