In the September edition of Edubytes, our guest editors are Jeff Miller, Senior Associate Director, Project & Faculty Partnerships and Afsaneh Sharif, Faculty Liaison and Senior Project Manager from the CTLT. They explain how Universal Design for Learning principles are being applied across UBC to create more inclusive learning environments, and share resources available to faculty through the UDL Fellows Program.
Universal Design for Learning: Fostering Inclusivity and Accessibility at UBC
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that promotes inclusivity in education by ensuring all learners have equal opportunities to succeed. The UDL Guidelines “support educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and more to apply the UDL framework to practice. The guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.” The three key principles of UDL – multiple means of expression; multiple means of representation; and multiple means of action and expression – provide educators with strategies to create flexible learning environments that accommodate diverse needs and preferences. This proactive approach removes barriers to learning and supports students of all abilities and backgrounds.
Addressing student access is urgent, given the high number of students with disabilities. At UBC Vancouver, The Centre for Accessibility supported approximately 8% of the student population in 2024, most of whom have invisible or non-apparent disabilities like mental health conditions, chronic health conditions or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A smaller percentage have sensory or physical disabilities; however, the access barriers may be more complex such as needing Sign Language interpretation or accessible texts.
While the Centre for Accessibility strives to create equal access for disabled students by implementing accommodations, the process enacts a reactive model. Accommodations serve to remediate inaccessible pedagogical design. While some accommodations may be required no matter advanced planning (e.g., captioning for hard or hearing students), in an ideal world, intentional and accessible teaching and learning activities would decrease the need for accommodations.
Breaking the Cycle: A Director’s call to Transform Education through UDL
Dr. Elisa Baniassad, the Acting Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning Technology (CTLT), is a passionate advocate for accessibility in education. Her dedication to accessibility, and UDL principles, drives her commitment to creating more inclusive learning environments and breaking away from traditional, exclusionary educational practices. In her recent address, she highlighted the urgent need for a shift in how we approach education, emphasizing that inclusivity and accessibility are not just aspirations but ethical, moral, and societal responsibilities.
UDL is not only a vital pedagogical framework but also a transformative approach to education that seeks to break down the barriers of exclusion and fear-based learning. Dr. Baniassad emphasized that our education system has been historically grounded in “humiliation and punishment and fear,” which perpetuates a cycle of alienation for students who do not fit into narrow definitions of acceptability. Accessibility programs, in particular UDL programs, are key to disrupting this harmful legacy by fostering inclusivity and creating environments where all students, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities, can thrive. “Programs like this help give hope,” she said, “so that students who are different, and who maybe have given up, feel a sense of belonging.”
The shift towards accessible education is not just an act of inclusion—it is a commitment to the dignity of the learner. “People should not be walking into places of learning and feeling like they have to apologize for their own existence,” she stressed. UDL promotes existential confidence for students, making them feel valued and capable from the moment they enter a classroom. “I am so proud of our institution for understanding the responsibility we have, to make profound change in our educational models,” she added. The call to action is clear: it is now the responsibility of educators to be ambassadors of this change, to advocate for education that respects and supports every learner, ensuring accessibility remains a priority for years to come.
The UDL Fellows Program
Faculty members are applying UDL principles to provide students with choices in accessing information, engaging with content, and demonstrating their knowledge. For example, following the UDL principle of Multiple Means of Engagement, faculty incorporate diverse activities like interactive discussions, peer collaboration, and reflection journals, giving students multiple ways to connect with the content and each other. To support Multiple Means of Representation, course materials are provided in various formats such as text, audio, and video, allowing students to choose the format that best suits their learning needs. For Multiple Means of Action and Expression, assessments are designed to allow students to express their understanding in different formats, such as writing essays, giving presentations, or creating multimedia projects. This approach ensures that all students can participate in ways that align with their strengths and preferences. To learn more about UDL, be sure to visit the UDL Hub website and explore the “About UDL” and “Resources” sections. These sections provide valuable insights and tools to help you understand and implement UDL principles effectively.
Beyond the classroom, UDL Fellows from 2023 and 2024 are applying these principles in their daily work to promote accessibility across campus life. This includes designing accessible events, workshops, programs, and communication materials, reflecting UBC’s commitment to inclusivity. The second cohort of UDL Fellows has completed their program and is now implementing redesigned courses and practices.
The work of the 2023 UDL Fellows is now highlighted on the UDL Hub website, demonstrating the impact and versatility of UDL across disciplines at UBC. You can read 12 short interviews where project teams share perspectives from faculty, students, and staff. Below are a few selected quotes from the stories shared by UDL Fellows and students about their experiences with the UDL Fellows program. We encourage you to explore more of their UDL Stories on the UDL Hub website.
UDL definitely has a special way of presenting things that I had been missing before. […] Implementing UDL gave such a strong sense of autonomy to the point that a student thought it was a self-directed course. […] By teaching using UDL, one of the hopes that I express to students is that they also develop a concern for accessibility and think about methods of making their own practice more accessible.
Antoine Coulombe: Assistant Professor of Teaching at the School of Social Work
As someone who is able-bodied but also neurodivergent, I’ve experienced both sides of the coin. I’m “privileged” in one category yet have so much to learn, and “disadvantaged” in another yet have so much to share. […] For the first time, I’m seeing a system that really does treat everyone as equal. […] I believe shifting perspective from “one group helping another group” to “different groups learning from and helping each other” is the only way that we can see change in our education system and UDL is without a doubt helping us move in that direction.
Polina Sparkovsky: Work Learn Student
I think one of the things that I appreciated about the UDL Fellows Program this year, coming into it not as a fellow but working on the development side, has been getting direct student input and getting a better sense of the approaches that are really helpful for students. I think this feedback and evidence loop is really important to ensure any changes implemented continue to support their learning.
Jocelyn Micallef, Manager, Educational Development in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
For more information on UDL and to explore the inspiring work of our UDL Fellows, visit the UDL Hub website, interact with our UDL chatbot, UDLPal, located on the home page and read Fellows’ UDL stories. Let’s continue to work together to build a more inclusive future at UBC and in higher education.
